Main Objectives
All academics are responsible for disseminating knowledge (teaching and learning), creating knowledge (research), engaging in community engagement (praxis), and recognising differences in the execution of these responsibilities across the various Departments and Faculties. Academics are also expected to assume administrative, management, and/or leadership duties at the departmental, Faculty, and/or University level and contribute to their profession.
For this role, the incumbent is expected to provide academic leadership across teaching, research, and community engagement. There are three main integrated objectives listed separately:
Engaged Teaching and Learning:
Collaborate with academics and academic departments to strengthen the quality, rigour, and coherence of institutional external engagement through Service-Learning (SL) programmes, including the design and delivery of short courses in Service-Learning, engaged research, digital storytelling, and social innovation.
Teach on the Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education Community Engagement (PG Dip HECE).
Contribute to the implementation of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) support strategies for SL, including institutional reporting on SL at Rhodes University.
Engaged Research:
Work in partnership with academics and academic departments to enhance the quality an impact of engaged research that advances societal benefit and public value.
Lead, promote and support local transdisciplinary research initiatives, with a particular focus on social innovation and local economic development.
Make critical and original contributions to community engagement scholarship at national and international levels through the generation and dissemination of community-engagement knowledge (with a strong emphasis on social and economic development), including public scholarship (e.g., newspaper articles), peer-reviewed journal publications, and conference presentations.
Community Engagement:
Manage the Rhodes University Social Innovation Hub within RUCE, including the provision of accredited short courses for academics, students, and community partner organisations, e.g. digital storytelling.
Participate in the RU Masakhe Economic Development Stakeholder Committee, providing administrative and strategic support to the Director: Community Engagement for this city-wide initiative.
Work with academics to theorise social innovation and enterprise development, and to contribute to the scholarly body of knowledge in these fields.
Promote the integrated praxis of CE with academics and students.
The Job Requirements
A Master's Degree in a relevant discipline, preferably Humanities or Social Science (must be prepared to register for a PhD)
Experience in Community Development (CD) and Community Engagement (CE) (Service Learning, Digital Storytelling and Social Innovation)
Tutoring, facilitation, or conference presentation experience required. No teaching experience is required.
Experience in conducting Community-Based Participatory Research
Ability to teach diverse groups in the University and the broader community
No research supervision is required.
Some administrative experience, albeit in informal contexts (e.g., student or sports clubs), and work experience.
Closing Date 05 June 2026