HR191
JOB DESCRIPTION
NOTES
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Forms must be downloaded from the UCT website: http://www.uct.ac.za/depts/sapweb/forms/forms.htm
This form serves as a template for the writing of job descriptions
A copy of this should be kept on file in your office
For re-evaluations, this form must be sent to your relevant HR Advisor/Officer
POSITION DETAILS
Position Title (current title)
Status of Post (tick)
Senior Administrative Officer
x
New Post
Job Grade (current grade)
9
Faculty (if applicable)
Commerce
Department
Faculty Office
Section (if applicable)
Postgraduate section
Date of Compilation
January 2014
Re-evaluation
FOR OFFICE USE
Job Title
Date of Grading
Grading Result
ORGANOGRAM
Deputy
Faculty
Manager
Senior
Administrative
Officer
PURPOSE
The main purpose of this position is to proactively provide efficient and effective academic
administration and operations management support to the Faculty Office, postgraduate
section and to manage the Short course process within the faculty.
April 2011
Key Performance Areas (5 – 8)
1) Operations management
April 2011
% of
time
spent
10%
Activities / Tasks
Results / Outcomes
Competencies
Correspondence Handling
 Manage the correspondence handling
for the section
 Maintain a record keeping system for
correspondence
Data base administration and record
keeping
 Implement and maintain a statistical
data-base of postgraduate section and
short course and student information
 Maintain a record-keeping system that
is logical, methodical and easy to
access
Team Interaction
 Assume the responsibilities of other
administrative staff when they are
away, ill or on leave.
 Handle duties allocated on an ad hoc
basis by the Postgraduate
Programmes Officer and the Deputy
Faculty Manager
 Assist with information gathering
Allocation and organisation of work
 Under the guidance of the Deputy
Faculty Manager consult with
academic staff on the best manner in
which to provide administrative support
for the academic endeavour
 Implement an efficient and effective
work allocation and workflow
Faculty information management
 Implement approved changes to online course brochures, outlines and
applications
 Ensure adequate levels of stock of
 Correspondence handled within
the required timeframe
 Positive feedback received
 Accurate records of all
correspondence kept
 Effective functioning of the team
 Workplans implemented with the
input of faculty office staff
 Contingency plans implemented
and managed to ensure
effective administration
 Workflow, work load and work
requirements evaluated and
adjustments made to same, as
required to ensure efficiency and
effectiveness
 All required documentation and
files available
 All documents typed up
accurately and within the
required timeframe
 Events planned effectively
 Websites and handbooks
updated with the relevant
information
 Relevant offices timeously
informed regarding necessary
changes
 Initiating Action
 Information
monitoring and
management
 Planning and
organizing
 Detail Orientation
 Communication
(verbal & written)
 Teamwork
 Work standards
 Client Services
Orientation
 Administrative
knowledge and
skills
 Technical /
professional / job
knowledge
 Building
interpersonal
relationships
 Adaptability
 Stress Tolerance
 People
management
 Goal setting and
implementing
 Delegating
 Financial
management
 Operations
management
Key Performance Areas (5 – 8)
2) Admissions
April 2011
% of
time
spent
Activities / Tasks
15%
 forms, information and other material
 Update information on the faculty and
other relevant websites, once
approved
 Inform relevant other offices internal
and external to the faculty regarding
changes
 Logging of all external telephone calls
Event planning and organising
 Co-ordinate events that assist and
promoting postgraduate studies and
short courses
 Disseminate approved and vetted
information from UCT offices, external
bodies and other societies regarding
financial assistance for postgraduate
studies
 Ensure the implementation of a
postgraduate admissions process for
blended/mixed mode students
 Plan and implement with the team
involved, support provision for the
admissions process
 Ensure that complete and up-to-date
admissions data is available
 Maintain an accurate record of
historical information regarding
students
 Present information regarding
admissions in textual and graphic
formats
 Use Naric to consider degree
equivalences
 Facilitate the RL process between
Departments and applicants
Results / Outcomes
 Admissions process supported
and facilitated
 All students accurately admitted
into the system
 Data-base updated with all
student information current and
relevant
 Exemption data-base accurately
managed
 Statistical information regarding
registered postgraduate
students readily available
Competencies
Key Performance Areas (5 – 8)
% of
time
spent
Activities / Tasks
Results / Outcomes
 Check Matriculation exemption
requirements where applicable
 Review and update comgen letters
annual to ensure that the content is
correct
3) Registration
April 2011
10%
 Ensure the implementation of the
postgraduate (blended/mixed mode)
registration process (includes new and
returning students)
 Plan and implement with the team
involved, support provision for the
registration process
 Maintain an accurate record of
information regarding student
registration
 Present information regarding
registrations in textual and graphic
formats
 Oversee the smooth implementation of
the web-based registration process
 Check curriculum and registrations
form and ensure that they are
published timeously
 Ensure accuracy of the AYOS,
expected graduation term and
programme and plan
 Check accuracy of the course/class
scheduling and liaise with
Departments
 Ensure that concessions are timeously
captured
 Registration process supported
and facilitated
 All students accurately and
timeously registered
 Data-base updated with all
registered postgraduate
students
 Statistical information regarding
registered students readily
available
Competencies
4) Graduation
% of
time
spent
5%
5) Servicing committees
5%
Key Performance Areas (5 – 8)
April 2011
Activities / Tasks
Results / Outcomes
 Ensure that the checklist to facilitate
the graduation of all eligible students is
accurately concluded and practical
matters attended to
 Plan and implement with the team
members involved, the support
provision and assistance required for
the graduation process including for
example the issue of tickets, checking
of certificates
 Pursue resolution of discrepancies
when they arise, in a proactive manner
 Check graduation certificates, Senate
list of Qualifiers and graduation
programmes
 Inform student when they are not
illegible to continue when there is a
change in their status.
