Portfolio Head: Trading Services

About the position

Position Context

Internal Operating Environment

The Portfolio Head position is accountable to lead, direct and manage a team of Specialists, Senior Advisors and Advisors in an integrated portfolio, to ensure effective representation of the Local Government Sector in IGR and other fora as the voice of Local Government.

One of the most important purposes in the Trading Services portfolio is to develop and implement integrated and best fit solutions to critical municipal challenges to improve basic service delivery of municipalities. Of critical importance to the Portfolio Head position, is the ability to develop municipal capacity in delivering on the developmental mandate of municipalities.

The current business strategy requires a process to become more relevant and effective at representing and supporting municipalities. The Portfolio Head role is required to stand as an active participatory and supportive function to the Chief Officer with the development and implementation of the Cluster business plan. This role is required to ensure that provincial member needs inform the strategy of the organisation. Through an integrated planning process, the Portfolio head is required to develop and oversee the implementation of a business plan for the portfolio, in line with the overall strategy and APP of the organisation, such that the mandate of the organisation is achieved.

There are implicit strategic shiftsunderpinning the adoption and implementation of a new Cluster business plan in creating an environment to optimise Local Government’s ability to function optimally.

The role of the Portfolio Head’ will require active demonstration and support to the Chief Officer with the development and implementation of effective advocacy and lobbying strategies in order to protect the rights of Local Government and to disrupt the systems hindering municipal performance.

The Portfolio Head must manage, develop and implement the Cluster business plan for the portfolio to ensure that policy and procedures are in line with overall mandate. The incumbent is to ensure the creation of an optimal enabling environment and resource utilisation in delivering on the mandate, as a unitary organisation.

Role Specific:

As part of the leadership team, the Portfolio Head will be required to have a sound understanding of the sectors and professional disciplines applicable to the portfolio with a working knowledge of the respective policy directives, legislative frameworks and new developments impacting on the organisation to ensure informed decision making.

The incumbent is expected to have experience in the development of solution-oriented programmes (within the portfolio) in alignment with standards and methods and gain support and approval for solutions. The ability to lobby support to ensure the successful review and development of approved policies and guidelines (within the scope of the portfolio) to support municipal service delivery.

A high level of emotional maturity and a sound business acumen and political savvy is required in this role.

Develop Municipal Service Plans for the needs within the portfolio, in alignment with overall framework and process in the organisation.

Generic External Operating Environment

The portfolio head is expected to have a sound understanding of the policy directives, legislation and regulations governing the sectors and professional disciplines in his/her area of responsibility, however, also need to have a good working knowledge of the broader frameworks governing the Local Government Sector as a whole.

The principal challenges of inequality, poverty, joblessness and the need for basic services persist and manifest themselves in different ways in communities. On spatial transformation and social cohesion, the local economic reality is still characterized by pervasive (and increasing) inequality.

The local government is faced with an ongoing shrinking envelope and an increasing demand for services against the backdrop of increasing capacity constraints and reduced household incomes due to the general economic decline.

During the past 10 years we have contributed and influenced the trading services policy discourse by ensuring a conducive and enabling environment for municipalities to deliver basic services. In addition, crucial research was undertaken to deepen the understanding of the fiscal and institutional challenges that hinders municipalities’ ability to excel in service delivery. However, the sectors involved in Trading Services (Water and Sanitation; Electricity and Energy and Waste Management) still face many challenges.

The 2017 – 2022 strategy of the organisation calls for a protector and constructive disruptive role to significantly improve the landscape of municipalities across the country. The Trading Services Portfolio therefore plays a critical role towards revolutionizing the local government sectors responsible for the delivery of Basic Services. This requires the strengthening of the policy and legislative environment, improvement in the fiscal architecture; establishing and maintaining partnerships and coordinating collaborative approaches by all relevant stakeholders in the quest to improve service delivery.

In addition, the role of the organisation in the UCLG has elevated it’s status to play a critical role in the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (in the trading services space, SDGs 6, 7 and 11 need to be elevated). The attainment of the SDGs hinges on technological cooperation and capacity-building support mechanisms between private and public sectors and local and international technological solutions will be important in improving basic service delivery and management at a municipal level.

