Job Title: Placement Specialist
Position Type: Fixed Term (12 Months)
Location: Johannesburg  

COMPANY INFORMATION

UVU Africa is a Non-Profit Company (NPC) with a mission to build a future-proof, inclusive society through technology and innovation. UVU Africa does so by creating globally competitive tech and innovation sectors, to enable sustainable economic growth and greater employment.

CAPACITI DIGITAL CAREER ACCELERATOR

CAPACITI Digital Career Accelerator is the skills development division of UVU Africa. CAPACITI’s vision is to enable inclusive growth of the digital economy by ensuring a supply pipeline of future-fit, skilled employees with relevant digital skills matched to industry demand. We do this through innovative training and experiential learning programs that focus on both technical and professional development.

CAPACITI brings together expertise, technology and resources from industry, academia, government, and impact funders to develop young South African talent with in-demand skills, giving them a foundation for successful and fulfilling careers.

ROLE PURPOSE

The purpose of the Placement Manager is to design, develop and implement job placement strategies and interventions, for CAPACITI candidates needing host placements and absorptions into employment, under the strategic direction of the Placement Manager and Head of Funding and Accounts. The role ensures successful initial employment of CAPACITI candidates and alumni in jobs with partners and employers related to their technical capabilities and career interests.

The role is also responsible for maintaining current relations with host partners to promote the satisfactory performance of hosted CAPACITI candidates on the job. In addition, the role also provides the Placement Team with measures of success at accomplishing its mission of permanent job placements and workforce development. This role will be responsible for marketing CAPACITI candidates and alumni to the relevant employers and identify industry demands and create a talent pipeline across the country.

It is imperative that the Placement Specialist has experience working with people with disabilities and has viable leads in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Gqeberha, Hazyview and Durban areas, for placement of people with disabilities. An understanding of both government and corporate funders is advantageous. The ideal candidate will be exposed to business partnerships and stakeholder management at a national level and must have a network or build a network of new hosting partners and employers to expand CAPACITI placements and meet placement targets of expanding skills development and career opportunities.

RESPONSIBILITIES (but not limited to):

• Develop, organise and implement job placement strategies, interventions, and activities.
• Communicate timeously and effectively with the Funding and Accounts Team about placement opportunities, placement feedback and employment where required.
• Connect and network with the clients regarding candidate hosting, placements and all areas related to this area and function.
• Develop and maintain relationships with employers whose talent needs match the knowledge, skills and abilities obtained through CAPACITI programme offerings.
• Manage placement leads via the placement database and any additional systems as necessary.
• Maintain job board on Career Services website with an emphasis on enhancing the number and types of positions available to candidates and alumni.
• Develop additional training content for candidates in the workplace based on skills gaps identified by host companies.
• Facilitate Funding and Accounts Co-Ordinator with arranging Alumni Engagement sessions and newsletters.
• Analyse the job market continuously for positions appropriate to candidates and Alumni, which will be presented to the Placement Manager.
• Maintain relationships with partners in our networks which include office visits; workplace support and guidance and invitations to CAPACITI events.
• Handle confidential candidate/alumni information with tact, discretion and in compliance with POPIA.
• Utilise persuasive communication and relationship building to transition a candidate/alumni’s internship position into employment opportunities.
• Work closely with the Delivery Team to ensure candidates are not only ready for the workplace but ensure candidate portfolios (CVs; Online Portfolios; GitHub and LinkedIn) are at an exceptional standard that will put the candidates at an advantage in the job market.
• Maintain and enhance procedures and processes related to the candidate/alumni with the Placement Manager.
• Provide feedback and input to the Placement Team to ensure that placement efforts, improvements, and enhancements are done in a way that is fit-for-purpose and meaningful.
• Attend Career and Networking events as required to further develop placement opportunities and engagements for candidates and alumni. Provide timely, high-quality feedback to candidates.
• Liaise with the Delivery Team to ensure candidates are technically matched to opportunities with host organisations.
• Any other ad hoc duties assigned by management and leadership.
• Solid understanding of programming fundamentals (Python, JavaScript, pseudocode, etc.) and modern software engineering practices.
• Be able to spend time in field for intelligence gathering, partnership building.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

• Diploma/bachelor’s degree in social sciences, Business Administration or Management, Communications, Human Resources Development, Training & Development or related field.
• +2 years of employment placement/staffing, youth/young-adult development; Employer Engagement; Business Development.
• Experience working with people with disabilities (advantageous).

PREFFERED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• 3+ years of experience in training and development or placements.
• Experience working with government and/or corporate funders.
• Evidence and track record of placing talent into employment opportunities.
• Experience in delivering employability interventions.
• Experience working with unemployed youth (advantageous).
• Networking and business development.
• Experience working with youth with disabilities (advantageous).
• The ability to translate plans into action with measurable outputs.
• Demonstrates a passion for imparting knowledge to others.
• Able to create detailed delivery plans.
• Have a data-driven mindset for tracking placements and reporting outcomes.
• Persuasive communication and negotiation skills.
• Ability to work independently and in a team environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience in monitoring and recording successes and provide constructive feedback to team members/reports/other parties.
• Strong understanding of career pathways and work-readiness in the Tech Industry.
• Valid Driver’s license and road worthy vehicle for field visits.

BEHAVIOURS

• Flexible and approachable, enthusiastic and self-motivated.
• Comfortable working on both tedious and complex tasks.
• Builds supportive people relationships.
• Good communication skills.
• Great interpersonal skills.
• Consistent, planned and excellent organisation skills.
• Strong public speaker.
• Open and reflective communication skills.
• Comfortable in delivering events and presenting to large groups.
• Able to deal with conflict in-line with company policy.
• Epitomise the behaviors, attitudes and skills they will be developing in youth.
• Ability to work independently and to use own initiative.
• Committed to excellence and teamwork.
• Flexible and able to multitask.

MEASUREMENT OF SUCCESS

Processes & Procedures

• Develop, where required, procedures and operating procedures related to alumni, host partner and candidate work placement management.
• Standardise and automate communication and feedback gathering to and from host partners, candidates and alumni.

Work Placement and Absorption

• Collaborating with the workplace management team to develop schedules, planners and reports of candidate/alumni placement at clients/hosts.
• Successfully confirming permanent and fixed term employment for candidates post-internship.
• Managing and overseeing the client host engagement with candidates/alumni in the workplace and organisation of interventions where needed.
• Developing relationships with existing or new hosts to ensure that placement opportunities are available for candidates and alumni.
• Ensure that all candidates are provided an internship and host opportunity through collaboration with the Workplace Success Managers.
• Collaborating with the workplace and careers team to develop schedules, planners and reports of candidate placement at clients/hosts.
• Developing relationships with existing or new hosts to ensure that placement opportunities are available for candidates and alumni.

Relationship Building

• Developing relationships with new clients and/or possible hosts and adding these to the database of potential hosts.

• Providing consolidated and accurate Labour Market Research and Insights quarterly to ensure that trends, risks and opportunities are identified by CAPACITI.

Feedback and Evaluation

• Running feedback campaigns routinely against the candidate lifecycle and/or the client placement requirements.
• Provision of reports and analytics related to the full scope of the workplace department and team.
• Standardise and automate communication and feedback gathering to and from clients.

UVU Africa is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All suitable applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or disability.

Suitably qualified applicants are invited to send their CV’s to Tauriq@uvuafrica.org or via the online portal on or before the specified date. Preference will be given to applicants from designated groups in accordance with laws governing employment equity, where such laws are applicable to the UVU Africa NPC entity that will employ the successful candidate. If you have not heard from the HR department within 30 days of this advert closing, please consider your application unsuccessful.