CORE PURPOSE OF JOB

The Natural Resource Science & Management Cluster at the George Campus, Nelson Mandela University needs your talent, passion and commitment to strengthen our teaching, research and engagement in Wood Technology practices.

The purpose of this academic post is to enhance learning and teaching as well as research at the interface of wood technology and the application of sawmilling practices to optimize the scarce resources of the forestry activities. The post requires a person who can teach and perform research across disciplines within the Wood Technology diploma and degree programs with a focus on sawmilling practice. Learning and Teaching in the Department takes place at the following levels: Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Honours, MSc and PhD. The candidate should be able to teach at undergraduate level and applicable postgraduate level. Our department engages in a diversity of basic and applied research activities and the candidate will be expected to support research programmes. We encourage multidisciplinary research and the building of national and international collaborative networks, and therefore the candidate should feel comfortable engaging in teaching and research activities with multi-disciplinary teams. We also strive to remain close to and build a strong relationship within the agricultural, forestry and conservation industries through engagement and through our undergraduate work-integrated learning program. Each staff member is expected to contribute to this effort, as we prepare the students to make a valuable contribution to the forestry industry.

The George Campus (https://georgecampus.mandela.ac.za/) is a satellite campus of Nelson Mandela University. It is uniquely situated on the outskirts of George, between the Outeniqua Mountain range and the Indian Ocean. (https://www.gardenroute.com/george-garden-route-information_content_op_view_id_27 ).

If you are committed to serve the needs of our students, our campus and the South African wood processing sector, and your credentials meet the requirements of this position, we invite you to apply for this exciting vacancy at the George Campus.

KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS

• To teach undergraduate Wood Technology students in the fields of applied forest products industries and any other courses assigned to you by the Head of the Department.
• To facilitate student learning at a post-graduate level in the broad disciplines of Wood Technology / Forestry Management
• To initiate research within the Wood Technology / Forestry Management fields and publish research findings.
• To engage and build networks within wood technology and the broader natural resource management industry and academia.
• To facilitate academic engagement with stakeholders to the benefit of students and the department.
• Perform administrative and management functions in the Forestry Department as required by the Head of Department, which includes managing work-integrated learning of diploma students, managing post-graduate students, offering of short learning programs, facilitating practical excursions of students, student recruitment, etc.

• To undertake curriculum development for new courses and participate in regular re-curriculating modules and programme reviews.
• To initiate community engagement projects and engage in professional development activities.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• An ability to understand forestry and wood technology industries as an integrated system and to work across disciplines within the forestry and forest products industry and natural resource management milieu.
• An ability to apply theoretical Wood technological concepts in commercial timber processing practices.
• An ability to develop course/educational material and be able to conduct teaching and learning in the context of Wood Technology.

• An ability to supervise students at Honours and Master levels.
• An ability to publish research findings in accredited journals.

• An ability to network with forest products practitioners and researchers in industry.
• An ability to engage with diverse industry stakeholders, students and work with other people to achieve results beneficial to society.
• An ability and aptitude for teamwork and working with groups of diverse people to achieve shared goals of the department.
• An ability to be creative and innovative in the workplace.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in two of the three official languages of the Western Cape.

REQUIREMENTS

• An M Tech / MSc in Wood Technology / Wood Science respectively, with a focus on sawmilling practice, with at least three years of relevant work experience in sawmilling practices (excluding work integrated learning).
• Demonstrated ability to conduct research in a cross-disciplinary context in wood technology or wood science.
• Leadership roles in relevant fields within the timber processing industry will be an added advantage.
• Evidence of engagement with industry stakeholders within the wider forestry and forest products community.

For further information regarding the duties of this position, please contact:

Name: Mr Richard Muller

Telephone: 044-801 5015

e-mail: Richard.Muller@mandela.ac.za

Applications must be accompanied by a covering letter stating how applicants meet the core competencies and requirements, as well as a comprehensive CV, certified copies of qualifications and two reference letters from contactable referees. It is the applicant’s responsibility to have foreign qualifications evaluated and certified by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) before appointment.