Ombudsman of the City of Johannesburg

Minimum requirements

• A relevant tertiary qualification, preferably a B-Degree plus a Post Graduate qualification in law LLB;
• Admission as an attorney or advocate to the bar is an advantage, and
• Proven track record of providing accurate and effective legal counsel
• 10 years' relevant experience or more in a senior/executive management position leading a Legal/Law unit within a public sector organisation or in Local Government, with one or more of the following:
• be a retired judge of the high court; or
• be admitted as an advocate or an attorney who has, for a period of at least 10 years after having been admitted, practised as an advocate or an attorney; or
• be qualified to be admitted as an advocate or an attorney who has, for a cumulative period of at least 10 years after having qualified, lectured in law at a university; or
• have specialised knowledge of, or experience in, the administration of justice, public administration, or public finance, for a cumulative period of at least 10 years; or
• have acquired any combination of experience mentioned in paragraphs d to f for a cumulative period of at least 10 years.

Primary Function

• To provide an independent and impartial investigation function of complaints of maladministration and human rights abuses by the City administration and facilitate effective resolution. The Ombudsman promotes accountability, transparency, and service excellence through evidence-based findings and/ or corrective actions.
• The role ensures that citizens have accessible recourse to address complaints, while strengthening trust between the public and the municipality. In addition, the Ombudsman advances human rights, supports fair administrative practices, and identifies systemic issues to inform improvements in governance, policy, and service delivery across the City in line with legislative and regulatory requirements.

Key Performance Areas

• To receive, register, investigate and resolve complaints about the administrative decision- making and practices of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality and Municipal Owned Entities officials, where the administrative decision or practice amounts to maladministration and/ or human rights abuses.
• To develop a strategy for the department to ensure fulfilment of the mandate, enable measurable performance and provide transparent reporting.
• Conduct research in the field of Ombudsman in order to establish best practices so that the municipality, through the Speaker, is informed
• Compile, control and monitor a budget that would meet the needs of the Office of the Ombudsman's business objectives
• Direct and control the key performance indicators and outcomes of personnel within the Office of the Ombudsman
• Develop awareness and educate the residents of the City of Johannesburg on the powers and functions of the Office of the Ombudsman
• Create an environment and build capabilities within and around the Office of the Ombudsman to realise CoJ strategies

Leading competencies

• Strategic Planning and Strategy Formulation - Ability to understand the process of strategic planning and contribute effectively to IDP formulation.
• Strategic Direction and Leadership - Provide and direct a vision for the institution and inspire and deploy others to deliver on the strategic institutional mandate.
• People Management - Effectively manage, inspire and encourage people, respect diversity, optimise talent and build and nurture relationships in order to achieve institutional objectives.
• Financial Management - Ability to compile, plan and manage budgets, control cash flow, institute financial risk management, and administer procurement processes in accordance with recognised financial practices. Further, to ensure that all financial transactions are managed in an ethical manner.
• Change Leadership - Ability to direct and initiate institutional transformation on all levels in order to successfully drive and implement new initiatives and deliver professional and quality services to the community.
• Governance Leadership - Ability to promote, direct and apply professionalism in managing risk and compliance requirements and apply a thorough understanding of governance practices and obligations. Further, able to direct the conceptualisation of relevant policies and enhance cooperative governance relationships.
• Moral Competence - Ability to identify moral triggers, apply reasoning that promotes honesty and integrity, and consistently display behaviour that reflects the principles of good governance.
• Written Communication - The ability to communicate in writing as appropriate to specific audiences
• Oral Communication - The ability to articulate a message in an understandable and convincing manner
• Business Processes - Ability to engage with systems or component processes and make continuous improvements
• Influencing - The ability to interact with others and influence them to adopt the best alternative from a range of options
• Ethics and Professionalism -The ability to identify and deal with ethical issues and conflicts of interest
• Organisational Awareness - The ability to understand the Municipality's objectives, and the impact of decisions on the community and the functioning of the department
• Problem Solving -The ability to identify potential problem areas, to break the problem into component parts, generate potential solutions, select an option and implement it
• Investigation of Complaints - The ability to effectively execute investigations in support of complaints received
• Monitoring and Evaluation- The ability to monitor and evaluate the investigations and actions taken
• Action and outcome orientation- The display of a high work ethic in setting and achieving challenging goals, meeting deadlines and keeping promises. It manifests itself in one's ability to stay focused on tasks, to be energetic, persistent and reliable

Core Competencies

The incumbent should possess knowledge at a competent proficiency level:

• Knowledge and understanding of the Ombuds environment.
• Good knowledge and understanding of relevant policy and legislation.
• Good understanding of institutional governance systems in local government.
• Knowledge and understanding of programme/project management.
• Comprehensive understanding of the local government law and the management of legal and litigation processes to minimise potential legal risk.
• Good knowledge of financial and contract management within local government.
• Exercise functional supervision over the department through delegation of authority as appropriate and the appropriate performance management systems for the achievement of results.
• Managing change, human and financial resources, internal and external stakeholder interfaces, and self as a leader.