Administrative Officer

McGill University; Montreal (administrative region); On-site; CAD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

McGill University’s AES on the Macdonald Campus seeks an Administrative Officer to provide high-level organizational, planning, and administrative guidance for the Nkabom Collaborative. The role involves managing information, documents, and communications with McGill partners in Canada and Ghana, with occasional travel.

Reporting to the Director Administration, this position ensures smooth day-to-day operation, development of administrative standards, and coordination of budgets and HR processes

Qualifications

• Knowledge of accounting and financial management.
• Knowledge of university budgeting policies and fund types.
• Ability to communicate with staff, academics and other stakeholders.
• Service-oriented with excellent customer service.
• Experience organizing complex events, conferences, or international visits.
• Proficient with computerized applications including Banner FIS, Workday HR, and related platforms.
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills.
• Ability to exercise sound judgement, discretion, and diplomacy.

Responsibilities

• Oversees a broad range of operational, administrative, and logistical functions critical to the unit.
• Provide administrative advice and management in all activities related to the implementation of the McGill Partner collaborative programs.
• Develop and implement administrative procedures and internal controls.
• Establishes financial priorities; develops and implements budgetary planning; submits operating budget.
• Ensures preparation of reporting and year-end documentation.
• Monitors and reports on account spending; enforces financial controls.
• Administer human resources processes for Collaborative personnel (Postdocs, Visiting Academics, etc.).
• Organize Nkabom events hosted by McGill, MFCC meetings, stakeholder engagement sessions, and Annual Forum activities.
• Prepare reports, briefing materials, presentations, communications, and maintain collaborative documentation.

Skills

Financial management

Budgeting policies

Communication skills

Event planning

HR administration

Data management

Tools

Banner FIS

Workday HR

Databases

Job description

Position Summary

McGill's Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, located on the Macdonald Campus, 35km from downtown Montreal, is looking for an Administrative Officer to provide a high level of organizational, planning, communication and administrative advice to the McGill Academic Lead and the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' Academic Lead of the Nkabom Collaborative at McGill University, and to contribute to the efficient operation of the Collaborative in promotion of its priorities and mission. The incumbent will manage information, organization, and development of documents and correspondences, and will function with an exceptional level of accuracy, judgement, independence, confidentiality, and efficiency. They will be responsible for ensuring the smooth functioning of the Nkabom Collaborative's administrative affairs.

McGill University, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, is embarking on an ambitious collaboration with seven African organizations within the Nkabom Nutrition and Sustainability Agri-Food Collaborative. This initiative aims to bridge education and workforce gaps by training youth in the nutrition and agri-food sectors, especially in rural communities, to help transform Africa's agri-food system and empower the next generation of leaders.

Reporting to the Director Administration, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (AES), the Administrative Officer is the operational and administrative manager of the Collaborative's McGill Partner Academic Lead's office and the AES' Academic Lead's office; in addition, they will act as a liaison between the Academic Lead's office and other McGill partners of the Collaborative as well as external organizations within both Canada and Ghana with travel to Ghana a few times a year. The incumbent will develop and maintain administrative standards and practices for the Academic Lead's office and McGill partners. The incumbent will also be responsible for general office management ensuring the smooth day-to-day functioning of a complex, multi-stakeholder program spanning Canada and Ghana, maintaining institutional and collaborative records and management of the Collaborative's capital assets.

Primary Responsibilities

• Oversees a broad range of operational, administrative, and logistical functions critical to the effective functioning of the unit.
• Provide administrative advice and management in all activities related to the implementation of the McGill Partner collaborative programs as well as the facilitation of the program deliverables.
• Develop and implement administrative procedures and internal controls.
• Establishes financial priorities. Develops and implements budgetary planning, recommends budget allocations and prepares and submits operating budget.
• Ensures preparation of appropriate reporting and year-end documentation.
• Acts as advisor regarding University Financial Policies and Procedures, monitors and reports on account spending and exercises financial controls where applicable.
• Undertakes analysis of budgeting issues, assesses impact to the University/unit, articulate alternatives and recommend solutions.
• Acts as approver for office financial functions.
• Administer human resources processes for Collaborative personnel (Postdoctoral Fellows, Visiting Academics etc.), including recruitment, hiring, onboarding, offboarding, and related HR administration.
• Responsible for organizing Nkabom events hosted by McGill, including the MFCC meetings, stakeholder engagement sessions, and Annual Forum activities.
• Prepare reports, briefing materials, presentations, communications, and maintain collaborative documentation and web content.
• Develop and maintain systems for Collaborative records, data collection, document management and information tracking.

Other Qualifying Skills and/or Abilities

• Demonstrated knowledge of accounting and financial management.
• Knowledge of University budgeting policies and fund types.
• Ability to effectively communicate and interact with various levels of staff, academics and other stakeholders.
• Service oriented with excellent customer service skills and the ability to establish productive working relationships quickly.
• Experience organizing complex events, conferences, workshops, or international visits.
• Proficiency with computerized applications including advanced spreadsheets, databases, word-processing software, Banner FIS, Workday HR business processes and other platforms
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment, discretion, and diplomacy when handl