Advisor: Community Development

THE CANDIDATE PROFILE

• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary environment,
• Good working knowledge of environmental health, community safety and community development
• Knowledge of SALGA Mandate, value chain, business model; and core business objectives
• Understanding of project management principles
• Knowledge of the local government sector and a sound understanding of the policy, legislative and regulatory frameworks governing municipal health services, community safety, cemetery management, sport and recreation, social cohesion and migration
• Staying abreast of new developments in the areas of Community Development and social cohesion
• Organisational Awareness
• Communication and writing skills reports, feedback & presentation
• Stakeholder Management skills
• Strong analytical ability Analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to manage in a broad scoped environment
• Decision making and sound judgement
• High degree of self-management, pro-activeness and creativity
• Resilient and Tenacious
• Culture fit: SALGA desires an individual who will share and buy-in, in our core values, mission and vision, demonstrating a commitment to our ethos beyond just doing the job

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• A Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Health /Development Studies or other field of study relevant to the scope of the position
• 5 years' relevant experience of which at least 1 years have been at an equivalent level within a medium to large sized organisation
• Knowledge of government policies, legislative processes, policy research, analysis, monitoring, and evaluation
• Demonstrates a sound understanding of the Local Government Sector and issues relating to area of community development, cemetery management, sport and recreation, library services, migration and social cohesion
• Sound understanding of policy and legislative frameworks in area of responsibility
• Understanding of project management principles
• Must have own car and a valid Driver's License.

KEY PORTFOLIO AND PERFORMANCE FOCUS AREAS

• Research and Benchmarking: Under the guidance of the Senior Advisor, provide ongoing analysis of the key challenges, needs and trends in area of community development municipal health services, community safety, cemetery management, migration, library services, sport and recreation and social cohesion, to ensure that local government strategies and programmes are appropriately implemented. Conduct and interpret research in area of community development and social cohesion and create a learning and sharing platform to improve municipal efficiency. Support the gathering and channelling of information to build and update municipal profiles. Provide administrative support with the arrangements of knowledge sharing / peer learning sessions/ presentations to SALGA staff and external stakeholders. May include providing inputs to content and packaging of information for the sessions.
• Representation at IGR & Other For a lobbying and Advocacy: Represent municipalities at relevant forums/ meetings/ committees within the sector/ professional discipline. Attend policy conferences in topics related to area of accountability. Support the Senior Manager to develop content on several issues relevant to a SALGA position for mandating. Support the development of reports to the Working Groups. Understand the national and provincial governance structures of SALGA and the institutional structures of the Community development and social cohesion disciplines and key role players. Represent SALGA and the Municipalities at relevant external fora.
• Support Advice and Capacity Building: Guide, support and provide professional advice to municipalities in the areas of Community development, municipal health services, community safety, cemetery management, migration, library services, sport and recreation and social cohesion. Provide hands-on support to strengthen municipal capacity/ improve programme implementation. Implement the capacity building strategy and associated programmes in municipalities. Facilitate training programmes/ peer learning sessions in the areas of focus/ professional discipline.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Support the development and Implement monitoring and evaluation process to track the progress on implementation of policies, legislative compliance and programmatic implementation in municipalities. Maintain records as per SALGA policy and ensure that all project records are uploaded into the company knowledge management system. Create a high-performance culture on all projects and report on progress against milestones. Prepare audit files for each project prior to audit.
• Programme / Project Management: Implement appropriate project management methodologies and disciplines; and manage full project cycle on assigned projects including M & E.Plan and integrate programme roll-out to municipalities. Develop terms of reference for identified programmes. Ensure that projects are implemented against contract specification and payments are based on agreed milestone. Identify spin-off projects and opportunities from the programme.
• Stakeholder Management: Within the scope of area of accountability build and maintain relevant stakeholder relationships/ partnerships in the area of community development and social cohesion. Ensure appropriate and timely communications with all stakeholders. Build partnerships with relevant stakeholders to ensure programme success and to increase SALGA's capacity to make an impact. Create reports to communicate about the programme and provide updates for website. Identify key role players to create a link to sustainability and handover of programmes; and implementation.
• Financial and Expense Monitoring: Participate in procurement committees as required and adhere to procurement requirements and deadlines for identified programmes. Monitor payments according to the contract and track programme implementation against the budget. Actively save costs in the area of responsibility.
• Governance, Compliance and Risk Management: Uphold sound corporate governance principles in the day-to-day operation of the area of responsibility/ professional discipline. Ensure compliance with organisational policies and procedures. Support the identification and mitigation of organisational and operational risks identified in the area of responsibility/ professional discipline. Develop and maintain programme risk register and ensure that mitigation steps are applied. Assign values to risks in order to understand financial implications of risk.
• Teamwork: Work as a multi-disciplinary and integrated team to find possible solutions to complex challenges in municipalities. Support organisational priorities and the implementation of resource mobilisation systems and processes. In line with the SALGA organisational culture, role model and educate peers and Advisors on the importance of alignment of personal and organisational values for improved performance. Support the Executive and Senior Management Team in building a high-performance culture in SALGA.