Administration Assistant

The Goethe-Institut in Johannesburg is looking for a part-time administration assistant to work in the programmes department. This position is limited to one year only due to the Goethe-Institut’s transition to SAP4HANA software and the subsequent restructuring of the internal administrative processes and tasks. The salary is based on Goethe-Institut South Africa's applicable remuneration scheme.

ABOUT THE GOETHE-INSTITUT SOUTH AFRICA

The Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a global reach. We promote knowledge of the German language abroad and foster international cultural cooperation.

For more information, visit www.goethe.de/johannesburg

ABOUT THE POSITION

This position is intended to support the cultural and information departments and help improve the quality and speed of day-to-day administrative tasks.

Tasks

• Pre-screening and assistance in the coordination of administrative processes (from need and price assessment to payment)
• Supporting contract preparation in collaboration with program coordinators and external partners
• Supporting and carrying out procurement processes and informal price inquiries
• Supporting the organization of regional projects
• Supporting financial management of the department and individual projects
• Tracking Appointments and Deadlines
• Supporting other administrative tasks related to the cultural program work of the Goethe-Institut South Africa and of EUNIC South Africa, like sending invites and taking minutes.

Requirements

• In depth understanding of administrative work and processes
• Excellent digital self-organization and strong administrative organizational skills
• Excellent understanding of, and grasp of, compliance requirements, concepts and applications.
• Highly proficient with MS Office (especially Outlook Calendar, Teams, Excel, Word)
• Flawless attention to detail and ability to work under pressure
• Presence at the office space provided at the Goethe-Institut Johannesburg is required.
• Advantageous: work experience in a German organization and knowledge of German
• Non-South African applicants need to have a valid work permit for South Africa
• Flexibility to temporarily increase working hours to more than 20 hours per week.

How to apply

Please send your CV and a short motivation letter exclusively by e-mail to Benjamin benjamin.bergner@goethe.de no later than 21st March 2026. Please consider your application unsuccessful if you haven’t received a reply by 30 March 2026.

Please add the following declaration of consent to your application:
“I consent to the processing of my personal data contained in the application documents for the purposes of the admission procedure at the Goethe-Institut.”

Important note on the application procedure:
Only complete applications will be considered. We reserve the right not to fill this position.