The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is a leading scientific and technology research organisation that researches, develops, localises and diffuses technologies to accelerate socio-economic prosperity in South Africa. The organisations work contributes to industrial development and supports a capable state.
Senior Manager: Contracting and Risk Management
About The Job
The CSIR has a vacancy for a Senior Manager: Contracting and Risk Management within the Advanced Production and Security Division. The Division comprises three clusters- Defence and Security, Mining and Manufacturing. The position reports to the Business Development and Commercialisation Executive of the Division and is based in Pretoria. The incumbent will be expected to spend significant time at the CSIR campus engaging with the different Divisional clusters. The incumbent will be responsible for leading and overseeing the strategic management of contracts and risks to support long-term business success, improving operational efficiency, ensuring that all contractual obligations are met in alignment with the organization's goals and governance requirements, and facilitate required stakeholder engagements both internally and externally to the organization. The role also involves integrating inputs from the business development and operational functions, optimizing project execution, and maintaining compliance with legal and regulatory standards.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead contract negotiation strategies and the selection, drafting, and review of all BDC-negotiated divisional contracts, ensuring alignment with business objectives and contributing to the organization's overall strategic goals. The contract magnitude would be from small to large contracts, e.g R2million to over a billion.
- Lead efforts in identifying potential future contracting risks and implement proactive risk mitigation strategies that align with CSIRs overall strategy
- Identify and assess contract types to ensure appropriate application across different agreements providing strategic recommendations to ensure alignment with future business needs and evolving market conditions to mitigate potential challenges.
- Interface with respective internal and external stakeholders in order to ensure the contracts effectively align with CSIRs strategic interests
- Develop and maintain contract risk dashboards for all divisional contracts, monitoring financial exposure, liabilities, penalties and operational risks.
- Ensure adherence to contract deliverables and project timelines, aligning contractual obligations with operational execution.
- Set clear, measurable objectives for contract execution and monitor these throughout the contract life cycle.
- Act as a critical Project/Programmes/Contracts interface between BDC and the Clusters to ensure on time, on terms and on budget contract delivery
- Establish and lead BD management meetings for the Division, working closely with the Divisional Operational Manager to address BD-Operational challenges.
- Gather and analyze divisional data to compile BDC monthly reports for divisional feedback and quarterly reports for EXCO feedback sessions.
- Ensure proper finalization of contracting documentation and maintain compliance with internal policies.
- Drive continuous improvement by analyzing contracting and business development performance metrices, identifying areas for optimization.
- Influence company-wide governance policies and ensure that all contracts align with the strategic compliance objectives, proactively identifying and managing potential compliance risks.
- A Masters Degree in Engineering or Science coupled with a certification in Project Management with at least fifteenyears applicable experience in a research and development environment of which six years must be in contracts management and business development
- Developing strategies in an RD environment
- In-depth knowledge and understanding of multi-disciplinary RD programme development
- Stakeholder management which included international, private and public sector entities
- Formulation of relevant strategic relationship agreements. These include NDAs; MOUs; MOAs; SLAs etc.
- Understanding of integrated business development, systems approach and technology development processes
- Packaging technology solutions from a suit of RD capabilities at various technology maturity levels
- Knowledge of Systems Engineering
- Ability to work in conjunction with a diverse group of professionals to reach objectives
- Proficiency in data analysis using Excel, including pivot tables, formulas, and data visualisation tools.
- Knowledge of common frameworks or of end-to-end management of contracts, families (e.g., NEC3, NEC 4, etc.).
PLEASE NOTE THAT FEEDBACK WILL BE GIVEN TO SHORTLISTED CANDIDATES ONLY.
For more info, pleaseemail us at Recruitmentinfo@csir.co.za.Please do-not send applications to this mailbox, it is only for inquiries.
The CSIR is an equal opportunity employer. As such, it is committed to the Employment Equity Act of 1998. By applying for this position at the CSIR, the applicant understands, consents and agrees that the CSIR may solicit a credit and criminal report from a registered credit bureau and/or SAPS (in relation to positions that require trust and honesty and/or entail the handling of cash or finances) and may also verify the applicants educational qualifications and employment history. The CSIR reserves the right to remove the advertisement at any time before the stated closing date and it further reserves the right not to appoint if a suitable candidate is not identified.