Some of the challenges in this space include:

• Significant shifts taking place in the electricity sector in South Africa and it requires a rethink on how the electricity sector will operating into the future.
• Increased violent service delivery protests
• Significant electricity and water losses coupled with mandate overlaps between Eskom and municipalities
• Poor basic service infrastructure life cycle management from project identification through to operations and maintenance
• Ongoing changing consumer demand , through new business models that encourage internal efficiency, electricity trading, grid charges, alternative energy services, etc.

Position Purpose

To lead, direct and manage a multi-disciplinary team to design, implement and evaluate best fit solutions to critical municipal challenges in basic service delivery; to ensure effective representation of the Local Government Sector in IGR and other fora as the voice of Local Government; and to develop municipal capacity in delivering on the developmental mandate of municipalities.

Key focus areas include:

• Driving the implementation of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Strategy
• Driving the conceptualisation and development of Technology and Innovation Projects to improve basic service delivery in municipalities, including support on the roll-out of Broadband as a 5th utility at local government level.
• Driving water supply and sanitation management solutions to deal with the demand for water
• Driving the development of waste management solutions

KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS

Research and Benchmarking

• Strategically inform the research agenda for Trading services and basic service delivery
• Provide ongoing analysis of the key challenges, needs and trends in Basic Service Delivery (locally and internationally), to ensure that local government strategies and programmes are appropriately designed (with regards to both policy response and effective models of service delivery)
• Conduct and interpret research in Trading Services and create a learning and sharing platform to improve municipal efficiency in area of specialisation. Be a key repository of knowledge and information on local government and matters relating to the sector/ area of specialisation
• Conduct research on the best practice developments across the world utilising new and innovative technologies to improve service delivery
• Conduct municipal audits to better understand the status quo of the municipal capacity to deliver trading services to its citizens and support the strengthening of municipal profiles to understand and differentiate based on unique municipal needs

Represent the interests of Local Government Sector

• Provide high quality advice on the legislative and regulatory framework of local government in particular, and of the role and impact of the other spheres of government at the local level, on issues pertaining to basic service delivery
• Lead the representation of the organisation and municipalities at various IGR and other Fora to protect the interests of municipalities/ Sector; and to disrupt structural form, policy or legislative frameworks in the sectors relevant to trading services, where it hinders municipal performance
• Develops content on a number of complex issues relevant to the advocacy position for mandating.
• Understand and effectively manage relationships with the national and provincial governance structures of the organisation and the institutional structures of the relevant sectors and key role players in the area of specialisation.

Support, Advice and Capacity building of Municipalities

• Guide, support and provide professional advice to municipalities in the areas of electricity distribution; sustainable energy; water supply and sanitation management; Waste Management; roll-out of broadband as a 5th utility
• Provide hands-on support to strengthen municipal capacity/ improve programme implementation
• Provide support towards the development and training in the respective areas of relevance
• Facilitate the implementation of the capacity building strategy and associated programmes in municipalities
• Facilitate training programmes/ peer learning sessions in the areas of focus/ professional discipline.
• Develop guidelines to assist municipalities in complying with applicable legislation and policies

Stakeholder Management and sponsorships

• Assist in development and maintenance of sound relationships with relevant stakeholder groups (including civil society organisations, locally and internationally)
• Identify and target potential donor organisations that could partner effectively with the organisation and develop and prepare fundraising proposals and assist in the management of local government/provincial/national government interface in relation to the sector/ area of specialisation
• Develop and maintain relevant networks (internal and external) and build partnerships with relevant stakeholders to ensure programme success and to increase capacity to make an impact
• Create reports to communicate about the programme and provide updates for website
• Identify and target potential donor organisations that could partner effectively with the organisation and develop and prepare fundraising proposals and assist in the management of local government/provincial/national government interface in relation to the sector/ area of specialisation
• With the support of the sponsorship team, develop and present detailed project proposals and plans to funders for consideration (in alignment of the sponsorship Policy)
• Ensure that all contr