Executive Dean Law

Job Details

• Expires 14 April 0 days left to apply

• Reference number: N001510
• Province: North West
• Type of engagement: Permanent appointment
• Posted: April 6th

Background to Position

As the executive leader and accountable manager, to transform and to position the Faculty of Law as a unitary faculty of superior academic excellence with a commitment to social justice within a unitary NWU.

Job Description

1. Strategy development (5%)

• Develop faculty strategy, implement the NWU strategy in the faculty, taking account of its multi-campus nature and national imperatives
• Co-determine and be jointly accountable for the successful implementation of the NWU Teaching and Learning strategy and the Research and Innovation strategy
• Co-determine, develop and be jointly accountable for successful implementation of the overall NWU strategy

2. People development and management (30%)

• Academics of superior standing, scholarship and performance
• Superior faculty management staff in key positions to lead and implement best people and task management practices
• Support staff effectiveness joint accountability
• People profile (staff and students in every mode of delivery) joint accountability
• Best practice staff development and performance management practices joint accountability
• Lead and direct teaching and learning practices, processes and competencies that achieve academic excellence as well as teaching and learning innovation
• Support the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning to promote teaching and learning innovation
• Continuous curriculum renewal delivering socially responsive and programmes that are congruent with national imperatives
• Lead and direct effective academic planning to deliver flagship programmes that provide competitive advantage to the NWU
• Lead and direct effective enrolment planning to ensure optimal enrolment levels in various academic fields, qualification levels and modes of delivery

3. Teaching and Learning (20%)

• Lead and direct teaching and learning practices, processes and competencies that achieve academic excellence as well as teaching and learning innovation
• Support the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning to promote teaching and learning innovation
• Continuous curriculum renewal delivering socially responsive and programmes that are congruent with national imperatives
• Lead and direct effective academic planning to deliver flagship programmes that provide competitive advantage to the NWU
• Lead and direct effective enrolment planning to ensure optimal enrolment levels in various academic fields, qualification levels and modes of delivery.
• Aligned academic programmes and aligned modes of delivery on all campuses
• Lead quality assurance of academic programmes to ensure academic standards and the quality of the student learning experience
• Professional qualifications to meet minimum standards set by professional bodies
• Direct the integration of research outputs into teaching and learning to enhance professional qualifications and graduate employability
• Ensure preparation of students for post-graduate research programmes where relevant
• Consistent achievement of superior teaching and learning metrics
• Financially strengthening, third-stream revenue that consistently enhances the financial sustainability of the NWU

4. Research and Innovation (20%)

• Establish and maintain a research environment and support infrastructure enabling world-class research
• Implement inter- and trans-disciplinary research that differentiates the NWU nationally and internationally
• Lead, direct and participate in national and international collaboration addressing NWU niche research areas
• Ensure research outputs and quality of notable international profile and impact
• Lead and direct flagship research entities that provide competitive advantage to the NWU
• Clustering research and innovation appropriately around agreed research themes focusing on national and international imperatives
• Lead and direct fundamental research, applied research, research in application, curiosity-driven research, blue skies research and directed research
• Facilitate differentiation and third-stream revenue generation through innovation and commercialisation

5. Community Engagement (10%)

• Lead and direct community engagement initiatives that are integrated with teaching and learning as well as research
• Community engagement initiatives joint accountability

6. External Strategic Relationships (15%)

• Funding, professional recognition, academic development, employment, research opportunity realisation through effective local and international relationships with peers, higher education institutions, research community, industry, professional bodies and the community
• NWU Brand positioning and promotion joint accountability through effective relationships with national and local government, the community, industry, students, parents and alumni and other stakeholders

7. Management and Leadership (Constant)

• Faculty composition (structure, staffing), effectiveness and efficiency
• Schools and Research entities (sub-units) team composition and effectiveness joint accountability
• Joint accountability with leadership team for management effectiveness of the institution
• Joint accountability with own team for faculty effectiveness, including governance and management arrangements
• Stakeholder relationship development and effectiveness
• Corporate governance conformance, reporting and risk management
• Budgeting, cost management and cost-effectiveness
• Faculty processes and systems design, utilisation, effectiveness and efficiency
• Personal effectiveness, wholeness and development
• Values-based behaviour leadership and personal compliance

Inherent Criteria

• PhD in relevant discipline
• Membership of appropriate academic and professional networks
• Professional registration where applicable
• Appropriate academic and professional networks
• Specialist in relevant industry / professional leadership
• Significant experience in higher education
• Thorough knowledge of the RSA Higher Education system
• Well-developed information and communication technology proficiency
• Acceptable management accountancy proficiency
• Acceptable contract development and management proficiency
• Acceptable knowledge of approaches to student access and support and curriculum design and delivery within the applicable academic fields
• Aptitude in managing the research-innovation value chain

Application Requirement

Applications may only be submitted online through the official NWU vacancy website: http://nwu.pnet.co.za/#

Incomplete applications and those submitted through any other platform will not be considered.

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About NWU

The NWU is committed to functioning as a unitary, integrated, multi-campus university that enables equity, redress and globally competitive teaching and research across all three of our campuses. Our core activities, teaching-learning and research, are intertwined with community engagement and innovation in our eight faculties, most of which serve both distance and contact students. The NWU offers more than just an education: we offer people a place in the world. Academically, students benefit from great choice and flexibility, enabling them to fulfill their potential and start preparing for their careers. Through collaboration with other universities and institutions internationally, we are part of the global higher education community. Our internationalisation activities include student and staff exchange and cooperation in academic, research, cultural and sports matters. As we like to say in our University Anthem: “where the willow trees grow and the thorn tree spreads its shade, there you will grow in knowledge…”