Chemical Industries Education & Training Authority (CHIETA) Innovation and Technology Project Specialist Vacancy 2026

Opportunity Overview

The Chemical Industries Education & Training Authority (CHIETA) is seeking an Innovation and Technology Project Specialist for a fixed-term contract that extends until 31 March 2030. This pivotal role involves managing critical data for reporting purposes, creating and maintaining dynamic dashboards, and developing robust strategies for data analysis and insightful reporting.

The specialist will also be responsible for diligently tracking the progress of various digitization projects and reporting on their outcomes. This is a significant opportunity to contribute to CHIETA's strategic decision-making and digital transformation initiatives through the power of data-driven insights.

Minimum Requirements

• B Comm / B Degree in Business Administration, Information Systems, Project Management, or a related field.
• An NQF level 8 qualification will be considered an added advantage.
• Relevant 3-5 years’ experience in Innovation and ICT projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Operate with various data sources and transform that data into meaningful insights.
• Conduct integrated reporting with other business units.
• Share dashboards and educate CHIETA staff on their usage and the meaning of reported information.
• Share insights across CHIETA and ensure research data is appropriately used by key decision-makers.
• Assist in providing critical data and information to the Ideation committee.
• Create automatically updated and interactive reports and dashboards for ongoing data-backed decision-making.
• Design and implement reporting management initiatives aligned with CHIETA’s digital business initiatives.
• Provide key recommendations and test reporting capabilities on various systems considered for implementation.
• Improve CHIETA’s reporting capabilities on existing systems and recommend digitization systems for future implementation.
• Communicate reporting capabilities for each digitization system.
• Manage digitization projects in an agile manner and report on successes and challenges.
• Recommend mitigation plans for project challenges or critical paths.
• Monitor policy and procedure operations to ensure CHIETA's integrity.
• Develop and maintain a quality assurance and improvement program for policy and risk activity.
• Establish and maintain a system to monitor the disposition of results communicated to management.
• Ensure action plans are in place to address internal and external audit findings and monitor progress.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation and policy frameworks to prevent fruitless, wasteful, and irregular expenditure.
• Collaborate with stakeholders by establishing and maintaining effective networks and relationships.
• Represent CHIETA in meetings with stakeholders.
• Solve problems creatively while demonstrating high integrity.
• Manage key strategic relationships in accordance with policies, procedures, and legal requirements.
• Contribute to the budget preparation process.
• Ensure effective, efficient, economical, and transparent use of financial and other resources.
• Monitor expenditure against budget and ensure spending within budgetary limits.
• Explore opportunities to reduce costs.
• Ensure divisional, regional, and departmental budget monitoring aligned with CHIETA financial guidelines.
• Develop project plans for CHIETA Smart Skills Centres and ensure all centres are fully operational.
• Identify and manage project risks.
• Conduct project change management.
• Develop and ensure project governance.
• Complete projects within stipulated schedule, quality, and scope.

What the Work Involves

As an Innovation and Technology Project Specialist, you will report to the Executive Manager for Innovation Technology & Research Planning. Your daily tasks will largely involve hands-on data management, transforming various data sources into actionable insights, and developing interactive dashboards that inform strategic decisions across CHIETA.

You will play a crucial role in CHIETA’s digitization efforts, actively managing projects using agile methodologies, identifying potential risks, and proposing mitigation strategies. This position demands collaboration with different business units and external stakeholders, ensuring compliance with policies, contributing to budget processes, and overseeing the operational readiness of CHIETA Smart Skills Centres. The work will primarily encompass analytical tasks, project oversight, and strategic communication.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should submit their applications via email.

• Email Address: recruitment2026@chieta.org.za
• Application Deadline: 21 September 2026