SAPRI HASS Coordinator and DPS Programme Officer

The South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI) requires the services of a HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences) Coordinator and DPS Programme Officer. This is a full-time position with traditional weekday office hours and occasional meetings, travel, and events outside of regular office hours. Primary duties include leading and coordinating SAPRI support to the South African marine and polar Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) community (including ocean humanities) to facilitate and enable research, and providing strategic support across the Data, Products and Society (DPS) Integrated Facility (IF) by delivering specialised operational assistance where required. This position will report to the DPS Manager and will work closely with SAPRI stakeholders.

As per job advertisement:

Duties

For the marine and polar HASS community and research environment in South Africa:

• maintain a strong understanding of marine and polar HASS research themes and trends, current developments, and emerging priorities
• establish and manage a SAPRI HASS User Fora, including organising two meetings per year
• assess and coordinate infrastructure and support requirements, providing guidance where required
• support current SANAP HASS Principal Investigators (PIs) by facilitating access to infrastructure, support emerging PIs, and engage South African tertiary institutions and research organisations to encourage new HASS research
• enable and support interdisciplinary projects and strengthen local, national, and international research networks
• organise (or assist in coordinating, where applicable) information sessions, workshops and conferences
• establish and coordinate a marine and polar HASS Research Commons at SU, providing space and resources for local and international researchers
• provide advice on grant proposals, timelines and compliance (e.g. SANAP permits)
• promote and facilitate access to relevant research resources, both physical (including the Antarctic Legacy of South Africa (ALSA)-curated polar library and archives) and digital (such as the ALSA archive), and liaise with ALSA to arrange in-person access or the circulation of physical source materials as needed
• encourage the use of the ALSA archive for research purposes, including postgraduate degrees, student projects, scholarly publications, and related academic outputs
• work closely with the SAPRI Communications and Engagement Team to maintain up-to-date information on communication platforms and share relevant news, funding, mentorship, engagement, and exhibition opportunities
• communicate humanities research to diverse audiences and maintain an up-to-date database of HASS researchers and prospective PIs

Assist and support the DPS Manager where necessary to ensure smooth operations of the DPS IF, and support day-to-day administration and operations, including:

• financial and administrative tasks (procurement, expenses, budgeting) and general office management at SU
• assist with the coordination of logistics related to DPS activities
• support data management within marine and polar research, both for ALSA and the broader research fields
• contribute to quarterly and annual DPS and SAPRI reports, and prepare quarterly news content for the SAPRI website
• participate in engagement, outreach, training and workshop activities as required

Other:

• Represent South Africa on The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Standing Committee on the Humanities and Social Sciences (SC-HASS) and attend relevant meetings (including marine equivalents)
• Undertake national and potential international travel (funding dependant)

Requirements

• MSc degree or equivalent in a marine or polar field, or in the Humanities and Social Sciences (preferably with a marine/polar focus)
• Must be in possession of a valid South African Code B driver’s licence
• Knowledge of marine and polar HASS research themes, including interdisciplinary topics
• Experience in supporting humanities and social science research, ideally within marine or polar contexts
• Proven experience in strategic coordination and operational support within a research or academic environment
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain stakeholder relationships and collaborate effectively with internal and external partners
• Experience in organising and facilitating user forums, community engagement activities, or similar stakeholder platforms
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks, priorities, and deadlines
• Experience in data management or supporting data-related processes
• Proven ability to prepare and compile reports for quarterly and annual reporting cycles
• Demonstrated experience in office or administrative management, including procurement and financial administration
• Experience in financial systems, specifically Oracle
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, with confidence in public speaking and representing South Africa in international fora
• High-level organisational skills, attention to detail, and ability to work independently as well as in a team
• Good understanding of the South African marine and polar research environment, including humanities and social sciences research
• Knowledge of the Antarctic Legacy of South Africa (ALSA) project and associated archives
• Familiarity with university and research administrative systems and processes

Recommendations

• Completion of formal training or certification in project and/or business management would be advantageous
• Experience with or knowledge of SCAR SC-HASS or similar international Antarctic research networks
• Experience in curating or managing collections or archives

* Employment will be through Stellenbosch University. The main office location will be the DPS office in the Botany and Zoology Department at Stellenbosch University, with occasional visits to the SAPRI office in Cape Town (hosted at the NRF-SAEON Egagasini Node).

Application deadline: 29 April 2026

Apply through the Stellenbosch University job portal:

SU careers

Or access the career through the Stellenbosch University LinkedIn:

SU LinkedIn