Chief Director – Heritage Memorials, Burials & Honours

About the role

The Department of Military Veterans seeks a Chief Director to lead the Heritage, Memorials, Burials and Honours portfolio. The role involves strategic oversight of heritage policy, management of burial support services and the promotion of honour initiatives for military veterans.

Key responsibilities

• Develop, implement and monitor heritage, memorial and honour policies, processes and strategies.
• Advise senior management on policy matters related to veterans’ heritage and honour programmes.
• Manage burial support services, maintain veterans’ cemeteries and oversee exhumation and repatriation projects.
• Represent the department at national and provincial forums and coordinate heritage events, projects and campaigns.
• Secure external funding by engaging donors, private‑sector partners and companies.
• Oversee physical, human and financial resources, ensuring budget compliance and effective expenditure reporting.
• Evaluate staff performance, promote capacity development and foster a culture of performance management.

Required profile

• Undergraduate qualification (NQF Level 7) recognised by SAQA.
• Six to ten years of senior management experience in the public service or a comparable environment.
• Certificate for entry into the Senior Management Service.
• Strategic thinker with strong leadership, analytical and policy‑analysis capabilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.