Job Description

The Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning) seeks to appoint a dynamic and energetic Professor or Associate Professor to provide strategic leadership and guidance at an institutional level on all matters related to language policy, planning and development in the University.
The successful candidate must have strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies and diverse communities, both inside and outside the University.
The Director will be expected to strategically lead and manage the University's Language Planning and Development Office in implementing and advancing UKZN's language policy, promoting multilingualism, developing African Languages as an academic language, providing language support services including translation and editing, conducting language research including computational linguistics, and ensuring that language transformation contributes to academic excellence, accessibility, and social justice across the institution.
To lead the development of strategy in relation to language policy and development. The role includes promoting academic collaborations related to language development.

Minimum requirements

Associate Professor
Doctoral Degree in Languages/Linguistics or related area
Evidence of specialisation in IsiZulu and English
Evidence of experience in Bilingual/Multilingual education, especially in higher education
Evidence of recent and relevant knowledge of Language Policy and Planning and/or Language terminology development and translation preferably related to isiZulu
Track record of publications commensurate with the level of appointment in language related research, preferably including isiZulu

ADVANTAGES:

The closing date for receipt of applications is 17 November 2026

Director: Language Planning And Development

Key skills