10/04/2026
Vacancy
Job Title: Graduate Assistant/Traineeship Coordinator (100% Contract/Sessional Post)
Job Reference #: CPM-GA-2026
Organization Name: Cultural Policy & Management (CPM),
Wits School of Arts (WSOA)
Advert Placed: 10 April 2026
Apply by: 27 April 2026
Job Description
The Department of Cultural Policy and Management (CPM) is seeking a proactive sessional Graduate Assistant (GA) on a 100% six-month contract to undertake academic and academic administration duties. The GA must have experience in the arts, in an academic department, and broadly in the higher education sector. They must be an alumnus of WSOA, hold at least a master’s degree and should have some university-level teaching and/or postgraduate supervision experience. The GA would ideally be aiming to work in academia, must be able to engage with academic and public programs at CPM, and be prepared to provide departmental interface with organizations within the cultural and creative industries.
CPM offers interdisciplinary programmes at undergraduate, Honours, master’s (MA) and PhD levels. The programmes cover the topics of cultural policy, arts management, urban cultural governance, cultural economy, cultural entrepreneurship, arts management, audience development, arts marketing, community arts centres, and cultural diplomacy. The programmes broadly explore democratisation of culture and cultural democracy with specific questions around social, cultural, political and economic implications of cultural policy, governance, management and administration on broader local, regional and global society. An important component of the programmes at undergraduate and Honours levels is the use of experiential learning, which draws on the unique location in the heart of South Africa’s economy and its creative capital, the city of Johannesburg. This component involves placing students within the regional arts and culture community in greater Johannesburg, enabling them to draw from theory and practice in an African context. Students – both South African and of other African countries - are introduced to how the cultural sector works and gain knowledge about concepts in the cultural sector landscape. Through this component, staff and students immerse themselves in the cultural/arts/creative sector and draw on that expertise and practice to enliven course material, but moreover get the opportunity to participate in the cultural life of Johannesburg.
The successful applicant would support 3rd and 4th Year, Honours, and MA lecturers in their academic programmes and in the administration of related academic events that feed into the teaching and learning activities of those programmes. They would act as liaison between academic and public programmes.
Main Duties
1. Coordinate Honours interviews.
2. Coordinate 3rd year recruitment.
3. Coordinate CPM conferences.
4. Support 3rd, 4th Year and Honours Lecturers in the preparation of exams and compilation of documents for external examiners.
5. Supervise experiential learning in traineeship organisations in line with the course outlines.
6. Supervise research by Honours students.
7. Organise MA excursions.
8. Update CPM social media.
9. Review and update all traineeship documents in line with changes in the Cultural and Creative Industries sector.
10. Support students to prepare for their traineeship tasks, reports, and exams.
Essential Requirements
o Master’s degree in Cultural Policy and Management.
o Computer literacy (Microsoft Office, Internet, proficient electronic diary management is essential.
o 2 years’ experience in project management, research and/or community engagement in the cultural and creative sector.
o 1 year of university level teaching.
Core Competencies
o Networking skills and Cultural and Creative industry knowledge and contacts.
o Proactive and collaborative.
o Knowledge of/understanding of Teaching and Learning.
o Organisational, writing, research, and administration skills.
o Excellent interpersonal communication skills, both spoken and written.
o Computer Literacy (Zoom, Skype, Teams, Microsoft Office).
o Ability to work independently and as a member of a team.
o Ability to work under pressure, take initiative and solve problems.
o Ability to perform duties with minimal supervision and to exercise greater judgement.
o Ability to interface with broader publics and the cultural and creative industries.
o Excellent time management skills.
o Be aware of and able to act on issues relating to transformation in the department and school.
o An understanding of university systems such as SIMS and ULWAZI would be a distinct advantage.
To apply for this role, send a CV and a cover letter to [email protected]. In the letter, you must state the job reference number, motivate for how your experience meets the above criteria and how this role aligns with your career goals. Email these documents to the address provided by 23:59 on 27 April 2026.
