Chief Returning Officer

Alma Mater Society, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Job Description

Posted Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at 5:00 AM | Expired Monday, March 24, 2025 at 3:59 AM

The Alma Mater Society (AMS) is the oldest student association in Canada and has been a central student organization at Queen's since its founding in 1858. Today, the AMS acts as a service, advocacy, and governing body on behalf of all students enrolled in AMS-affiliated programs at Queen's University.

The AMS is a not-for-profit entity created by the Society to ensure its continuing financial viability by overseeing the management of its services and associated financial affairs. It is bound by the By-laws and corporate philosophy of our Mission and Operating statements as set out in the AMS Constitution.

In addition to providing wage-based service staff positions for students wanting employment, the AMS seeks to support the Society's broader objectives through the provisioning of a high quality, relevant range of student funded services, that provide a wide range of employment opportunities and meaningful out-of-classroom learning and skill acquisition experiences for students.

JOB SUMMARY

The AMS Election Team is overseen by the Chief Electoral Officer and Chief Returning Officer who are ultimately responsible for ensuring that all AMS Elections are run in accordance with society policy and comply with the AMS Constitution.

The Chief Returning Officer will work in tandem with the Chief Electoral Officer to run all society elections and referenda. The CRO will additionally be responsible and act as the main point of contact between groups (including faculty societies) seeking to establish, increase or continue their fees and the AMS. The CRO sits on the Student Activity Fee Review Committee and is responsible for the administration of the validation stage. The CRO is further responsible for ensuring that all fee-slate related records are up-to-date, and for archiving election and referenda records.

WORK SCHEDULE

• 5h/week for two weeks in mid-August for training
• 10h/week for a period of six weeks until Fall Reading Week
• 20h/week for a period of three weeks during the Fall Election Period
• 15h/week for the remainder of the fall term
• 20h/week for a period of six weeks until Winter Reading Week
• 10h/week for the remainder of the Winter term

COMPETENCIES

• Professionalism
• Attention to Detail
• Communication
• Cultural Sensitivity
• Problem Solving
• Conflict Management
• Time Management
• Public Relations

JOB DUTIES

• Publish the Validation Package with the support of the Secretary
• Meet with referenda group and provide support during the validation stage
• Review all submissions of student fee applications for completion, and reach out for further information
• Sit on the Student Activity Fee Review Committee, and release a report to the AMS Assembly with the support of the Secretary on the decisions made
• Hold Information Sessions and an All Candidates Meeting in both the fall and winter to outline rules, regulations and procedures surrounding campaigning for the Referendum and/or Elections. Additionally, hold preliminary information sessions in late November or December to reach students and allow members to understand elections procedure and position requirements
• Develop new methods to make online-based elections accessible and engaging to all students. Additionally, continue to redefine campaign and finance procedure to create updated online-centric campaign policies
• Organize and prepare updated student activity fee and Triennial Review documentation that accurately reflects the current status of a group’s activity fee
• Ensure all changes to the fee slate are documented and communicated to the General Manager and Controller
• Ensure Election Team archives are preserved and well-documented as directed by the Secretariat
• Create SimplyVoting ballots and double check any ballots created by the CEO
• Support and oversee relationships with candidates where a conflict of interest exists between them and the CRO.
• Support the campaign material approval process in tandem with the CRO.
• Work with the CRO to set prices for campaign materials
• Approve, in conjunction with the CRO and Secretary, election expense reimbursement forms.
• Disclose any conflicts of interest to the Secretary of Internal Affairs and amend job responsibilities to uphold the integrity of elections.

The AMS is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of age, race, religion, colour, disability, sex, sexual orientation, or national origin.

Alma Mater Society, Kingston, Ontario, Canada