Academic Support Manager

Introduction

MANCOSA, a DHET registered and CHE accredited private higher education distance education provider, offering undergraduate and postgraduate business qualifications, has the following vacancy available:

Academic Support Manager - Durban Duties & Responsibilities

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced, student-centred Academic Support Manager to lead our Academic Support team. Reporting to Academic Managers, you will drive the seamless delivery of the online student learning journey, oversee a team of Academic Support Coordinators, and take ownership of two of the most critical drivers of student success at MANCOSA: proactive Student At-Risk management and Student Readiness, Induction and Onboarding. You will be a central connector between School Managers, Academic Programme Leaders, Academics and functional departments, ensuring students are supported, engaged and set up to succeed from day one. Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Operations •        Lead, coach and evaluate a team of Academic Support Coordinators. •        Manage rosters and coverage across omnichannel platforms (e.g. HubSpot, OneStream) and walk-in consultations. •        Drive training and adherence to standard operating procedures for the Online Student Learning Journey (OSLJ). Student At-Risk Management •        Proactively monitor low-, medium- and high-risk students and drive timely, documented interventions in line with the Student At-Risk Policy and Plan. •        Partner with Academic Managers, School Managers and Academic Programme Leaders on intervention plans, escalations and referrals. •        Report on at-risk trends and outcomes to inform institutional improvement. Student Readiness, Induction & Onboarding •        Oversee delivery of pre-induction communication, institutional and School/Programme orientation, and readiness checklists across all intakes. •        Ensure non-completers and students with unresolved readiness concerns are identified and referred for support. •        Support intake review and close-off, feeding lessons learned into future onboarding cycles. Quality, Compliance & Reporting •        Oversee quality assurance of digital academic content and recorded webinars. •        Ensure compliance with POPIA and relevant regulatory and quality frameworks. •        Generate management reports and analytics for the Academic Directorate and institutional committees. •        Technical approval of online readiness, as part of quality assurance for every intake

Desired Experience & Qualification

QUALIFICATION

•        A relevant Master’s degree ESSENTIAL

•        3 years' experience Management, online teaching, student support or academic administration in higher education or distance learning. •        Proven experience leading or supervising a team. •        Strong LMS administration, data analysis and reporting skills. •        Excellent communication, conflict-resolution and time-management skills. •        A genuine passion for student success and support.