National Council for Higher Education (NCHE)
The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) is a statutory corporation responsible for the regulation of higher education in the Country. NCHE was established by the NCHE Act, No. 15 of 2011, and its mandate includes the following:
a) To promote and coordinate higher education institutions;
b) To register and de-register higher education institutions;
c) To harmonize selection of students to all public universities;
d) To regulate, determine and maintain standards of teaching, examinations, academic qualifications and academic facilities;
e) To develop a national qualification framework which is compatible with regional and international standards;
f) To determine minimum criteria and procedures for registration and de-registration of higher education institutions;
g) To accredit both public and private higher education institutions; and
h) To design and recommend to the Minister institutional quality assurance standards for the establishment, standardization and accreditation of higher education institutions including standards of teaching and learning; infrastructure, physical plant and equipment; the development of curricula;
libraries and learning resource centres; safety of teaching and learning facilities, and student transfer between programs and higher education institutions, and;
i) To advise the Minister on all matters of higher education.
The Council is inviting applications from suitably qualified and experienced Malawian professionals to be considered for the following position:
Job Title : Director of Planning, Research and Development
Grade: NC 2
Department: Planning, Research and Development
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Responsible for: Chief Research and Development Officer; Chief Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer
Purpose of the job
To provide planning, research and development services
Key duties and responsibilities
a) Coordinating the development and review of NCHE’s strategic plans, budgets, annual work-plans and performance contract;
b) Monitoring and evaluating the implementation of NCHE’s strategic plans, budgets, annual work-plans and performance contract;
c) Facilitating the development and implementation of the research ethics section in the higher education sub-sector;
d) Providing leadership in promoting national and international institutional partnerships with relevant research institutions, government and stakeholders;
e) Coordinating the monitoring and evaluation of the status of the higher education and production of regular reports on the impact on national development goals;
f) Forecasting the long-term higher education sector priority areas aligned to the national and sustainable development goals to guide resource allocation;
g) Providing strategic leadership and direction on planning, policy and resource mobilization to the Council;
h) Spearheading preparation and review of proposals for resource mobilization and financial reports on funding;
i) Facilitating the reviews, publication and dissemination of research findings to key stakeholders;
j) Facilitating the development, implementation and mainstreaming of higher education sub-sector relevant policy issues;
k) Creating a conducive research environment in which research is conducted without compromising the integrity and operation of respective research projects;
l) Fostering linkages with potential development partners and collaborators for purposes of mobilizing resources for the Council and the higher education sub-sector;
m) Initiating and maintaining linkages with bilateral, multilateral institutions and other partners for benchmarking and institutionalizing research best practices in the higher education sub-sector; and
n) Coordinating the development and implementation of higher education management information system (HEMIS) to monitor higher education in the country.
Job specifications and performance factors
Minimum academic and professional qualifications and experience
- A doctorate Degree in Economics/ Planning/Statistics/Education Planning or related fields from an accredited institution with at least four (4) years’ experience in Senior Academic leadership and management position(s) in higher education sub-sector;
- Or with a Master’s Degree in Economics/ Planning/Statistics/Education Planning or related fields from an accredited institution with at least five (5) years’ experience in research, planning and development;
- Proven track records in research, development and management; and
- Evidence of published articles in referred journals or books for higher education.
Functional skills (behavioural competencies and attributes)
- Research management
- Planning and policy development
- Project management
- Resource mobilization
- Proficiency in Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and other relevant statistical package
- Data management and statistical analysis
- Strong proposal and report writing skills
- Excellent leadership and management skills
- Problem solving skills
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
Tenure of office and remuneration package
The successful candidate will hold office for a period of three (3) years on a negotiable performance-related contract. The candidate shall be offered an attractive salary and benefits commensurate with seniority of the position and qualifications.
Method Of Application
Qualifying applicants should submit their applications which should include a cover letter, a Curriculum Vitae giving names and contact details of three traceable referees and certified copies of their relevant qualifications to the following address by Monday, 24 June 2024:
VAC: NCHE Director RPD
The Comptroller of Statutory Corporations
P.O. Box 30061
Lilongwe 3
MALAWI
Only shortlisted applicants shall be acknowledged and invited for interviews.