Coordinator, Office of the Associate Deans (Student Experience), Faculty of Graduate Studies

University of Calgary; Calgary; On-site; CAD 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player in higher education is seeking a dedicated Coordinator to enhance the student experience. This pivotal role involves supporting the Associate Deans in managing graduate student affairs, ensuring effective communication, and maintaining high standards of service delivery. The successful candidate will thrive in a dynamic environment, juggling multiple priorities while fostering a collaborative team culture. With a focus on student success, this position offers an opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the academic community. If you are organized, proactive, and passionate about supporting graduate students, this role is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience in administration and customer support.
• Knowledge of graduate student services and processes preferred.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate activities for Associate Deans and support graduate student services.
• Manage communications and track student cases effectively.

Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Written Communication

Verbal Communication

Problem-Solving

Information Management

Case Management

Microsoft Office

PeopleSoft Campus Solutions

Synergize EDMS

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Graduate Level Education

Tools

PeopleSoft

Microsoft Office Suite

Synergize EDMS

Job description

Description

The Dean's Office - Grad Studies within the Faculty of Graduate Studies is currently seeking a Full-time Regular Coordinator, Office of the Associate Deans (Student Experience).

The University of Calgary is a research-intensive university with a focus on graduate education. Currently, there are approximately 8,000 registered graduate students across 70+ programs; more than 35% are international. The Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) is the faculty of registration for all graduate students and is accountable for administration and support of graduate student affairs.

This position has day-to-day accountability to and guidance from the Associate Deans, Student Experience (ADs) while reporting to the Manager, Graduate Student and Program Support. The Coordinator provides day-to-day support for the ADs and ensures all activities of the unit are effectively coordinated, actioned, and tracked. This includes triaging incoming inquiries from students, supervisors, and Graduate Program Directors; coordinating case assignment; follow-up and documentation; scheduling meetings, and drafting and sending correspondence. The incumbent is accountable for coordinating and tracking graduate student academic misconduct and standing processes, as well as coordinating the graduate student appeal process for the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

The Coordinator handles multiple conflicting and shifting priorities while working within the framework of the University of Calgary policies and procedures, as well as the cyclical nature of graduate student activity. This position interacts extensively with colleagues in the Faculty of Graduate Studies, the University Secretariat office, and many other units across the institution, including leaders, staff, and supervisors in graduate programs. The Coordinator requires strong interpersonal skills and well-developed written and verbal communication skills, as well as a high degree of initiative and problem-solving capacity.

The Coordinator deals with confidential materials and requires the ability to exercise considerable discretion, judgment, and independent decision-making concerning the effective management of information. The ability to work within the provisions of FOIP as it pertains to student information, as well as with a high degree of confidentiality, is critical to the success of this position. The quality, ethics, integrity, and accuracy of the information offered, and materials produced by this position, are critical to the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Inappropriate or inaccurate statements may seriously affect the image and reputation of individuals, the Faculty, and the University as a whole.

This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit and works primarily in-person on the main campus for 35 hours a week, Monday to Friday.

The Coordinator's key purpose is to support the Associate Deans (Student Experience) in coordinating and delivering all activities of the office in a timely, effective, and efficient manner, so that graduate students and other stakeholders are consistently provided with high-quality information, advice, and service.

Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

• This position works closely with the Associate Deans (Student Experience) to ensure they are well-supported and the activities of the office are coordinated effectively.
• The Coordinator also works in close collaboration with the Manager, Student & Program Support, the Team Lead, Student Services, and the Academic & International Specialists to ensure student service and support activities progress in a coordinated fashion across the FGS team.
• Manage the adstudents inbox, including responding, referring, triaging, and assigning to ADs as appropriate based on the nature of the request and current workloads.
• Manage the grad.advisor inbox in collaboration with the Team Lead, Student Services and the Academic & International Specialists, including responding, referring, triaging, and assigning to advisors as appropriate based on the nature of the request and current workloads.
• Schedule meetings for the ADs. Support with meeting preparation, including gathering student information, drafting agendas, preparing correspondence. Support meeting follow-up, including meeting notes, documentation, correspondence, and managing follow-up actions.
• Coordinate student cases, including triaging, assignment, tracking, documenting, and prompting follow-up actions as required. Gather student information from PeopleSoft and other sources as needed to support case progression.
• Coordinate and track graduate academic misconduct and standing processes, including drafting and sending out required correspondence and tracking meetings and follow-up.
• Coordinate the graduate student appeal process for the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
• Aid in the creation of letters and communication for academic-based issues involving students.
• Assist with tracking all activities of the office, developing reports, and analyzing progress and outcomes.
• Provide leadership and support for weekly Student Team meetings. Support scheduling, prompt attendees for agenda items, proactively identify cases and activities that require discussion, document outcomes and action items; prompt and/or complete actions.
• Develop, implement, and maintain a proactive case/action log to ensure all cases and activities are tracked and there are prompts and reminders for follow-up items.
• Support the supervisory renewal process as required.
• Support the preparation and delivery of workshops and events, including regular student-supervisor workshops and graduate student success workshops.
• Develop, maintain, and update relevant documentation on the FGS SharePoint site to assist with consistency, information sharing, and process improvement.
• Track the volume of services provided and monitor response times; report regularly on service delivery. Implement process improvements as required to decrease response times.
• Understand archive retention rules for student files and documentation. Ensure daily files, records, and important documents are correctly filed, labeled, and stored.
• Assist with Student Services general tasks as required.
• Contribute to a responsive, positive, collaborative, and student-focused team culture.
• Provide support and coverage for the Graduate Student Services team on a back-up basis as needed.

Qualifications / Requirements:

• Post-secondary education: a Bachelor's degree is required, education at the graduate level is strongly preferred.
• 3-5 years of related experience providing administration services and customer support in a high-volume post-secondary education environment. Experience working with senior leaders is an asset, as is experience with graduate student support processes.
• Knowledge of University of Calgary structure and processes related to graduate student services and administration is strongly preferred. Knowledge and experience with academic misconduct, standing, and appeals processes is an asset.
• Experience in information management and case management is strongly preferred. Must be able to organize, document, and monitor progress, and report on outcomes.
• Demonstrated excellence in interpersonal skills, as well as strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work with accuracy in a fast-paced, multi-functional environment focused on excellent customer service to diverse internal and external stakeholders is required. Must be able to manage multiple changing priorities while still maintaining and meeting deadlines.
• High level of organization with the ability to focus on details and complete tasks efficiently. Ability to assess project and task status quickly and accurately in order to redirect, problem-solve when backlogs or issues arise.
• Must be results-oriented, and eager to identify areas for improvement and potential solutions in services.
• The ability to manage one's own workload to minimize stress, maintain wellness, and model desired work behaviors is required.
• Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office is required. Excellent working knowledge of the University of Calgary Student Information System (PeopleSoft Campus Solutions), and the Synergize Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) is essential.
• Ability to embrace change and new technologies and be an innovative service provider, problem solver, and empathetic team member is required.
• Experience and comfort with leveraging technology related to student services and administration is required to deliver high-caliber services and to streamline processes as required.

Application Deadline: January 6, 2025. Please include a cover letter with your application.

We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.

This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Operational / Administrative Job Family, Phase 3.

For a listing of all management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Management and Staff Careers website.

About the University of Calgary

UCalgary is Canada's entrepreneurial university, located in Canada's most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences, and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada's leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, and is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning, and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion ([e-mail]) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources ([e-mail]).

Do you have most but not all the qualifications? Research shows that women, racialized and visible minorities, and persons with disabilities are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At UCalgary we are committed to achieving equitable, diverse, inclusive, and accessible employment practices and workplaces and encourage you to apply if you believe you are right for this role.

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however, preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.