Vacancy for Director of PAU Institute at the African Union (AU)

The African Union, established as a unique Pan African continental body, is charged with spearheading Africa’s rapid integration and sustainable development by promoting unity, solidarity, cohesion and cooperation among the peoples of Africa and African States as well as developing a new partnership worldwide. Its Headquarters is located in Addis Ababa, capital city of Ethiopia.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Director of Institute 

Reference Code: PAU / P5 / 02 /03
Location: PAU Institutes in Ibadan, Oyo
Grade: P5
Supervisor: Pan African University (PAU) Rector
Department: Human Resource, Science and Technology Department

Job Summary
The Pan African University (PAU) is a continental academic and research institution created by the African Union, that is based on the following guiding principles: academic freedom, autonomy, accountability, quality assurance, strengthening existing African institutions at the graduate and post-graduate levels to enable them to serve the whole continent, excellence and international partnerships in academic and research activities, gender parity and equality at all levels and in all university functions.

In order to contribute to the emergence and strengthening of an African higher education and research platform, the PAU consists of five (5) thematic Institutes hosted by existing institutions located in the five geographic regions of the African Union, namely:

• Life and Earth Sciences (including Health and Agriculture) located at University of Ibadan in Nigeria for Western Africa.
• Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation located at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Kenya for Eastern Africa.
• Governance, Humanities and Social Sciences located at University of Yaoundé II in Cameroon for Central Africa.
• Water and Energy Sciences (including climate change) located at University of Tlemcen in Algeria for North Africa, and
• Space Sciences located at University of Cape Town in South Africa for Southern Africa.

In seeking to achieve the PAU mandate and objectives, the African Union intends to strengthen its human resources on filling in all its vacant posts. Thus the Commission of the African Union invites applicants who are citizens of Member States for the post of Director of PAU Institute to be placed at the Pan African University Institutes.

Job Objective

• To ensure the effective and timely implementation PAU Council decisions at the level of the Institute and responsible for the effective management of the institute’s human and financial resources, properties, equipment and facilities.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Play leadership role in liaising between the host university, host country and the PAU Rectorate and ensure effective co-ordination between the Coordinators of all Programme Departments and Centres under the Institute;
• Preside over the Annual General Meeting of the Coordinators of Programme Departments and Centres of the Institute to draw up the report of the Institute, including an activity report covering the work of the Institute for consideration and decision by the PAU Senate
• Preparation and submission of activity reports to the Rectorate on the work of the Institute regularly and report annually to the Rector on the individual academic accomplishments of academic and research staff employed at the Institute and its Centres; and
• Implementation and periodic monitoring of the PAU multi-annual strategic development plan at the level of the Institute, its Programme Departments and Centres;
• Oversee the preparations of the budget and financial reports of the institute
• Ensure the commitment and release of funds for which provision has been made in the budget approved by the PAU Council and serve as the authorizing officer for the Institute;
• With the approval of the PAU Rector, sign agreements pertaining to voluntary donations or contributions from governments, national or international organizations, or any other private or public donor organization for the benefit of the Institute;
• Keep accurate records on the academic progress of each student and make recommendations to the PAU Senate for appropriate actions where necessary;

Tasks

• Overall oversight and leadership in the activities of the examiners including appointment of Boards of Examiners or juries for postgraduate theses, projects or other related academic or research work;
• Supervise the planning and development of academic programs, policies, procedures and guidelines
• Plan the evaluation and review of academic programs and curriculum
• Liaise with national, regional, continental and international accreditation and quality assurance agencies
• Coordinate the evaluation processes for faculty hiring, promotion, and tenure, and make recommendations
• Participate as member of PAU council and senate xv. Undertake any other related assignment as may be assigned the Rector of the PAU or as may be necessary for the efficient functioning of the Institute.

Required Skills and Competencies 

Functional Skills:

• Excellent report writing and presentation skills;
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and negotiate effectively and build collaborative relationships;
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills
• Good planning and organizational skills;
• Management experience, excellent interpersonal skills and ability to organize and motivate others and to work in a multi-cultural environment from diverse constituencies;
• Experience of the higher education environment in Africa.
• Computer literacy and competency in MS Office Applications

Personal Abilities:

• Demonstrated team leadership skills in change and transition management;
• Commitment to personal performance and self-development;
• Evidence of ethical, transparent, fair, dependable leadership style and professionalism;
• Demonstrated ability to be innovative, resourceful, and action-oriented;

Knowledge and Understanding:

• Experience in areas of teaching and learning, innovative programme design, academic development and support, and digital scholarly resources
• Knowledge of national, regional and international accreditation and quality assurance standards and processes
• Excellent knowledge of the progrmme fileds of the PAU institute of choice.

Language Requirements:

• Applicants must be proficient in one of the African Union working languages (Arabic, English, French and Portuguese).
• Knowledge of one more or several other working languages would be an added advantage.

Educational Qualifications and Professional Work Experience

• Candidate must be a PhD holder in one of the PAU Thematic fields at Professor or Associate Professor Level of a recognized University.
• Must have a minimum of ten (10) years of progressive experience in Senior Academic and Management positions at a modern university environment.
• Five (5) years of the above ten (10) years of progressive experience must be as a Senior Lecturer level or above and a minimum of three (3) years’ experience at Senior management position such as Chair of Department, Dean of faculty, or Director of academic programs or their equivalent.

Tenure of Appointment

• The appointment will be made on a Regular term contract for a period of three (3) years, of with the first twelve months will be considered as a probationary period. Thereafter, the contract shall be for a period of two years’ renewable, subject to satisfactory performance and deliverables.

Requirements:

• Least Representative Countries: Candidates from the following least represented countries are encouraged to apply: Eretria, Central African Republic, Cape Verde, Comoros, Congo (DRC), Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Sahrawi Arab Republic, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles and Somalia.

Gender Mainstreaming:

• The AU Commission is an equal opportunity employer and qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Remuneration
Indicative basic salary of US$ 50,746.00 (P5 Step 1) per annum plus other related entitlements e.g. Post adjustment 48% of basic salary, Housing allowance  $21,196.80 per annum and education allowance (100% of tuition and other education related expenses for every eligible dependent up to a maximum of US$ 10,000.00 per child per annum), etc. for internationally recruited staff of the Commission and $3,300 per child per annum for locally recruited staff of the Commission.

Deadline: 17th October, 2018.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• Candidates must select specify duty station of preference.
• Applications are pre-screened by the system according to the published requirements of the job opening on the basis of the information provided in the application. In relation to the requirements of the job opening, applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their qualifications, including their education, work experience, and language skills.
• Each applicant must bear in mind that submission of incomplete or inaccurate applications may render that applicant ineligible for consideration for the job opening.
• Initial screening and evaluation of applications will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted.
• Applications cannot be amended following submission.
• Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to a reference-checking process to verify the information provided in the application