Organisational Development & Industrial Engineering Specialist
(NMU Co-Designed Staffing Norms for Academic & Non-Academic Functions)
Required Experience
Minimum Experience (NMU-Appropriate)
10–15 years’ experience in organisational development, industrial engineering, workforce optimisation or operational design.
5–7 years’ leadership experience in large-scale organisational or staffing redesign initiatives.
Essential
Postgraduate qualification in Industrial Engineering, Operations Research, Systems Engineering or equivalent.
1. Purpose of the Role (NMU-Specific)
To provide Nelson Mandela University with specialist organisational development and industrial engineering expertise to co-design, test, validate and implement institution-wide staffing norms for both academic and non-academic environments, ensuring:
Alignment with NMU’s strategic goals, transformation agenda and financial sustainability imperatives.
Responsiveness to NMU’s comprehensive university mandate (teaching, research, community engagement).
Credibility with academic staff, executive leadership and organised labour.
Practical implementation readiness rather than theoretical modelling only.
2. Core Skill Set Requirements
2.1 Organisational Development Capability (Contextualised for Higher education where possible). Understanding the knowledge sector such a higher education .
The specialist must demonstrate the ability to operate effectively within a complex, collegial and regulated higher education institution such as NMU, including:
Redesigning organisation structures across faculties, professional services and shared service environments.
Developing workforce models that integrate:
Academic workload dimensions (teaching, supervision, research, engagement).
Professional and support service demand linked to student numbers, service standards and digital maturity.
Conducting job and role analysis that supports:
Equity, transformation and career pathing.
Alignment with grading frameworks and collective agreements.
Leading co-design processes that are consultative, transparent and evidence-based, particularly in unionised contexts.
Ensuring OD interventions are aligned with public higher education governance, accountability and reporting obligations.
2.2 Industrial Engineering Competence (Essential)
The University requires authentic industrial engineering capability, not generic HR or advisory skills. The specialist must be able to:
Perform quantitative workload and capacity modelling for:
Academic departments and schools.
Administrative, professional and support functions.
Apply time-and-motion studies, activity sampling and service demand analysis appropriately within a knowledge-based institution.
Develop defensible staffing norms, ratios and benchmarks that withstand scrutiny by:
Management.
Academics.
Labour.
Council and oversight bodies.
Model multiple scenarios (e.g. enrolment changes, digital enablement, funding constraints).
Integrate engineering rigour with contextual judgement, recognising academic complexity.
2.3 Business Process Re-engineering (Critical for NMU)
Given NMU’s operational and financial pressures, the specialist must demonstrate advanced capability in Business Process Re-engineering, specifically:
Mapping end-to-end academic and administrative processes across campuses and faculties.
Identifying:
Duplication across units.
Manual workarounds.
Bottlenecks and approval delays.
Redesigning processes to support:
Shared services and service hubs where appropriate.
Digital workflow enablement.
Clear role ownership and accountability.
Translating redesigned processes directly into:
Revised roles.
Revised staffing norms.
Sustainable operating models.
2.4 Deep Understanding of the NMU Higher Education Context
The specialist must demonstrate experience and sensitivity in:
Academic workload complexity and variability.
Faculty and departmental autonomy within institutional frameworks.
Labour relations dynamics in public universities.
Transformation, equity and inclusion imperatives.
The balance between academic excellence, service quality and financial sustainability.
3. Required Experience
Direct experience in:
Universities.
Science councils.
Research or public sector institutions of comparable complexity.
3.2 Applied Experience Relevant to NMU
The specialist must demonstrate hands-on involvement in:
Designing academic and/or professional staffing norms.
Conducting institution-wide or multi-faculty BPR initiatives.
Facilitating co-design workshops involving:
Executive management.
Deans and academic leaders.
HR, finance and operational managers.
Organised labour.
Supporting implementation through:
Governance structures.
Change management.
Monitoring and adjustment mechanisms.
4. Track Record and Evidence (Non-Negotiable)
NMU requires proof of delivery, not conceptual expertise. Candidates must submit evidence of:
Successfully implemented staffing or capacity models in complex organisations.
Demonstrated outcomes such as:
Improved staff utilisation.
Reduced duplication or inefficiencies.
Cost containment or avoidance.
Improved academic or service delivery performance.
Experience where BPR led to:
Clearer role definitions.
Rationalised staffing.
Improved turnaround times.
References or endorsements at executive, council or board level.
Acceptable evidence includes:
Executive summaries of completed projects.
Redacted workload models or process maps.
Formal references from Vice-Chancellors, DVCs, CEOs or Directors-General.
5. Qualifications
Essential
Postgraduate qualification in Industrial Engineering, Operations Research, Systems Engineering or equivalent.
Highly Desirable (for NMU)
Master’s or Doctoral qualification in:
Industrial Engineering.
Organisational Development.
Business Administration (strategy/operations focus).
Formal training or certification in:
Business Process Re-engineering.
Lean, Six Sigma or systems optimisation methodologies.
6. Competencies and Personal Attributes (Critical at NMU)
High-level analytical and systems thinking.
Credibility with academics and professionals.
Strong facilitation, negotiation and conflict-management skills.
Institutional and political sensitivity.
Ethical, evidence-based decision-making.
Ability to work in a collaborative co-design model, not a prescriptive consulting approach.
Pay: R40 000,00 - R80 000,00 per month
Work Location: In person
