Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) is looking for a Centre Manager for the Just Transition Labour Centre. You can see more about our work on this website.
Overview
Climate change, the energy transition and other policies required to respond to the climate crisis entail substantial economic and plant-level restructuring. That will inevitably impose significant capacity burdens on unions and their members to engage on a variety of levels, from enterprise negotiations to community engagement and mobilisation to national and provincial policy development. The Just Transition Labour Centre, which has been established by the main Trade Union Federations in South Africa, will support the labour movement in engagements on the climate crisis and just transition.
Focused work is now needed by this centre to undertake research; engage with workers, trade unions and communities; develop effective communication on the climate crisis and just transition; and support the formulation of worker positions on the climate crisis and just transition.
The centre will for the first three years be housed at TIPS, after which it will operate as an independent entity with governance and oversight by the main Trade Union Federations.
As the Just Transition Labour Centre Manager, you will oversee the centre and ensure the outputs of the centre are achieved. The successful candidate will report to the TIPS Executive Director and will be accountable to the steering committee comprised of the main Trade Union Federations.
Scope of Work
As a Just Transition Labour Centre Manager at TIPS, you will be responsible for the following:
- Oversight over the centre.
- Implement and embed consistent project planning, management, monitoring and reporting protocols.
- Lead, motivate and coordinate the efforts of researchers and team members, establish daily, weekly, and monthly delivery and reporting requirements, and oversee and evaluate performance.
- Standardised meeting management, reporting, and tracking of confirmed actions.
- Progress reviews and oversight – with tracking of delivery against targets.
- Weekly engagements.
- Knowledge management.
- Identifying and troubleshooting challenges – with confirmation of escalation mechanisms.
- Providing necessary support/ coaching of team members to aid delivery.
- Work with the finance and HR team at TIPS to ensure clear and transparent financial management of the centre, and recruitment and management of centre staff.
2. Lead the design and implementation of following activities:
- Research to support worker engagement on the climate crisis and just transition.
- Support dialogue and engagement with workers and unions.
- Ensure effective communication with workers and unions on the climate crisis and just transition.
- Collaborate with union officials and worker representatives to formulate and develop union positions on the climate crisis and just transition.
Qualifications, Experience, Qualities and Competences Required
The successful candidate will be expected to:
- Possess a strong record of accomplishment with significant experience (at least ten years) in managing programmes and projects within a federation, trade union and/or research environment – applying solid project planning and execution skills, and ensuring delivery against time, quality and budget/ resource parameters.
- Apply prior project management experience in implementing and where necessary, refining project management systems and tools to support the outputs of the centre.
- Be experienced in establishing, leading, managing and co-ordinating teams made up of various resources, including seconded resources, consultants and individuals who may not necessarily be direct reports.
- Maintain a nuanced understanding of different stakeholders’ needs and priorities, economic development principles, and transformation imperatives.
- Be skilled in liaising with senior leaders, officials and workers across trade unions and federations – maintaining effective working relationships across different stakeholder categories.
- Possess outstanding communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex issues with, motivate and manage diverse stakeholders – and to write and present in a clear, direct manner.
- Be suitably qualified to operate in a complex project environment.
- Have a Master’s qualification or equivalent experience.
Qualities of candidates who will considered for this role include the following:
- A systems-thinker who is able to see the big picture, and draw out patterns, insights and challenges, to support resolution.
- Ability to prioritise, and to attend to details when tracking and overseeing delivery.
- An action-orientation and a ‘can-do’ approach to delivery and challenges that may arise.
- Proactive problem-solving capabilities.
- Able to motivate, rally and draw support from a range of stakeholders, to aid delivery – while also managing own performance, as a self-starter.
- A team player and motivator – able to encourage, foster collaboration and draw on the collective strengths of those within the team.
- Strengths in championing open communication focused on delivery and speedy resolution of issues.
Summary of Key Responsibility Areas (KRA)
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KRA |
Associated activities/ tasks |
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1. System development |
· Establish, implement and fine-tune centre systems and processes. · Design, implement, monitor and maintain information management. |
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2. Definition of work, specifications and outcomes |
· Develop and implement a 12-month implementation plan, including a clear set of sector-wide outcomes, aligned milestones and timeframes for delivery – for consideration by the TIPS Executive Director and steering committee. · Manage day-to-day centre activities, and provide guidance to team members, as required. · Establish and agree to measurable and realistic objectives and Key Responsibility Areas for those within the centre. · Manage the centre and oversee shifts in scope and changes. · Identify and address centre and risks, and ensure adoption of appropriate mitigation mechanisms. |
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3. Project and stakeholder management |
· Monitor, track and control outcomes at a centre level – ensuring resolution of issues, conflicts and dependencies, and achievement of critical path deliverables. · Chair centre meetings, and worker or stakeholder meetings where required, ensuring maintenance of meeting minutes, and delivery on actions. · Assist in mediation and negotiation as needed, to promote delivery of centre targets. · Set and continually manage centre expectations, while delegating and managing deliverables with seconded resources, consultants and stakeholders. · Liaise with relevant role players and foster value-adding, trusted relationships. · Promote awareness of and encourage buy-in into the objectives of the labour centre. |
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4. Monitoring and reporting |
· Develop templates and compile reports on the centre. · Provide status reports on centre milestones, deliverables, dependencies, risks and issues - communicating these, as required, across leadership structures and to funders. |
The role is expected to be based in Pretoria, with aspects of delivery undertaken in Mpumalanga and virtually.
Who we are:
Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) is an independent, non-profit, economic research institution based in Pretoria. It was established in 1996 to support economic policy development, with an emphasis on industrial policy, in South Africa and the region. Its areas of focus are trade and inclusive industrial policy, and sustainable development. TIPS approach is to integrate research and analysis, policy development, disseminating information, capacity building, technical support, and programme design and management. To support these activities, TIPS researchers are expected to provide world-class quantitative and qualitative socio-economic analyses.
Application details:
Closing date for applications: 23 April 2024
Non-South African applicants should have authority to work in South Africa. The position is based in Pretoria, Gauteng.
To apply, please send a short CV, a cover letter highlighting your interest for the position and how you match the requirements via e-mail to Edmore at Edmore@tips.org.za. Correspondence will be limited to short-listed applicants only.