Head of Faculty: Education

The IIE (Pty) Ltd is the registered provider of higher education which is offered through the following educational brands: IIE Vega, IIE Varsity College, IIE Rosebank College and IIE MSA. The Independent Institute of Educations Central Academic Team (CAT) is responsible for the academic leadership and governance of the work done at the brands while each brand is managed as a business entity by its own divisional management team.

The IIE (Pty) Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of AdvTech Ltd which is listed on the JSE.

This position is within the central IIE academic team. The IIE, as registered provider has ultimate responsibility for registration, curriculum, delivery, assessment and certification of all education on these sites as well as for relationships with external partners particularly in the regulatory and accreditation arena.

The IIE currently operates through six faculties and has established academic operations, compliance and academic leadership infrastructure and processes.

Reporting To

The Head of Faculty (HOF) will report directly to the General Manager

Job Purpose

To manage and lead the faculty, to develop and support the Heads of Programmes (HOPs) and to provide overall academic and strategic leadership for the faculty. To participate in the overall leadership and governance of the institution.

It is important to note that this role requires a hand on approach in learning material and assessment development, quality assurance and delivery.

Key Areas Of Responsibility Include

Human Capital Management

• Manages and quality assures the work of faculty members (HOPs, SHOPs and Assistant HOPs), monitoring the resolution of queries and completion of workflows.
• Supports the development of the skills and capacity of the faculty members and promotes the individual development of each member of the team.
• Ensures that deadlines are met by the faculty team, and manages and communicates exceptions.
• Draws up the development plan in consultation with the faculty team and oversees its budget, ensuring that resources are appropriately utilised.
• Identifies, resolves and monitors problems and issues related to functions of the faculty.
• Ensures that members of the team develop and maintain strong collaborative relationships with campus and brand academics.

Academic Leadership

• Responsible for creating a network of productive, collaborative relationships with the lead academics at all brands so as to jointly develop and drive faculty and institute strategy.
• Ensure that the central faculty academics render an effective and efficient collaborative service to the brands.
• Involve key brand academics in all processes and decision making.

Quality Assurance

• Contributes to the overall quality assurance processes of The IIE which includes academic governance, innovative pedagogy (teaching approach or methodology) and the use of technology to support learning.
• Quality assures the work done by the faculty (material and decisions and assessments) and intervenes as needed.
• Ensures that the appropriate development is given to members of the faculty team and/or other developers as has ultimate responsibility for quality of the work done by the faculty.
• Works collaboratively with other members of senior management at CAT and in brands to promote quality output from the faculty.
• Monitors enrolment and student performance of individual modules and qualifications and intervenes as needed in collaboration with the relevant people.
• Makes decisions, in accordance with the authority and regulatory frameworks, about improvements and development on modules or qualifications and consults and communicates accordingly.
• Monitors the quality of appointments in the faculty outside of the central team staff and independent contractors - and intervenes where necessary.
• Makes and monitors academic decisions in relation to material, resources, curriculum, staffing and all associated interventions within the context of the authority and regulatory and governance system.
• Ensures that the faculty pursues a programme of module and qualification review and then implements the agreed outcomes.
• Ensures an appropriate ongoing collaboration between the heads of programme, subject matter experts and developers.

Strategic Input

• Leads the process of evaluation and development of portfolio of qualifications in the faculty in co-operation with the brands and IIE R&D Manager.
• Evaluates existing portfolio and makes recommendations.
• Participates in strategic planning for IIE Central Academic Team and the brands as required.
• Assesses and improves processes and systems where required.
• Develops and maintains strategic partnerships.
• Networks with industry, stakeholder and other higher education providers to: ensure articulation of degrees into postgraduate programmes at other institutions, secure endorsements for The IIE programmes, monitor the quality of our programmes and the graduates, identify subject matter experts or external moderators, promote the creation of opportunities for future employment of graduates.
• Analyses, reports and develops responses to brand results, programme evaluations, marketing feedback, changes in the environment.
• Oversees faculty participation and responsibility in programme development and review.

Academic Research

• Develops a research profile for the faculty including leading and mentoring the research activities of faculty members.
• Collaborates with academic team and lecturers at the sites to write textbooks. Guides and mentors academic team when preparing articles for submission to (accredited) journals.
• Assists and mentors academic team members with further studies.
• Supervises postgraduate students.

Academic Governance

• Oversees compliance with policies, legislative frameworks and company governance structures by the academic team, brands, and lecturers.
• Participates in policy development and review.
• Ensures a full programme of Programme Coordination Committees are undertaken by the faculties and that input is acted on.
• Chairs the relevant Faculty Board and contributes to the development of items for the Board and ensures implementation of the outcomes.
• Manages the formal processes related to curriculum renewal through the governance structures.
• Participates in other governance structures such as the Senate.
• Resolves where possible areas of interpretation or non-compliance with policy and escalates concerns to the Registrar or Academic Manager as appropriate.

Qualifications

• Doctoral Degree / PhD (NQF Level 10) in a relevant Education discipline is preferred, but a relevant Masters Degree (NQF Level 9) with progress towards a PhD would also be considered.
• It is important to note that this faculty has a strong ECD, foundation and intermediate phase focus. Experience in these phases would be an advantage over for example Educational Policy, Management and Leadership

Experience

A minimum of 10 years experience in higher education and 3 years academic management experience

Competencies

• Advanced Communication written and verbal
• Interpersonal and conflict resolution
• Human capital management
• Project management
• Problem-solving
• Planning and time management
• Educational (pedagogy)
• Ability to assess and make consistent decisions assertively
• Tenacity seeing things through
• Balance demonstrating patience and moderation of action and emotion
• Integrity quality of decisions seen to take ethics and policy and context into consideration