About the position
Introduction
The purpose of the School Manager role is to offer robust academic leadership to the respective schools, both existing and emerging. The School Manager will contribute to the attainment of MANCOSA's strategic objectives, namely, academic excellence, student-centric transformation, and sustainability, with the overarching aim of building a resilient and sustainable institution. This role ensures that MANCOSA's academic initiatives are fit-for-purpose, aligned with industry needs, and responsive to the evolving profile of its student body.
Duties & Responsibilities
CORE FUNCTIONS INCLUDE:
1. Programme Management
- Oversee new programme readiness and semester planning, including content migration, QA, and final approvals.
- Manage the student lifecycle: from recruitment and induction to WIL placement (where applicable).
- Review and sign off on academic and marketing collateral including the website, handbook, and prospectus.
- Ensure effective participation in all academic committee engagements and maintain a robust reporting dashboard.
2. Academic Management
- Oversee and report on academic staff recruitment, onboarding, training, and performance management.
- Provide mentorship, career progression planning, and mental well being initiatives.
- Monitor and enhance the quality of teaching, assessments, and student support systems.
- Ensure systematic school meetings, accurate record-keeping, and academic collaboration.
- Manage and review KPIs for Academic Programme Leaders (APL), Academics and Academic Support Coordinators (ASC) and resolve escalated student queries with professionalism and empathy.
- Actively promote academic collaboration and systematic school meetings as venues for team building and peer support, rather than just administrative checkpoints.
- Apply the requirement to handle student queries with professionalism and empathy to staff interactions as well, ensuring a culture of psychological safety and support.
- Utilise established processes and systems to drive cohesive team alignment in pursuit of school success
- Ensure all academic staff adhere to SACE regulations during academic staff recruitment, onboarding, and throughout performance management processes.
3. Curriculum Review
- Oversee the review and implementation of curriculum changes in collaboration with academic directorates.
- Sign off on Programme Information Sheets (PIS), module guides, and participate in PAC and PDDR processes.
- Ensure programme compliance and continuous curriculum improvement.
- Moving beyond the \"review and implementation of curriculum changes\", this function would focus on identifying market trends to guide new programme readiness that attracts prospective students.
- Align programme compliance and continuous curriculum improvement with SACE professional standards and code of ethics.
4. Teaching, Learning, and Community Engagement
- Approve teaching plans and strategies.
- Facilitate module/s, including assessment setting and marking.
- Attend all relevant T&L meetings and trainings.
- Supervise postgraduate research students and contribute to the school's academic promotion via research outputs, media presence, and community engagement.
5. Driving School Growth and Innovation (providing strategic direction in the following areas but not limited to):
- Develop long term strategies to improve school performance
- leveraging the required media presence and community engagement to establish the school as a thought leader in education, thereby driving growth.
Desired Experience & Qualification
Required Qualifications and Experience:
Essential
o Doctoral level qualification or Master's degree in a relevant discipline; at least 3 years of academic management experience.
o Must hold valid SACE registration to legally facilitate module/s, including assessment setting and marking, and to supervise postgraduate research students
Preferred
o Doctoral qualification, 5 years in academic leadership or management roles
Essential Skills:
o Expertise in curriculum design, academic operations, and quality assurance.
o Strong leadership and project management skills.
o Ability to navigate regulatory compliance and institutional policies.
o Excellent communication, interpersonal, and decision-making abilities.
o Proven ability to lead teams, foster collaboration, and drive continuous improvement.
o High ethical standards, strategic thinking, and a passion for student success
Physical Requirements:
- Must be capable of working with visual and auditory input.
Special Conditions:
- Willingness to work overtime when required.
