Internship Administrator: Operations (Sport)

This internship administrator position sits within the Group Services division of the South African Broadcasting Corporation, specifically supporting the Sport business unit, and reports directly to the Manager: Sport Operations. The core purpose of the role is to ensure that all administrative duties across the full production lifecycle, namely pre-production, production and post-production, are carried out effectively and in line with the needs of the business unit. In practice, this means the successful candidate will act as the operational backbone for SABC Sport’s coverage of major sporting events, handling everything from budget preparation to on-the-ground coordination at venues.

Candidates must hold a National Diploma in Media Studies, Communications, Administration or a related qualification at NQF level 6. They also need solid knowledge of MS Office, the ability to follow instructions while working independently or as part of a project team, and a well-organised, customer-oriented approach. Strong interpersonal, written and oral communication skills are essential, as the role involves liaising with internal production teams, external sporting federations, government stakeholders, funders and sponsors.

The duties are extensive and varied. The administrator is responsible for preparing budgets for upcoming sporting events such as soccer, cricket, athletics and the Info Hub, and for project managing each event within their portfolio. This includes making travel bookings for crew, notifying crew members of arrangements, and ensuring all relevant accreditations are completed for production crew both on site and at venues, for local and foreign events alike. The role also requires being on standby for emergencies, attending venues to note and address issues as they arise, and taking charge on behalf of SABC Sport Management at the venue. Any changes made by stakeholders to event dates must be managed, and the administrator must attend weekly pre-production and post-production meetings, as well as budgetary and logistical meetings.

Financial control is a significant part of the job. The administrator must ensure production budgets have deviation reports for reconciliation, prevent overspends by working with production to achieve cost efficiencies, assist the production accountant with budget projections after reconciliation, and ensure that SAP is completed and approved for all workflows. Advances taken for productions must be reconciled and accounted for, and all crew booked must be legally permitted to work. The role also involves monitoring the effective use of operational budgets and resources, loading payments for local and foreign vendors on SAP, managing the supply chain management process for purchase orders, creating and managing sport projects on SAP, and uploading budgets. Input is required for monthly schedules, including broadcast titles, WBS serial numbers, financial genres, episode counts and platforms, and the administrator must ensure budgets are fully released by all relevant stakeholders.

Beyond administration, the role carries an ambassadorial element. The incumbent represents SABC Sport in other countries and engages with sporting federations on logistical arrangements for special events. They also work closely with executive producers and other internal stakeholders to achieve the division’s operational objectives, communicate with external parties such as government and SABC funders, and ensure compliance with SABC policies, procedures and relevant legislation. They contribute to the compilation of standard operating procedures, attend all relevant meetings, and compile and submit monthly and quarterly reports. This is a demanding internship that offers broad exposure to sports broadcasting operations, event management and financial administration within a major public broadcaster.