ADMINISTRATIVE DEPUTY DIRECTOR

Company information

Company

HST Careers

Division

FRESH

Females Rising through Education, Support and Health

Province

KwaZulu-Natal

District

eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality

Location

Umlazi

Job Specification Information

Title

ADMINISTRATIVE DEPUTY DIRECTOR

Description

The Health Systems Trust (HST) wishes to appoint a highly motivated Administrative Deputy Director on a fixed term contract. The Administrative Deputy Director (ADD) provides oversight to ensure the Organisation is financially sound, legally compliant, and operationally effective. The role is optimised to support clinical, socio-behavioural, and basic science research centred in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa for the Organisation’s two primary sites, FRESH and ITEACH. The ADD will work directly with and report to the RISA Country Director, supporting RISA investigators, local collaborative partners, and leadership from both sites. Importantly, the ADD serves as the primary liaison with the Organisation’s parent institution, the Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham, MIT, and Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A., the sites

Key Responsibilities

Strategic and Organisational Leadership • Operational Excellence: Ensure the Organisation’s sites operate efficiently, safely, and in alignment with the Ragon’s strategic mission, funding obligations and operational standards. Support the governance, and ongoing administration of RISA, ensuring appropriate structures, policies, documentation, and decision-making processes are in place. • Site and Platform Oversight: Provide comprehensive administrative oversight for all South Africa-based research programming including the ITEACH and FRESH platforms, Ragon research being conducted at AHRI or UKZN, and any future South Africa-based programmes. • Strategic Liaisons: Work collaboratively with the Country Director to support implementation of the strategic direction and goals of the organisation. Serve as the primary administrative point of contact between RISA and leadership from the US-based Ragon Institute, ensuring clear communication, escalation of risks, and operational coordination between the two regions. • Partnership Management: Identify and manage critical in-country partnerships with local health authorities (e.g., Department of Health), academic institutions, service providers, community stakeholders, funders, and other potential partners. • Community and Stakeholder Engagement: Ensure each RISA site has a community engagement plan that includes oversight for research activities and dissemination of study results through a community advisory board (CAB), local and district AIDS council, and relevant advocacy and civil society groups. • Growth and Sustainability: Support future expansion of RISA programming by building scalable operational infrastructure, identifying resource needs, coordinating new partner services, and ensuring that new projects can be operationally integrated into the site(s), as needed. • Board, Committee, and Leadership Reporting: Prepare and coordinate updates, dashboards, risk reports, financial summaries, operational briefings, and decision materials for Ragon leadership, subsidiary governance bodies, boards, finance committees, and other oversight groups, as needed. • Communications. Design and implement outreach and communication strategies to promote a broad understanding of the mission of the Organisation. Finance, Procurement, and Facility Infrastructure • Financial Stewardship: Take accountability for the financial solvency of the South African entity. Oversee site budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, local banking and funds management, audit readiness, grant-related financial controls, and coordination with US finance and legal teams to ensure compliance with South African law, sponsor requirements, and institutional obligations. • Grants Management: Work with and oversee staff and partners who perform grant administration functions; ensure expenditures are aligned with approved grant and donor fund budgets. This includes invoicing, subcontracting and petty cash. • Philanthropy. Provide reports and oversee coordination to event to support fundraising efforts, as needed. • Facilities, Procurement, and Asset Management: Work with investigators on space planning to ensure sites are built-to-purpose, optimised according to study requirements and available funds. Oversee lease agreements/renewals and insurance contracts. Work closely with sites managers to ensure comprehensive facility management and protocols are in place, including health and safety, cleaning/sanitation, medical waste, procurement, purchasing, vendor management, stock inventory, as well fleet maintenance and transportation needs. • IT Infrastructure and Cybersecurity. Oversee external IT vendors to ensure that sites have access to internet, Wi-Fi, email, and domain infrastructure that meet current cybersecurity, data privacy, and compliance standards. Human Resources / Supervisory Responsibilities • Employment Management: Work with the investigators and Country Director on workforce planning and provide support as needed to develop talent across the organisation, including capacity building to empower staff to contribute the site’s mission. • Human Resources: Ensure timely recruitment, onboarding, employment documentation, employee relations support, payroll coordination, benefits administration, and compliance with applicable South African labour law. Support site leadership on employee performance management. • Labour & Employment: Ensure all HR practices, employment documentation, policies, and employee relations processes remain compliant with the South African Basic Conditions of Employment Act, Employment Equity requirements, Labour Relations Act and other local labour obligations. Compliance and Local Governance • Corporate and Subsidiary Compliance: Coordinate with legal, finance, tax, and governance advisors to support company registration requirements, statutory filings, board documentation, insurance, delegated authorities, recordkeeping, and other obligations associated with operating a South African subsidiary. • Emergency Response: Ensure each site has an active emergency and disaster response plan. Support establishment of plans to preserve site operations, including disruptions related to staffing, facilities, transportation, utilities, partner operations, or other local conditions affecting research continuity. Partner with clinic and lab-based teams to ensure all aspects are covered. • Data Protection and Records Management: Ensure operational practices support compliant handling, transfer, storage, retention, and destruction of research, participant, employment, financial, and organisational records in accordance with applicable privacy, data protection, sponsor, and institutional requirements, including POPIA and HIPAA-related obligations where applicable. Research Regulatory Compliance Oversee the RISA Regulatory Specialist to ensure they are using a rigorous system to ensure alignment among local ethics committees, South African regulatory authorities, sponsors, CROs, US-based institutional review and compliance teams, and study teams to ensure that clinical trial and research operations remain inspection-ready and appropriately documented.

Key Attributes

• Skills: Expertise in navigating international "matrixed" reporting lines and a deep understanding of the South African socio-political and regulatory landscape.

Education Required

Matric

Qualification Required

• Minimum Education: A relevant NQF Level 8 qualification (Honours Degree or Postgraduate Diploma) in Business Administration, Public Health, or Health Services Management. • Preferred Education: A master’s degree (NQF Level 9), such as an MBA or MPH, is strongly preferred.

Experience Required

• Experience: 10+ years of progressive administrative management experience, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership capacity within a global health, NGO, or research environment

Remuneration

• Market-related, subject to the approved project budget and applicable funding conditions.

Other Job Details

APPLICATION AND ENQUIRIES • Interested applicants must complete their application online at: https://careers.hst.org.za/ • Applicants must ensure that their online applications are completed in full and that comprehensive CVs are uploaded with the online application to be considered. • Applicants’ CVs must be saved with filenames reflecting their names and surnames. • No applications sent via email will be considered, as all applicants must submit their applications online using the provided link. PLEASE NOTE: • All personal information collected is processed lawfully in terms of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). • Shortlisted candidates will be requested to submit certified copies of all qualifications and identity documents. • Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. • Correspondence will be limited to shortlisted candidates. • All shortlisted candidates will be subjected to reference and credential checks. • If you have not been contacted within 30 days of the closing date of this advertisement, please accept that your application has been unsuccessful. • HST reserves the right not to fill this position. CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: 19 November 2026 Health Systems Trust subscribes to the principles of diversity and inclusivity in accordance with the Employment Equity Act and the organisation’s Employment Equity Plan.