Manager Partnerships & Collaboration

Job Advert Summary

To provide strategic leadership and direction to the partnerships, collaboration, and international water cooperation Division within the Rand Water Institute. This includes the initiation, conclusion, and management of strategic Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) and water partnerships with local and global institutions.

Portfolio

Primary Duties

Strategy Execution and Alignment
•Coordination of all RDI partnerships to support Strategy realisation.
•Ensure Partnerships, Collaboration, and International Cooperation plans are aligned to Strategy.
•Management of Partnerships, Collaboration, and International Water Cooperation across the Rand Water and Rand Water’s water and sanitation value chain.
•Development of Partnerships, Collaboration, and International Cooperation Policies.
•Establish partnerships, collaboration, and international water cooperation initiatives that enable Business sustainability.
•Supervision of Doctoral & Master research.
•Produce and contribute to RDI Papers showcasing RW Capabilities.
•Innovation-based and Risk-Directed Partnerships, Collaboration, and International Water Cooperation.
•Effective Management and Reporting on RDI Partnerships Risks.
•Information Sharing and Optimisation.

Financial Management
•Budget Management for the Department (Partnerships and Collaboration).
•Expenditure to be within budget.
•Budget planning, monitoring, and execution.
•Inclusion of Partnerships and Collaboration Initiatives/Projects within the Annual Procurement Plan.

Business Process
•Establish Business Processes to ensure a seamless value chain.
Stakeholder Management
•Efficient stakeholder engagement.
•Stakeholder Management.
•Policy Review & Development through governance structures.
•Stakeholder Directed Partnership and Collaboration.

People Management
•Interact with a multi-disciplinary team of professionals across and external to the organisation.

• Foster partnerships and collaboration through formal partnership instruments (MoUs/MoAs/SLAs, etc.)
and cooperation with local and global RDI, water, sanitation, environment, and associated industries’
stakeholders.
• Promote Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI), knowledge management and sharing,
benchmarking, the Rand Water Institute (RWI) and Rand Water.
• Develop and implement RDI strategic partnerships and collaboration strategy, frameworks, policies,
and procedures.
• Align partnerships and collaboration execution with RW/RWI strategy and objectives.
• Develop partnerships and collaboration program plans, budgeting and effective financial management,
executing, monitoring, evaluating, and closing out partnerships.
• Partnerships Planning and Execution:
Identify appropriate partnerships and partnering organisations aligned with the RW Strategic
Risk Register and RWI Objectives, RDI programs, and initiatives.
Carry out due diligence and or gather information on potential partnerships on a regular and
continuous basis and submit to executive management.
Initiate strategic partnership discussions, drafting and signing of MOUs, partnerships programs
and initiatives, execution, integration, monitoring, and evaluation of programs and initiatives,
reviewing, renewal, and closing out of the partnerships.
Integrated management of strategic RDI partnerships and collaboration and international water
cooperation.
• Proactive stakeholder and communication management.
• Effective risk and partnership management.
• Manage partnerships and collaboration and international water cooperation governance.
• Establish a networking culture - develop and coordinate networks that give access to key resources.
• Identify business opportunities for the organisation.
• Establish partnerships and collaboration best practices and ensure their upkeep.
• Establish and maintain a strong partnership reporting system and define partnerships success criteria.
• Co-supervision of Thesis and Dissertations to provide solutions for Rand Water risks.

Knowledge

• Operate at a strategic level to support the provision of solutions to operationalise the implementation of the Innovation-Driven Risk-Based Rand Water Strategy.
• Providing an enabling environment for partnerships and collaboration, and knowledge production that promotes strategy.
• Strategically develop, promote,and manage national and international relationships, and opportunities to strengthen collaboration in RDI.
• Minimum Knowledge: POPIA,Water Services Act, NationalWater Act, PFMA, CIDB, FIDIC,SANS, ISO, etc.
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of bulk water services/utilities environment in large corporates.
• In-depth knowledge of relevant statutory requirements impacting on the water industry and general government initiatives that relate to the water industry.

Skills

• Project Management.
• Financial Management.
• Strategy Execution and Alignment.
• Business Acumen.
• Stakeholder Relations Management.
• Strong Analytical Skill.
• Communicating withmulti-disciplinary teams.
• Negotiation Skills.
• Written and Verbal Communication Skills.

Attitude

• Attention to detail.
• Customer orientated.
• Proactive.
• Self-motivated.
• Integrity.

A master’s degree minimum or PhD.

Experience:

10 years’ exposure to broad management and interfacing with the Executive and Board. Experience in Water, Scientific, and Engineering Programme Management.
Management to support enhanced RDI.
Experience in participation in water management at various levels.
Ability to work as part of an RDI Team in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
Minimum of 10 years in the Water Industry, Research, Development and Innovation, and partnerships
environment.
Ability to align Enterprise-wide Risk Management to RDI Priorities.