Research Programme Coordinator

About the role

This part-time, fixed-term contract role acts as the operational backbone of a professional body's research function, coordinating, managing and tracking research projects while supporting governance structures and stakeholder collaboration. It works 16 hours (two days) per week on an initial 6-month contract, supporting the strategic development and scaling of research capabilities. The arrangement starts with about one month on site in Cape Town before moving to a hybrid model.

Key responsibilities

• Maintain research project schedules by tracking milestones, progress and deliverables so researchers, contractors and partners meet their obligations.
• Prepare and present monitoring reports, status updates and dashboards for the Head of Research and governance bodies.
• Provide secretariat support to the Research Committee: agenda management, meeting packs, minutes and action item tracking.
• Manage operations such as prize adjudications, contract coordination, procurement, invoices and document repositories.
• Support monitoring and evaluation of research outputs and liaise with marketing and communications on website content, publications and calls for expressions of interest.
• Facilitate stakeholder meetings, partnerships and workshops, and maintain the research topic radar through desk research and calls for topics.
• Review administrative workflows, identify bottlenecks and embed quality standards.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent tertiary qualification (informal or experiential routes accepted).
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience, preferably in an academic, research or higher education setting.
• Project management experience and experience working with committees, professional associations or volunteer groups.
• Proven coordination, project support or administrative experience across multi-stakeholder environments.
• Willingness to work on site in Cape Town for the first month.

Required skills

• Microsoft Office 365, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams.
• Microsoft SharePoint.
• Basic financial acumen for procurement and invoice administration.