Advisory Specialist

Main responsibilities:

• Conducting relevant research, including international benchmarking research, to inform the process of formulating advice in response to requests for advice from the Minister and/or the Department of Higher Education and Training.
• Reviewing the intellectual outputs generated by different areas of work within the CHE and identifying material that can be packaged into advice to the Minister and/or the Department of Higher Education and Training, on the CHE’s own initiative.
• Engaging colleagues in research, monitoring, policy, quality assurance and management of higher education qualifications areas of work within the CHE for the purpose of identifying feasible areas of advice to the Minister and/or the Department of Higher Education and Training, on CHE’s own initiative.
• Coordinating the work of expert panels, task teams and working groups constituted to work on formulating advice requested by the Minister and/or the Department of Higher Education and Training.
• Reviewing, proofreading and formatting advisory reports or advisory notes drafted by expert panels, task teams, and working groups in readiness for tabling at meetings of the Research, Monitoring and Advice Committee, and Council.
• Coordinating the post-advice engagement with the office of the Minister and with the Department of Higher Education and Training, including the processes of seeking feedback on the advisory notes submitted. 
• Keeping up-to-date records of the advisory work of the CHE, including records of the compositions of the expert panels, tasks teams and working groups; research reports on which advisory notes are based; advisory notes submitted; the feedback received; and the engagement and other activities that spin off from the submitted advisory notes, among others.
• Preparing socio-economic impact assessment system (SEIAS) applications for submission to the Presidency and liaising with the Presidency on a continuous basis until the conclusion of the SEIAS process for each relevant project.
• Monitoring up-take of the advice submitted and accepted by the Minister and/or the Department of Higher Education and Training, and compiling reports of the findings.
• Drafting reports and other relevant submissions to the Research, Monitoring and Advice Committee; Council; the Department of Higher Education and Training; and other stakeholder bodies.
• Making constructive inputs into the process of developing the yearly agenda and operational plans for the research, monitoring and policy areas of work within the CHE so that projects that may lead to advice are prioritised.
• Playing an active role in planning and organising conferences, colloquia, and other intellectual engagement forums for the Policy and Advice Programme. 

Minimum requirements

• A master’s degree (NQF level 9), preferably in Education or in closely related disciplines within the Humanities and Social Sciences.
• Three (3) years’ work experience in a research environment whose output includes advisory reports or advisory notes.
• Two (2) advisory reports or advisory notes (or related outputs such as research reports and/or scholarly publications) produced.
• Two (2) conference/colloquium/seminar presentations.
• Demonstrable experience of planning and organising conferences and other intellectual engagement forums. 
• Demonstrable experience of coordinating the work of expert panels, task teams and working groups, preferably in projects that lead to advisory reports or advisory notes.
• Demonstrable experience of communication and engagement at different levels.
• High level understanding of governance of higher education including the three higher education steering mechanisms. 

Competencies

• Advisory writing
• Attention to detail
• Collegiality
• Coordination
• Communication and interpersonal skills
• Critical analysis
• Deadline consciousness
• Emotional intelligence
• Systems thinking
• Research (the entire value chain)
• Planning and organising
• Problem solving
• Project management
• Professional ethics and integrity
• Quality orientation