ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: MFMA IMPLEMENTATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING

This position is located within the Municipal Finance Management Directorate of the Department of Community Safety, based in Johannesburg. The role is a supervisory and advisory one, focused on driving the effective implementation of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) across municipal structures. As an Assistant Director, the incumbent will work to ensure that municipalities adhere to the legislative framework governing financial management, while also strengthening the capacity of municipal officials to meet their obligations. The broader context is one of oversight, support, and institutional development, with the aim of improving financial governance and accountability in local government.

Candidates must possess a three-year tertiary qualification at NQF level 7 in Accounting, Financial Management, Public Finance, Public Administration, Economics, Local Government Finance, Auditing, Commerce, or a related field. In addition, applicants need between three and five years of experience in municipal oversight, MFMA compliance monitoring, capacity building, stakeholder coordination, and support interventions, or a closely related environment. This is a mid-level managerial post, so practical experience in monitoring compliance and engaging with multiple stakeholders is essential, as is the ability to translate financial legislation into implementable action.

The core duties revolve around facilitating and supporting the coordination, monitoring, reporting, and evaluation of MFMA implementation. This includes overseeing the rollout of the Act and its associated policies, providing support on supporting regulations, and ensuring that monitoring and reporting mechanisms are robust and effective. The Assistant Director will also contribute to stakeholder engagements aimed at improving MFMA compliance, helping to build constructive relationships between provincial and municipal spheres. Furthermore, the role involves coordinating municipal capacity building programmes, with a focus on ensuring that officials have the skills and knowledge necessary to implement the MFMA. The post also carries responsibility for knowledge management, research, and sharing best practices across municipalities, ensuring that lessons learned and successful approaches are documented and disseminated.

There are several special conditions and expectations attached to the post. The department encourages applications from youth, people with disabilities, and candidates from designated groups including coloured, Indian, and white applicants, in line with equity targets. Applicants with disabilities must attach a confirmation from a registered medical practitioner. The selection process includes two pre-entry assessments for shortlisted candidates: a practical exercise and an integrity or ethical conduct assessment. These are scored as part of the interview process. In addition, successful candidates will undergo personnel suitability checks, including vetting, criminal record checks, citizenship verification, credit record checks, qualification verification, and employment verification. The application procedure requires the standard Z83 form and a comprehensive CV; only shortlisted candidates need to produce certified copies of qualifications and other documents. Foreign qualifications must be accompanied by a SAQA evaluation certificate. The department reserves the right not to fill the post and may apply other recruitment processes. Given the volume of applications, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted, and those who do not receive feedback within three months of the closing date should regard their application as unsuccessful.