The University seeks to appoint an Associate Professor/Professor and Head of Department. The appointment will be additional to the successful candidate’s academic appointment.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• The successful candidate will be responsible for but not limited to the following:
• The strategic, academic and operational management of the Department;
• Promoting the Department’s research profile;
• Ensuring scholarly academic and professional education and training;
• Playing an active role as an academic leader of the discipline at national and
• international levels;
• Support the teaching and learning portfolio of the Faculty through promoting the use of technology; and
• Fundraising for departmental activities.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Associate Professor

• A relevant doctorate with specialisation in the Early Childhood Education, Curriculum Studies, Educational Psychology or related fields. An explicit specialization in research, teaching and learning in Early Childhood Education will be an added advantage.
• 5 – 8 years’ teaching experience in HEI or other education sectors;
• Comprehensive teaching portfolio;
• Meaningful engagement with student feedback;
• 11-13 publications (journals, book chapters, books) of which 4 should be in a mix of internationally and nationally accredited journals;
• 3 publications should be sole authored;
• At least 6 students supervised to completion at Masters or Doctoral level;
• Proof of (inter)national peer recognition;
• Proven research funding success;
• Active international collaborations;
• International conference presentations;
• Recommended: H Index (4 and above);
• Community engagement in a related field;
• Work-integrated involvement/ mentorship;
• Active academic citizenship with a sound mentoring role;
• Evidence of solid academic administrative competence;
• Member of departmental/faculty/ institutional committees;
• Membership of international scholarly/ professional bodies; and
• Membership of external bodies relevant to the discipline or profession Editorial boards / committees, peer reviewer of academic contributions, external examinations.

Professor

• A relevant doctorate with specialisation in the Early Childhood Education, Curriculum Studies, Educational Psychology or related fields. An explicit specialization in research, teaching and learning in Early Childhood Education will be an added advantage.
• 8 – 10 years’ teaching experience in HEI or other education sectors;
• Comprehensive teaching portfolio;
• Meaningful engagement with student feedback;
• Exhibits leadership in broader curriculum development and scholarship of teaching and learning;
• Transformational leadership in curriculum development and innovation;
• 16-18 publications (journals, book chapters, books) of which 10 should be in a mix of internationally and nationally accredited journals;
• 5 publications should be sole authored;
• At least 8 students supervised to completion at Masters or Doctoral level;
• At least 4 at Doctoral level of which 3 should be sole supervision;
• Proof of (inter)national peer recognition;
• Proven research funding success;
• Evidence of being a lead or principal investigator on (inter) national research projects;
• Active international collaborations;
• International conference presentations;
• H-Index (8 and above);
• Community engagement in a related field;
• Work-integrated involvement/ mentorship;
• Active academic citizenship with a leading mentoring role;
• Evidence of leading academic administrative competence;
• Prominent and value-adding participation in departmental/faculty/ Institutional committees; and
• Active membership of international scholarly/ professional bodies.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES (SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND BEHAVIOURAL ATTRIBUTES)

• Managerial skills and competencies in a tertiary environment;
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills;
• Appropriate language and communication skills;
• Diversity management skills;
• The ability to lead research and teacher training programmes.

 ADDED ADVANTAGES AND PREFERENCES

• Associate Professor and Professor:
• NRF rating;
• Awards. Principal investigator carries more weight;
• An active Orcid-ID.

 REMUNERATION AND APPOINTMENT 

 The annual remuneration package will be commensurate with the incumbent’s level of appointment, as determined by UP policy guidelines. UP subscribes to the BESTMED and UMVUZO medical aid schemes and contributes 50% of the applicable monthly premium.

The Head of Department is a term appointment for four (4) years. External candidates will also be considered for a permanent academic appointment in a suitable academic department.

 APPLICATION PROCESS

 The following documents must be attached when applying for this position:

• A cover letter, comprehensive CV detailing academic and professional qualifications, as well as a full employment history;
• Certified copies of qualifications;
• A self-evaluation of your suitability for appointment in the post;
• Vision for the Department;
• Teaching portfolio;
• Research portfolio (including record of citation index scores); and
• The names and contact details of at least three referees (one national and two international) who can attest to your academic stature and leadership qualities.

 The University reserves the right to appoint and consult its own referees.

Shortlisted candidates will be requested to prepare a presentation. The topic and further details will only be provided to shortlisted candidates.

All shortlisted candidates will be required to participate in relevant competencies assessments as part of the selection process.