Associate Director, Operational Strategy and Administration

University of British Columbia; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution is seeking an Associate Director for Operational Strategy and Administration. This role involves developing strategic plans for the Learning Technology Innovation Centre, managing internal and external partnerships, and overseeing administrative operations. Candidates should have extensive experience in leadership and strategic administration in a multi-functional organization. A strong commitment to diversity and inclusion is highly valued. Competitive compensation in the range of approximately $9,859.25 - $15,380.75 CAD monthly.

Qualifications

• Minimum of eight years of related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Commitment to enhancing awareness and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement strategic plans for LTIC.
• Cultivate relationships with key stakeholders and external vendors.
• Lead administration and operations for learning technology ecosystem.
• Manage human resource strategy and workforce planning.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Communication

Relationship building

Human resources management

Education

Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline

Master's degree preferred

Job description

Staff - Non Union Job Category M&P - AAPS Job Profile AAPS Salaried - Administration, Level E Job Title Associate Director, Operational Strategy and Administration Department Leadership | Learning Technology Innovation Centre Compensation Range $9,859.25 - $15,380.75 CAD Monthly

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Posting End Date December 17, 2025

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

Job End Date

Ongoing

This position is expected to be filled by promotion/reassignment and is included here to inform you of its vacancy at the University.

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

UBC’s Learning Technology Innovation Centre (LTIC) mandate is to catalyze and elevate learning technology application, innovation, and inquiry at UBC. Under academic leadership, LTIC is charged with meeting UBC’s needs for faculty and students in using and transforming learning technology, including playing a pivotal role in the support of Artificial Intelligence in research, development, and education, across the entirety of UBC.

The Associate Director shapes strategic plans to drive forward LTIC’s mandate, developing internal and external partnerships to ensure UBC’s continued international leadership of pedagogical research and innovation through technology. This position represents the Director and the University in meetings with campus partners and external vendors. The Associate Director in collaboration with the Academic Director develops and implements broad reaching operational strategy for the integration and harmonization of financial and practical operations for the learning technology ecosystem across all Departments, Faculties, innovation units, and for both campuses. As the senior non‑academic leader, this role also provides comprehensive strategic oversight and management in all areas of administration for LTIC.

Organizational Status

Reports to the Academic Director, collaborates closely with the Senior Manager, Learning Application and other members of LTIC leadership. This role will partner with various internal stakeholders (faculty and staff), vendors and external institutions. Leads a team of M&P and CUPE staff responsible for planning, administration, and operations team, whose work encompasses LTIC's Administration portfolio, including financial and recruitment strategy and operations, facilities and planning, administrative support, and other assigned responsibilities.

Work Performed

• Provides leadership and vision in the development and implementation of strategic plans which support the institutional mandate of LTIC.
• Cultivates, fosters, and creates strategic relationships and partnerships with key University individuals, stakeholders, and external vendors.
• Conceptualize, design, develop and implement comprehensive partnerships and outreach strategies focused on identifying, informing and engaging new national and international partners.
• Develops strategies and operational frameworks to facilitate learning technology ecosystem stability, responsiveness, and vibrancy, and to support projects and initiatives, ensuring that goals are translated into actionable plans and measured outcomes.
• Act as a contact and resource for external organizations and parties interested in campus UBC’s pedagogical technology ecosystem.
• Designs and facilitates stakeholder engagement strategies Leads and oversees the development of strategies, best practices, and continuous improvement initiatives in all operational activities including human resources, project management, facilities, administration, finance, and communications.
• Identify trends, cultivate new ideas, and explore and develop new opportunities for partnerships/ventures that contribute to LTIC’s mandate.
• Leads the administration of procurement and vendor management for learning technology systems and tools; ensures alignment with university-wide, platforms, contracts, and procurement policies.
• Negotiates agreements with external learning technology vendors as well as internal service delivery models.
• Leads strategic governance, budget planning, and resource allocation; ensures the unit is adequately resourced to deliver on its academic and innovation priorities.
• Manages human resource strategy and workforce planning in collaboration with the VPA HR team, including staffing models, role clarity, and talent management across the unit.
• Co-leads the strategy around developing and maintaining a positive and effective organizational culture, and is responsible for measuring outcomes for success on this axis.
• Benchmarks unit operations against UBC’s STEAR action plan, EDI frameworks, and other strategic indicators; ensures reporting and continuous improvement based on institutional standards.
• Supports implementation of UBC’s Indigenous Strategic Plan and anti‑racism commitments through operational frameworks and process design, particularly where these intersect with staffing, administration, and governance.
• Directs internal and external communication strategies in coordination with the VPA Communications team, aligning messaging with unit values, mission, and institutional brand.
• Manages a team of administrative and operational staff directly and indirectly, ensuring effective coordination and accountability across functional areas.
• Performs other related duties and special projects as required.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

Errors in judgment may result in disruption in, degradation of, or loss of service for the learning technology environment, impacting hundreds of thousands of student course enrollments, thousands of instructors, and could result in costly ongoing workload impacts both acute and long term for all faculty and students across the institution on both campuses, and may increase the unit’s liability for student outcome risks, including erroneous assignment of grades or achievements on a large or individual scale.

Decisions made will impact the extent to which UBC’s reputation as a leader in pedagogical technology ecosystems is maintained and LTIC is seen as a credible unit. Decisions in this area have both immediate and long‑term impacts on the operating results of the unit. Poor judgment can lead to an impact on UBC's effort to provide an exceptional learning and research‑rich environment through technology.

Lack of strategic approach, initiative, and foresight, could result in UBC falling below capability in learning technology and AI applications both in pedagogy and research and development, ultimately harming the University's external reputation and world class standing as a leader in pedagogical innovation.

Supervision Received

Works autonomously under broad strategic direction of the LTIC Academic Director.

Supervision Given

Leads the operations and administrative team directly and indirectly through subordinate managers.

Minimum Qualifications

Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum of eight years of related experience, or the 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

• Master's degree preferred.
• Demonstrates a commitment to both furthering positive work culture and supporting individuals and teams to better work together.
• Ability to understand the architecture, componentry of the LT ecosystem as a whole, and to understand, frame, and prepare for, the technical and economic forces upon that componentry.
• Proven financial and senior administrative and supervisory experience in a large multi‑functional academic organization.
• Proven human resources experience in a large multi‑functional academic organization.
• Ability to analyze and interpret data, determine implications, and provide recommendations.
• Ability to understand and apply policies, procedures, and instructions.
• Ability to effectively lead committees and plan meetings.
• Ability to conduct needs analyses, plan, organize, manage, monitor, complete, and evaluate projects within allocated time and resources.
• Ability to develop, implement and evaluate the success of strategic business plans.
• Excellent communication skills (verbally and in writing).
• Ability to negotiate a consensus amongst differing views.
• Ability to work effectively independently and in a team environment.