Administrative Support

University of British Columbia - Staff; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 30,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking an Administrative Assistant to support the Department of Geography. This role involves managing day-to-day operations, providing administrative support, and acting as a liaison for faculty, staff, and students. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in academic administration, exceptional customer service skills, and proficiency in the MS Office Suite. Join a dynamic team dedicated to fostering diversity and inclusion while ensuring smooth departmental operations. This is a fantastic opportunity for those passionate about enhancing their skills in a supportive environment.

Qualifications

• High School graduation plus one year of post-secondary education.
• Four years of related experience or equivalent combination.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall administrative support for the Department.
• Coordinate departmental events and maintain records.
• Handle inquiries and serve as office reception.

Skills

MS Office Suite

Customer Service

Attention to Detail

Problem Solving

Education

High School Graduation

Post-Secondary Education

Tools

Workday

Job description

Staff - Union

Job Category CUPE 2950 Job ProfileCUPE 2950 Salaried - Administrative Support 3 (Gr6) Job Title Administrative Support Department Administrative Support | Department of Geography Compensation Range $4,449.00 - $4,676.00 CAD Monthly Posting End Date May 13, 2025

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary
The Administrative Assistant provides broad support to the Department of Geography and is responsible for ensuring day-to-day operations run smoothly, while conforming to Departmental and University policies, guidelines and procedures. As the first point of contact for enquiries, this position acts as a liaison and provides support to faculty, staff and students to facilitate the effective and efficient operation of the Department.

Organizational Status

The Administrative Assistant reports directly to the Administrator. The incumbent will also work with faculty members, students, staff, the general public, as well as other UBC units.

Work Performed

Administration

• Provides overall administrative support for the Department.

• Provides day-to-day senior level administrative support to the Administrator which includes responding to complex inquiries, composing correspondence of a confidential and sensitive nature, and providing information of a complex nature. Identifies and communicates high priority requests.

• Serves as office reception, handling enquires from students, faculty, staff and visitors.

• Coordinates departmental events, including colloquia, recruitment, orientations, student-lead activities, committees and special events, by handling logistics, registration, communications and event materials, travel arrangements, catering, scheduling and finances. Has signing authority for event budgets.

• Maintains department records and updates the departmental website and intranet by working with department members to keep information current.

HR & Finance

• Enters student appointments as HR Analyst and tracks budgets and payroll as Cost Centre Financial Analyst. Responds to queries regarding payroll and resolves complex queries or errors independently.

• Processes student worker appointments; communicates with student employees; collects information and coordinates appointment documents, prepares offers letters and processes appointments as required.

• Researches and provides information regarding policies and procedures, resolves complex student appointment issues relating to grant funded positions, employment eligibility and work permits, consulting with the Administrator as needed.

• Works with relevant hiring managers to coordinate departmental on/off-boarding for faculty, staff, and student employees; participates in the development of procedures and materials including orientation and training activities.

• Monitors financial ledgers and generates monthly reports to identify and action items. Investigates and resolves variances, escalating more complex issues as required, and maintains financial records and backup documentation.

• Supports invoicing and expense claims for faculty, students and guests as appropriate; coordinates and reconciles departmental credit card; seeks proper approvals, assigns expenses to appropriate worktags and tracks internal budgets.

• Collects fees (GIS lab, field school, events, printing etc.) and produces receipts.

Facilities

• Ensures Department spaces are kept in good order and rooms are appropriately provisioned.

• Submits service requests and trouble calls and tracks them to completion.

• Coordinates room bookings and class scheduling.

• Supports renovation projects including resourcing furniture through UBC’s Reuse It program.

Supports special projects and performs other duties related to the position qualifications as required.

Consequence of Error/Judgement
Errors in judgement, mistakes, inefficiencies, or breaches of confidence in any of the areas of responsibility could negatively impact all aspects of administration and would affect the reputation and credibility of the Department. The reputation of the Department and the University could be seriously diminished by poor performance. Finally, errors in financial claims could result in a potential financial loss to the Department and the University.

Supervision Received
The Administrative Assistant works independently under the general direction of the Department Administrator. They will be required to exercise tact and discretion and be able to interpret and follow UBC policies and practices. They will receive specific instructions on unusual problems or on matters that significantly depart from established policies and procedures. They will also receive work from the various members of the department and administrative team.

Supervision Given
Is not required to supervise; may explain work procedures to new or inexperienced staff.

Minimum Qualifications
High School graduation, plus one year of post-secondary education, plus four years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own.

- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience in academic administration preferred.

- Advanced experience with MS Office suite, particularly Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams, and OneNote.

- Ability to learn new software systems like Workday.

- Ability to maintain accuracy with high attention to detail.

- Ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines and complete work without errors.

- Ability to solve routine problems based on UBC’s policies and procedures, and refer more complex problems to senior staff.

- Ability to respond to routine inquiries verbally and in writing.

- Ability to listen actively and obtain clarification as required.

- Ability to deal with people in a courteous, calm, professional manner and have excellent customer service skills.

- Ability to develop and maintain cooperative and productive working relationships with faculty, staff, students, and the public.

- Ability to work effectively independently and in a team environment.