PathLensSOUTH AFRICA · CLEARER PATHS. BRIGHTER OPTIONS.
Materials Scientist
OFO Code: 211403
Last checked 7 October 2026
1. Occupation identity
- OFO code
- 211403
- Occupation
- Materials Scientist
- Classification
- OFO 2021
- Major group
- PROFESSIONALS
- Unit group
- 2114 · Geologists and Geophysicists
Official description
Geologists and geophysicists conduct research; improve or develop concepts, theories and operational methods, or apply scientific knowledge relating to geology and geophysics in such fields as oil, gas and mineral exploration and extraction, water conservation, civil engineering, telecommunications and navigation, and assessment and mitigation of the effects of development and waste disposal projects on the environment.
More official OFO detail
Specialisations: Polymer Scientist, Fibre Technologist, Ceramics Scientist
- Charting the earth's magnetic field and applying this and other collected data for broadcasting, navigation and other purposes
- Using various remote sensing programs to investigate and measure seismic, gravitational, electrical, thermal, and magnetic forces affecting the earth
- Advising in areas such as waste management, route and site selection and the restoration of contaminated sites
- Interpreting research data and preparing geological reports, maps, charts and diagrams, reports and papers
- Identifying deposits of construction materials and determining their characteristics and suitability for use as concrete aggregates, road fill or for other applications
- Locating and determining the nature and extent of oil, gas and mineral deposits using seismological, gravimetric, magnetic, electrical or radiometric methods
- Estimating weight, size and mass of the earth and composition and structure of its interior, and studying the nature, activity and predictability of volcanoes, glaciers and earthquakes
- Studying and measuring physical properties of seas and the atmosphere and their inter-relationship, such as the exchange of thermal energy
- Conducting research and improving or developing concepts, theories and operational methods related to geology and geophysics
- Researching the movement, distribution and physical properties of ground and surface waters
- Applying geological knowledge to problems encountered in civil engineering projects such as the construction of dams, bridges, tunnels, and large buildings; and land reclamation projects
2. Demand status
Demand evidence unavailable
No approved governed OIHD graph relationship is available on this deployment for this OFO code.
PathLens does not fall back to legacy specimen demand flags when governed evidence is unavailable.
A national demand signal is not a promise of a vacancy in your town.
3. Salary evidence
No approved governed salary observation or sourced snapshot salary record is available for this OFO code yet.
Open remuneration history & calculator →4. Quick EE check
How much might Employment Equity matter in this job context?
Answer three quick questions for a rough read. This is workforce context, not a hiring decision.
Select the employer size and your profile to get a quick read.
5. Qualification
Qualification evidence pending.
Understand NQF levels, institutions & recognition → Build my qualification pathway →6. Study funding
Check all funding options, eligibility & obligations →A funding match will only be shown once a recognised qualification or study route has been identified.
7. Industry, sector and provincial context
National occupation classification. Industry and provincial context are shown only where a separate official source supports the link.
No source-backed modern OFO↔SIC 7 industry link has been ingested for this occupation yet. PathLens does not infer one from the job title.
Browse the official South African industry classification →8. Next steps — official links
9. Decision tools
10. Sources for this page
- DHET Organising Framework for Occupations (OFO 2021) · Ingested · identity spine active
Canonical OFO identity data has been ingested and validated. 1511 occupation records are recorded in the ingest artifact. - DHET Occupations in High Demand · Validated pipeline · graph publication not confirmed
The governed OIHD pipeline is active, but a successful populated graph run is not currently confirmed on this deployment. - Critical Skills List · Monitored · occupation linkage pending
Official migration sources are monitored, but PathLens does not infer visa eligibility or occupation-level eligibility from monitoring alone. - QCTO qualifications and occupational certificates · Candidate staging ready · not published
Qualification staging and human review are implemented; no qualification↔OFO relationship is published without an explicit source identifier or governed human review. - Stats SA Quarterly Labour Force Survey · Acquisition active · no approved evidence on this deployment
Official QLFS artifact discovery is active. Dataset-specific schema, weighting, reliability and review gates remain separate; a discovered artifact or executable estimator does not itself create a public claim. - SETA Sector Skills Plans / hard-to-fill vacancy tables · Partial · explicit source links only
PathLens preserves explicit source-backed SETA/activity links where present and does not infer modern SIC relationships from occupation titles.