The Manager: Employee Relations is responsible for the staff disciplinary processes at the university. The Manager plays an advisory role whencalled upon and monitors employee relations. The Manager further facilitates and ensures sound employee relations and that effective engagements with stakeholders and good working relationships are maintained between line managers and employees. The Manager is responsible for the development and monitoring of HR policies, relevant programmes and the delivery of necessary training and associated processes related to legislative compliance.

The Manager is responsible for aiding of stakeholders across the University as regards negotiating, drafting, reviewing and concluding agreements, including grant agreements and contracts.  This shall not be limited to one area of specialization.  By necessary implication, it shall include matters such as research collaboration, confidentiality, material transfer agreements and grant agreements, disclosure agreements and licensing agreements.  This position is pivotal in respect of maintaining funding opportunities by building relationships with the legal divisions of funders. 

The Manager reports to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic and Student Affairs with a dotted reporting line to the Director: Office of the Vice-Chancellor, as regards issues of plagiarism.  The incumbent will work with academics and students to ensure that departments and students have a common understanding of what plagiarism entails, and that all departments, institutes, centres, units offering Rhodes University qualifications operate on the basis of a similar understanding of plagiarism when dealing with identified plagiarism cases.   

The Manager shall provide support and training to develop staff and students’ skills in respect of the  detection and avoidance of plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty, and shall further encourage faculties, departments., institutes, centres and units offering Rhodes University qualifications to commit themselves to educating all students thoroughly about the nature of plagiarism as well as the conventions that apply to researching and presenting academic material in their respective disciplines. 

The Manager shall provide legal support and assistance to legal colleagues within the Legal Unit on an ongoing basis.