Director, Strategy and Administration- Werklund School of Education

University of Calgary; Calgary; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary seeks a Full-time Regular Director, Strategy & Administrative. This role involves implementing strategic initiatives, managing budgets, and overseeing external funding proposals. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in an administrative setting, strong analytical skills, and proficiency in financial management tools. This position offers an opportunity to influence educational practices and contribute to a diverse and inclusive environment.

Qualifications

• 7-10 years experience in a post-secondary administrative setting.
• Experience in financial administration and budget management preferred.

Responsibilities

• Implement School strategic initiatives and provide financial analysis.
• Oversee external funding proposals and ensure compliance with policies.
• Manage projects and develop success criteria for School initiatives.

Skills

Organizational Skills

Analytical Skills

Problem Solving

Interpersonal Skills

Decision Making

Education

Post-secondary degree

Accounting certificate

Tools

Microsoft Office

Accounting Software

PeopleSoft

Cognos

Power BI

Job description

Description

The Werklund School of Education is currently seeking a Full-time Regular Director, Strategy & Administrative.

The Werklund School of Education (School) has more than 2400 students currently enrolled in BEd, MA, MEd, MSc, PhD and EdD degree programs supported by more than 160 academic and support staff. There are more than 35,000 alumni of the Werklund School who can be found in 148 countries around the world. Research informs all of our programs. In exploring how we learn and how to create conditions that enable learning, the work of our students and researchers provides a better understanding of the broad range of educational issues within our communities.

Currently, the School's five key strategies priorities include the following commitments

Priority 1: We advance and act to reconcile and redress historical educational barriers and systemic disadvantages that focus on accessibility, reconciliation, and decolonization.
Priority 2: We foster a learning journey that attends to diverse student needs in education and psychology to prepare them for a complex future.
Priority 3: We lead creative and innovative research and scholarship in education and psychology responsive to an ever-changing world that advances social justice.
Priority 4: we work ethically in and with communities to support one another in improving people's lives through education and psychology.
Priority 5: We commit to a collective responsibility towards healthy and flourishing learning environments.

The Director will support the implementation and reporting of the School's strategic objectives with those of the University's strategic plan.

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

• Implementing School Strategic Initiatives
  • In consultation with the Dean and the Dean's Advisory Council, supports the implementation and reporting of the strategic plan.
  • Provides financial analysis, modeling, and forecasting to understand existing operations and to develop business cases.
  • Provides operational and administrative leadership and assists with reporting on School initiatives.
  • Provides oversight of the School budget and recommendations for short-and long-term financial forecasting in coordination with the Finance Partner.
  • Monitors operating, government grants, endowments, revenues, capital, carryover, and trust accounts.
  • Acts as a delegate on all trust accounts. Assists with preparation of financial reports regarding a variety of financial and budget matters to the Dean, staff, donors, University senior administration and student groups.
  • Identity and directs the development of appropriate data sets to meet the School's planning and reporting needs.
  • Collaborates with Fund Development, in the preparation of stewardship reports.
• External Proposals
  • Provide oversight and develop proposals for large School external funding opportunities (e.g., government, community, etc)
  • Responsible for reviewing internal and external proposals for the School in an effort to evaluate their sustainability and relevance to the School's strategic plan.
  • Ensures School operations are in accordance with central policies and procedures.
  • Ensure University legal compliance for contracts and grants.
  • Responsible for providing reporting on strategic proposals undertaken by the School to key external stakeholders.
• Project Management and Analysis
  • Support the operationalization of the workload process, including administrative tasks and data entry, in collaboration and oversight of the Vice Dean.
  • Provide oversight of endowment project accounts.
  • Assume responsibility for the design, implementation, and oversight of special projects identified within School strategic initiatives and proposals.
  • Ensure adherence to internal and applicable external processes, and employs sound financial performance management and risk management practices.
  • Plan and schedule project timelines and milestones using appropriate tools.
  • Develop project success criteria, and disseminate them to involved parties through project lifecycle.
  • Develop best practices and tools for School project execution

Qualifications / Requirements:

• Post-secondary degree is required.
• A minimum of 7-10 years experience post secondary administrative setting or equivalent is required.
• Accounting certificate or equivalent education and experience in financial administration, including budget management is preferred.
• Preference will be given to those that have a proficiency
• Microsoft Office applications, accounting software and university core business systems (Peoplesoft Expense, E-Procurement and HR Modules, Cognos, Power BI etc.).
• Strong organizational, analytical, problem solving and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to deal with Human Resource issues within the School and between staff, faculty, administration, and other Human Resources groups.
• Has a strong understanding of University values, systems and practices.
• Ability to act independently and decisively, and to exercise a high degree of initiative and judgment on a wide range of issues, to support projects and institutional goals.
• Strong decision making and interpersonal skills

Application Deadline: May 29, 2025

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 classified in the Management & Professional Career Band, Level P4 of the Management and Professional Staff Career Framework.

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, 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 Institutional Commitments ([e-mail]) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources ([e-mail]).

Do you have most but not all the qualifications? Research show 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.