Job description
The purpose of this position is to take full responsibility of a geographical area and manage a team of Independent Contractors (IC) in a professional and financially viable manner with the main goal of achieving quality and deadline standards.

Department management:
• Recruitment of IC's
• Allocate questionnaires (Q) to IC according to skills level
• Brief, conduct role play and place Q into field
• Manage Q in and out of field before due date (pull management)
• Debrief Q to ensure high quality
• Do back checks on 10% of the work of each IC for each project
• Sort out all omissions (information omitted), queries and redo's
• Submit Q to Cape Town before the due date (ensures timing and quotas are respected)
• Checks the administrative management of the IC's and supervisors (contracts, elements of pay)
• Carries out the evaluation interviews of team members

Admin duties:
• Compile and submit correct daily and interim field status
• Responsible for the signing of addendums/annexure per project as well as manage their metro travel claims
• Ensure that no IC on the NLU list are being used
• Ensure IC's on the Suspect list are being monitored
• Responsible for recruiting, interviewing, contracting and conducting formal training of IC. RFM to offer support.
• Identify field worker skill gaps along with profile gaps for team overall together with RFM
• Responsible for the informal training of IC's i.e. role play, in field visits, training during brief and debrief
• Plan non-metro trip in own area economically. Responsible for monies involved based on FSOC's and reconciling within deadline
• Ensure all administrative duties in field are completed on time and accurately
• Ensure an accurate and updated database for your area is being kept
• Manage interviewers for performance and output
• Maintain contracts and PDF's for region

Project related duties:
• Book IC's for briefs and central venues as needed
• Ensure the completed questionnaires meet the quota of each study
• Debrief and check all questionnaires
• Identify omissions and queries and resolves them
• Liaise with IC's and respondents
• Meet quotas on deadline whilst maintaining quality delivery
• Ensure the correct quota of IC's and respondents are at the central venue
• Manage the central venue and be responsible for the money that is paid out at the central venue
• Debrief and back check at central venue according to project quota
• Allocate the IC's that will do a trip, get the questionnaires back and do the debriefing etc = Arrange and plan non metro trips achieving deadline and quality of project
• Do 10% back checks on the work of each IC for each project - F2F and telephonic
• Provide regular feedback to RFM on projects in field
• Manage interviewers for project related output
• Informal training of field team during brief and debrief, to ensure maximum, cost effective and quality output
• Combine non-metro trips in region economically and ensure money feedback is timeously

Teamwork
• Support strategies for building team effectiveness
• Support an environment of work excellence by ensuring own performance is consistently optimal
• Advisor for team and other internal services
• Constructively brings attention to issues of poor performance within team and suggests possible solutions
• Requests technical support/back up/by team members

Client service team relationship development
• Seeks to build inter-departmental relationships productively
• Interacts effectively with varying levels with different backgrounds and perspectives

Key challenges and opportunities
• Creative and decisive under pressure
• Acute flexibility and adaptability
• Manage diversity in a complex context

Communication:
• Alert RFM to any patterns of poor quality identified within the team so as to determine training focus of team
• Alert RFM with details on individual poor quality or possible cheats from individual IC's for action by FM and RFM
• Communicate project related problems/issues/solutions to RFM
• Exception reporting.

Company Description
TNS is South Africa's largest ad hoc marketing research company. We are a full-house research company undertaking all phases of the research process from designing the study, executing the fieldwork and processing the data, to interpreting and presenting the findings to the client. We undertake both qualitative and quantitative research to provide solutions to any kind of marketing problem.

Requirements
• Completed matric
• Tertiary qualification would be advantageous
• Minimum of five years administrative and people management experience, of which two years proven management experience, ideally in a research environment
• Fluent in English and preferable a second language
• Working knowledge of the research process with field experience will be an advantage
• Computer literate and advanced knowledge on Word, Excel and Outlook
• Driver's license and own transport essential
• Experience in HR related principles and labour relations will be an advantage
• Must be willing to work weekends and after hours

Personal Skills/Attributes
Behavioural dimensions:
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Good motivational, negotiation, conflict-resolution and interpersonal skills
• Strong supervisory skills
• Systems orientated
• Initiative, pro-activity and strong organisational abilities
• Strong administrative skills and ability to adhere to the administrative regulations of the department
• Ability to adhere to strict deadlines, be reliable and source creative ideas around deadline challenges
• Accurate, detail orientated and quality driven
• Ability to multitask and work well under pressure
• Willingness to accept responsibility and accountability for work of self and of IC's
• Ability to work independently
• Assertive and confident with high stress tolerance
• Must be prepared to set up a home based office or work from an office building in the Nelspruit area

Contact details
Alison Eastwood
TNS
alison.eastwood@tnsglobal.com