POST-DOCTORAL FIXED-TERM CONTRACT POSITION (3 YEARS)

with

SANParks SCIENTIFIC SERVICES
(nodes in Kruger, Garden Route and Table Mountain National Parks)
CLOSING DATE: 30 June 2014

SANParks has attracted considerable attention for its development of Strategic Adaptive Management (SAM) as a decision making framework and governance approach. The conceptual basis of SAM has co-evolved with its operational application, the latter on a diverse spectrum of management challenges such as river health, elephant populations and fire regimes. Practicing SAM has helped to establish stakeholder engagement, co-learning and cooperative governance as fundamental values within SANParks.

The organisation is now ready to embark on a regenerative phase of research to capitalise on 20+ years of experience gained through the development and implementation of SAM. This new phase, “Systemic Futures”, will be conducted in collaboration with Prof Ray Ison (Professor of Systems at the Open University, UK, and Professor of Systems for Sustainability, Monash Sustainability Institute, Australia). Through action-oriented learning and with grounding in concepts such as adaptive management, social learning and systems thinking, this project aims to:

  • Evaluate the innovative nature of SAM and assess whether SAM has influenced agency within as well as outside SANParks.
  • Understand the enablers and constraints to SANParks being an adaptive/learning organisation.
  • Facilitate systemic diffusion and implementation of SAM as well as the required institutional change.
  • Contribute to the scholarly discourse on adaptive management and systemic governance of natural resources.
  • Frame and reframe SAM as a set of practices for promoting adaptive (and indeed transformative) capacity and organisational learning. (This may give rise to a „2nd generation‟ understanding and conceptualisation of SAM).

The appointment of a suitable post-doctoral fellow will be a key enabler of this systemic development initiative.

Requirements:
The successful candidate must be prepared to live in or close to a SANParks research node and be prepared to travel extensively between SANParks offices as well as more broadly within South Africa and/or internationally. S/he will be instrumental in setting up, recording and synthesizing cycles of investigation comprising: participatory workshops or experiential learning events; facilitating and assembling generative narratives and co-constructing a deeper understanding of the nature of, and possibilities for, SANParks’ learning approaches and governance mechanisms.

Key competencies must include:

  • theoretical grounding in complexity thinking, management of social-ecological systems, systems thinking, social/organisational learning and/or institutional change
  • experience in working in a systemic action research framework
  • experience of, or sensitivity to, working in cross-cultural and multiple linguistic contexts
  • an ability to immerse in the SANParks context and be part of the process of constructing the inquiry and facilitating co-learning
  • knowledgeable and passionate about adaptive/social learning processes and about how these are taken up and maintained in society
  • good interpersonal relationships as well as interviewing and group facilitation skills
  • excellent articulation skills and an ability to write extremely well as evidenced by publication track record
  • ability to effectively and enthusiastically review literature including internal grey literature

Duration and remuneration:
The successful candidate should ideally be able to start by latest 1 September 2014. A competitive salary, in line with postdoctoral expectations and experience, will be offered within the Patterson D3 salary range.

Application and enquiries:
To apply, e-mail your application accompanied by a CV to Boitumelo.Ntabe@sanparks.org
For enquiries, contact Dr Stefanie Freitag-Ronaldson (Stef.Freitag@sanparks.org; 013 735 4192) or Dr Dirk Roux (Dirk.Roux@sanparks.org; 044 871 0109)

SANParks adheres to employment equity principles and reserves the right to not make an appointment. Candidates who have not been contacted within 14 days of the closing date may consider their applications as unsuccessful.