 Relevant reports that facilitate
accurate identification of eligible
students and troubleshooting
available, accurately configured
and updated
 All postgraduate results and
performance/progress data
verified according to
specification and by the required
deadline
 Deficiencies in “eligibility for
graduation” system noted and
rectified
 Team members’ skills to support
graduation process developed
and honed
 Provide efficient administrative support
to the Postgraduate Programmes
officer for the servicing of the following
committees:
o RAC
 Consult with the Postgraduate
Programmes Officer and/or
chairpersons of the committees
regarding minutes and other logistics,
if necessary
 Do the necessary follow-up, in liaison
with the Deputy Faculty Manager, post
the meeting to ensure that there is
continuity and progress
 Distribute the information
 Assist with the implementation of
 Accurate information provided
 Documentation for meetings
timeously distributed
Competencies
Key Performance Areas (5 – 8)
% of
time
spent
Activities / Tasks
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6) Client / Student / Stakeholder
Liaison
5%
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7) Short Course administration
45%
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April 2011
receipt and dissemination of
information
Manage the Online appeal process
Submit complete documentation to all
other choice of an applicants appeal
Implement a feedback mechanism for
students and other clients to evaluate
team members’ quality of service
Respond to student/staff/visitor queries
Counsel students and refer them to
relevant others, if necessary
Ensure the external examiners
process is managed well from an
administrative perspective
Review, type, proof read and format
all forms of pro-forma correspondence
Manage and implement the short
course procedure and policy in the
Faculty
Call for new short courses from the
Departments
Ensure that the relevant
administrative forms are correctly
completed and signed by the
convenor and Head of Department
Submit the courses to the servicing
officer of the accreditation
committee two weeks before the
scheduled meeting
Results / Outcomes
Competencies
 Positive feedback from internal
and external clients
 Queries responded to politely,
professionally and within the
required timeframe
 Informed decisions made by
students and other clients
 External examiners loaded on
the database, listed on the
Dean’s circular and payment
timeously facilitated
 All relevant, standard
correspondence reviewed for
relevance and accurate
information forwarded to
students and other stakeholders
 Compliance with relevant
departmental, faculty and
university policies, protocols and
procedures
 Management information system
that assists with statistical
analyses
 Regular reports received
 Information utilized to assist with
the smooth running of the short
course process
 Data-base of students and
certificate maintained
Strong administrative,
managerial and
organisational skill
Tolerance for forms
and prescribed
administration
processes.
The ability to
formulate internal
procedures for
effective course
administration.
Familiarity with
PeopleSoft system,
Key Performance Areas (5 – 8)
% of
time
spent
Activities / Tasks
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April 2011
Follow up with departments with any
changes from the accreditation
committee
Track course through the Dean’s
Circular (DC)
Inform departments once the course
has been approved
Submit the relevant ACA form to the
Student Records Office for creating
the course on PeopleSoft
Update the Short Course database
once the course is captured
Inform Departments to schedule the
course once captured
Liaise with outside service providers
for the student list
Liaise with the Student records
Office for design and collection of
certificate in advance of issuing
Capture the students of PeopleSoft
Issue certificates only when students
are captured on PeopleSoft
Maintain a database of all certificates
Ensure certificates are sent to the
service provider
Liaise with service providers all
aspects around the short course
administration.
Maintain student database and
status of completion of short courses
Provide weekly reports of courses
running and progress of courses
Strong working relationship with the
Student Records Office and outside
providers
Results / Outcomes
Competencies
Ms Office. Being able
to meet deadlines.
Good record keeping
skills
Key Performance Areas (5 – 8)
8) Student records administration
% of
time
spent
5%
Activities / Tasks
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April 2011
Ensure all year-end requirements are
met for the blended/mixed mode
students
Check progression requirements and
list all qualifying students who should
proceed to next level of study
Capture all awards information
regarding students on the system
Service the preliminary FEC
Implement an on-going curriculum
control check of the CRS (course
results schedule)
Implement approved mark changes as
required
Capture concessions approved by the
Postgraduate Programmes Officer
Upload POTD/POTJ in preparation of
graduations
Effectively use the Auto-grad tracking
system
Upload and track the QIPA (Qualify if
Pass) students
Process mark changes
Resolve HEMIS queries and provide
responses
Results / Outcomes
 CRS clean-up exercise
completed on time
 Year-end processes concluded
 Advancing students’ progression
requirements met and
discrepancies resolved
 Up-to-date information captured
on the PeopleSoft system
 HEMIS queries resolved and
information updated
 Accurately processing of QIPA
procedure
Competencies
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Minimum Qualifications
Suitable undergraduate degree
postgraduate degree an advantage
Minimum Experience
 At least 5 years administration experience, preferably in HE
 Knowledge of UCT Policy and Procedure advantageous
- Purchasing and Procurement
- Financial Management assistance
- Human Resource Management
- Dealing with various UCT departments e.g. student records,
exams, Registrar’s office
- Academic administration
 Computer Skills essential :
- MS Word
- Ms Excel
- Power point
- Database management
- Email
- Internet Explorer
AUTHORITY
PRINT NAME
Compiled by
Approved by
Reviewed by
April 2011
SIGNATURE
CONTACT NO.
DATE