Applications for the post of Vice-Chancellor at the newly established Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS) which is expected to rediscover itself by developing a productive culture in its operations, are being invited from candidates that understand and have the experience of leading and managing a modern university operating in a globalized environment which determines where students and staff members want to go and study respectively. Associate Professors and/or Professors who are holders of doctorate degrees from internationally recognized universities that are ready to take on demands of leadership are encouraged to apply A proven track record of conducting research whose publications appear in internationally refereed journals is required as a demonstration of academic leadership.
The desirable qualities of the candidates that are being sought are as follows:
- Capacity to oversee development of structures, systems, processes and procedures the new University is expected to implement in order to make it more efficient, effective and competitive;
- Experience of not less than ten years in the role of leading and managing an internationally recognized higher education institution;
- Proven knowledge in leading and managing staff members from diverse backgrounds;
- Proven ability and experience in directing a strategic planning exercise in an institution of multiple stakeholders with diverse and at times conflicting interests;
- Tough but fair decision making ability that is ready to take difficult but necessary decisions that differentiate performing and non-performing institutions;
- An appreciation of the critical need to comply with financial provisions stipulated in the MUBAS Act and other prevailing financial and legal instruments that ensure proper reporting and transparent accountability on the utilization of public resources;
- Readiness within one year of taking office, to lead and complete the process of developing auditing, internal accounting and policies on research and consultancy;
- Awareness of the need to strictly adhere at all times, to the minimum staff to student ratio as approved by the National Council of Higher Education and other professional bodies that interact with the academy;
- Clear views on how to establish and implement a proactive grievance handling system that fosters prevention, amicable and timely settlement of disputes, to minimize disruption of the academic calendar due to frequent closures and disturbances which put off international students;
- Demonstration of knowledge leading to the creation of an entrepreneurial university that is responsive to the needs of society;
- Familiarity with national, regional and global policies that influence modern higher education;
- Willingness and knowledge to coordinate the process of developing a code of ethics specifying the acceptable staff conduct as well as students’ rules and regulations governing students’ behaviour;
- Possession of clear strategy on giving the University international visibility that ensures that expatriates with appropriate experience and qualifications are part and parcel of the enhancement of quality on academic programmes;
- Possession of skills and knowledge of strengthening Executive Management in collaboration with Council, in the exercise of developing the new character, niche, values, philosophy, mission, vision, goals, objectives and action plans of the new University;
- Well-articulated ideas on how to operationalize a performance management system that can hold staff accountable and responsible for their actions; and
- Clear strategies for improving the ranking of MUBAS.
As Chief Executive of MUBAS, the Vice-chancellor shall be accountable and responsible to Council and therefore shall be expected to implement the roadmap Council has prepared for implementation over a period of five years initially. It is also expected by Council that the Vice-Chancellor will take the initiative to build his/her own leadership and management capacity so that he/she is able to do the following:
- Strengthen provision of postgraduate training;
- Diversify sources of income for the University;
- Provide mechanisms for reliable quality assurance;
- Capacitate and develop members of Executive Management;
- Manage the ongoing change necessitated by delinking;
- Serve as ambassador to the external stakeholders the University engages;
- Widen recruitment of international students; and
- Expand infrastructure to make it suitable for the status of a new University as the country strives towards widening access to higher education.
DUTIES
Strategic Management
- Monitoring effective, efficient and economic utilization of resources;
- Developing and implementing plans, policies and strategies for the University;
- Setting and monitoring the implementation of institutional standards;
- Updating the Chancellor on pertinent matters affecting the University; and
- Chairing statutory as well as ad-hoc committees for the purpose of managing the affairs of his/her office effectively and efficiently.
- Fostering the development and regular reviews of programmes of the University to ensure that their content speaks to the developmental needs of Malawi, the region and the world as should be the case in a globalized environment.
Resource Mobilisation
- Mobilising resources to facilitate the operations of the University and ensuring that they are accounted for in consonance with existing laws and regulations.
- Facilitating the development and operationalization of the Endowment Fund as an income generating instrument
Networking
- Establishing partnerships with Government, the public and private sectors, development partners and the international community,
- Representing the University on external bodies both within and outside Malawi.
Supervision
- Appraising staff under his/her supervision in accordance with available regulations and policies.
Remuneration
MUBAS will provide to the successful candidate an attractive compensation and benefit package commensurate with the position.
The position of Vice-Chancellor is contracted over a period of 5 years but renewable subject to satisfactory performance. International candidates who can facilitate desirable cross-fertilization of ideas are encouraged to apply for this demanding position.
Applicants are therefore invited to submit their vision documents for MUBAS together with their applications and curricula vitae. These documents should be accompanied by names and addresses of three traceable referees. Shortlisting of candidates by Council, will be based on the quality of the documents to be received from applicants, which should be submitted to the following address:
The Chairperson of Council
Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences
Private bag 303
Chichiri
BLANTYRE 3.
Email: councilchair@mubas.ac.mw
All applications should be in by 6th December, 2021.
http://www.mubas.ac.mw/vacancies