Academic Support Manager
Position summary
Introduction
Job description
About the Role
We are looking for an experienced, student-centred Academic Support Manager to lead our Academic Support team. Reporting to Academic Managers, you will drive the seamless delivery of the online student learning journey, oversee a team of Academic Support Coordinators, and take ownership of two of the most critical drivers of student success at MANCOSA: proactive Student At-Risk management and Student Readiness, Induction and Onboarding. You will be a central connector between School Managers, Academic Programme Leaders, Academics and functional departments, ensuring students are supported, engaged and set up to succeed from day one.
Key Responsibilities
Team Leadership & Operations
• Lead, coach and evaluate a team of Academic Support Coordinators.
• Manage rosters and coverage across omnichannel platforms (e.g. HubSpot, OneStream) and walk-in consultations.
• Drive training and adherence to standard operating procedures for the Online Student Learning Journey (OSLJ).
Student At-Risk Management
• Proactively monitor low-, medium- and high-risk students and drive timely, documented interventions in line with the Student At-Risk Policy and Plan.
• Partner with Academic Managers, School Managers and Academic Programme Leaders on intervention plans, escalations and referrals.
• Report on at-risk trends and outcomes to inform institutional improvement.
Student Readiness, Induction & Onboarding
• Oversee delivery of pre-induction communication, institutional and School/Programme orientation, and readiness checklists across all intakes.
• Ensure non-completers and students with unresolved readiness concerns are identified and referred for support.
• Support intake review and close-off, feeding lessons learned into future onboarding cycles.
Quality, Compliance & Reporting
• Oversee quality assurance of digital academic content and recorded webinars.
• Ensure compliance with POPIA and relevant regulatory and quality frameworks.
• Generate management reports and analytics for the Academic Directorate and institutional committees.
• Technical approval of online readiness, as part of quality assurance for every intake
Minimum requirements
QUALIFICATION
• A relevant Master’s degree
ESSENTIAL
• 3 years' experience Management, online teaching, student support or academic administration in higher education or distance learning.
• Proven experience leading or supervising a team.
• Strong LMS administration, data analysis and reporting skills.
• Excellent communication, conflict-resolution and time-management skills.
• A genuine passion for student success and support.