Governance Specialist, University Secretariat

University of Calgary; Calgary; On-site; CAD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The University Secretariat within the Office of the University Secretary, People & Culture, seeks a Governance Specialist to support Board of Governors and General Faculties Council committees.

This full‑time role reports to the University Secretary and Associate Vice‑President (Governance), providing policy guidance, meeting support, minutes, records management, and stakeholder advice across campus and external partners.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary education in business administration, library and information science, legal, or related fields is an asset.
• Minimum of 5 years in a senior administrative role; experience with governance committees is an asset.
• Excellent verbal and written communication; strong document management and record-keeping skills.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate governance activities for Board and General Faculties Council committees and task forces.
• Provide decision support and advice on protocol, precedent, and procedure.
• Produce agendas, scribe meetings, write minutes, reports, and communications; manage meeting materials and records.
• Advise proponents of governing committees on deadlines, motions, routing, and executive summaries.
• Draft or review processes, procedures, documents, and reports in collaboration with the University Secretary.
• Respond to inquiries and serve as a governance resource to campus and external communities.
• Assist with member orientation, training, and events; coordinate student appeals intake.

Skills

Governance support

Communication

Organizational skills

Time management

Diplomacy

Education

Post-secondary education in business administration

Tools

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

D2L

Diligent

Job description

Description

The University Secretariat within the Office of GC, People & Culture is currently seeking a Full-time Regular Governance Specialist.

Reporting to the University Secretary and Associate Vice-President (Governance) and working closely with the Assistant Secretary, the Governance Specialist's work will focus on supporting Board of Governors and/or General Faculties Council committees as assigned.

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

• Coordinate governance activities of a variety of Board and General Faculties Council committees, and any task forces or ad hoc committees as applicable.
• Serve as a senior administrative resource, providing decision support and advice on protocol, precedent, and procedure.
• Produce agendas, scribe meetings, write minutes, reports, and communications, coordinate meeting materials, and help manage records.
• Provide direction and support to proponents of a variety of governing committees, including navigation of deadlines and review and advice on motions, routing, and executive summaries for proposals, presentations, reports, and other relevant materials.
• Work with the University Secretary to create, draft, or review processes, procedures, documents, and reports.
• Respond to enquiries from, and serve as a governance resource to, the campus and external communities, including historical record enquiries.
• Assist with member orientation, training and events.
• Assist with the intake and coordination of individual student appeals.
• Assist with managing the Forward Agenda and Document Processes.
• Assist with training of colleagues within the Secretariat and those who work with the Secretariat.

Qualifications / Requirements:

The successful candidate will:

• Have a post-secondary education (business administration, library and information science, legal, or related fields are considered an asset) combined with a minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience in a senior administrative role, experience supporting finance, audit, or investment governance committees is an asset.
• Demonstrate a willingness to take on different roles and responsibilities and assist where needed to advance the work, functions, and goals of the Secretariat.
• Ability to communicate knowledgably with internal stakeholders at all levels of the institution, as well as various external stakeholders, such as the Alberta government
• Demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills; document management and record-keeping skills; and familiarity with financial terminology.
• Be organized, detail oriented and demonstrate the ability to manage their own time and be able to independently set priorities and meet commitments and deadlines.
• Follow through on tasks and assignments despite obstacles.
• Be able to work with, and adapt successfully to, shifting priorities, variations in work schedules, locations and/or tasks and respond to changing procedures, technology and/or policies in a positive, appropriate manner.
• Have the ability to work under constant pressure and deadlines, a strong ability to multi-task and a demonstrated ability to deal with pressure and other workplace stressors appropriately.
• Demonstrate diplomacy, integrity, and flexibility, which qualities are critical to the success of this position.
• Be discrete and able to handle highly confidential and sensitive material using well-developed discretion and judgment.
• Expertise in dealing professionally with a wide variety of stakeholders, including senior level executives, and have a demonstrated ability to build productive relationships.
• Have the ability to operate in a complex work environment and be able to maintain composure in challenging situations and use a positive problem solving approach to achieve desired results.
• Demonstrate effective team skills such as facilitation, listening, conflict resolution, creativity and problem solving.
• Problem solve by respectfully listening, clarifying understanding, and taking appropriate follow-up action.
• Demonstrate the ability to work in a large organization across departments and/or among institutions and other organizations.
• Demonstrate or be able to quickly develop mastery of technology, systems, processes, and/or information sources.
• Identify the need for new abilities on the job and take the initiative to add knowledge and skills through research and by seeking and taking advantage of opportunities for development.
• Keep abreast of developments and current best practices in the governance and demonstrate strong research capabilities using internal and external resources.
• Possess advanced knowledge of basic office software (i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Document sharing platforms such as D2L or Diligent).

Application Deadline: November 17, 2026

This position is classified in the Professional Career Band, Level 2 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 ii' taa'poh'to'p 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.

The university's commitment to the Indigenous Strategy is evident through the oversight of 18 Elders serving on the Circle of Advisors and the many unit-based circles working towards implementation of the strategy including the Faculty Advisory Circle and teams such as the Office of Indigenous Engagement, the Writing Symbols Lodge, and the Indigenous Research Support Team. Many Indigenous-based events and processes are impacting curriculum, programming and polices at the University of Calgary.

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 People & Culture ([e-mail]).