Intermediate Specialist, Academic Avising

University of Ottawa; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 85,000 - 107,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Ottawa, Main Campus, invites applications for an Academic Advisor in the Faculty of Health Sciences. This 11‑month contract role (35 hours/week) focuses on guiding students in course and program choices, aiding retention, and promoting the university's services at events.

1 position, salary range CAD 85,040.00 – 107,421.00, posted 2026/07/02; applications due 2026/09/06. The incumbent reports to Academic Administration and supports student success through interventions, advising,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in education or a related field.
• Experience in the education field or academic advising.
• Knowledge of academic programs and degree requirements.

Responsibilities

• Assess student needs and plan academic development strategies to support goals.
• Plan and evaluate interventions to improve student success and retention.
• Coach students on study programs, prerequisites, graduation requirements, and available services.
• Monitor student progress and take corrective action to mitigate risks to retention.
• Advise on course selection and registration processes to enable informed decisions.
• Identify factors affecting retention and contribute to development of retention initiatives.
• Engage in recruitment activities and promote the university and programs.

Skills

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Problem solving

Time management

Mentoring/Coaching

Education

Bachelor's degree in education or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Job Type: Employee

Anticipated Duration in Months (for contracts and temporary assignments): 11

Job Family: Academic Advising

# of Open Positions: 1

Faculty/Service - Department: Academic Services, Graduate Studies

Campus: Main Campus

Union Affiliation: SSUO

Date Posted (YYYY/MM/DD): 2026/07/02

Applications must be received BEFORE (YYYY/MM/DD): 2026/09/06

Hours per week: 35

Salary Grade: SSUO Grade 10

Salary Range: $85,040.00 - $107,421.00

About The Faculty Of Health Sciences About Sciences

Make your mark with the Faculty of Health Sciences! Health matters to everyone and we are committed to becoming a nationally and internationally recognized leader in innovative approaches to active living, health promotion, and quality health services.

Our success lies in our students and our people. Join us and every day you will have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact as we grow together and make a great faculty even better.

Position purpose:

Reporting to the Supervisor, Academic Administration, creates an outstanding student experience by providing guidance and advice on academic development, such as course and program of study selection, to students to ensure an exceptional student experience and student satisfaction. Plans and executes student interventions as well as gives advice to students experiencing difficulties to increase student success and retention rates. Builds strategies and programs to increase enrolment and retention rates as well as increasing visibility by promoting the University, programs and the Faculty's services at various on- and off- campus events.

Note: This is a 1-year contract or temporary assignment.

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

Student development and retention:

• Assess student needs: Review student files to ensure the identification, interpretation, analysis and assessment of their needs support their goals and adhere to faculty processes. The incumbent may consult with colleagues or meet with students to better define their needs. Establish academic plans: In consultation with students experiencing academic difficulties, establish a plan that enables them to improve their performance and achieve their goals, and that fosters their perseverance.
• Plan interventions: Evaluate the accuracy of diagnostic findings and considerations to ensure the quality of the intervention, then review and revise the intervention plan to ensure it meets the student's needs.
• Carry out interventions: Meet with students experiencing academic difficulties to coach them by providing information and advice on study programs, course and program prerequisites, graduation requirements, departments, organizations, institutions and other services available on and off campus. When appropriate, the incumbent will refer students to relevant services (e.g. tutoring services), departments or support tools.
• Follow-up: Meet with students as needed to monitor their progress and take appropriate corrective action to alleviate concerns and mitigate risks to student retention if necessary.

Managing operations

• Course selection and registration process: Advise students on their course selection and registration process so they can make informed decisions. Facilitate students' course selection by initiating the registration process and ensuring its completion.
• Perseverance: Review the student roster to identify students experiencing academic or other difficulties, and meet with them to determine the cause of their difficulties. Guide and counsel these students according to the nature of their needs and difficulties, and follow up with them regularly to ensure they persevere and achieve their academic goals. In collaboration with colleagues, proactively develop student retention guidelines and actively participate in related initiatives. Identify factors and recommend initiatives to improve retention rates.

Communication and liaison

• Recruitment activities: Build trust between the University and the target population by participating in recruitment activities and maintaining links with other associations. As a University ambassador, promote the University of Ottawa and its programs and services at commercial fairs and recruitment events.

What you will bring:

• Bachelor's degree in education or a related field.
• Experience in the education field or academic advising or a combination of both.
• Knowledge of academic programs (ex. regulations, degree requirements, prerequisites and course descriptions) at the high school, college, undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
• Strong knowledge of experience revising, interpreting, communicating and applying processes, policies and methods to individual cases varying in complexity.
• Experience providing client service.
• Experience elaborating strategies and activity plans for students.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access), word processing, Windows and Internet.
• Experience in mentoring and/or coaching an asset.
• Strong communication skills.
• Ability to solve problems, make fast decisions and negotiate with students.
• Organizational and analytical skills, attention to detail and ability to work within tight deadlines.
• Listening skills and strong work ethics.
• Judgment, independence, diplomacy and discretion.

Bilingualism:

French and English (spoken and written); to be considered for this position, candidates must be rated at the Low Advanced proficiency level or higher for both oral comprehension and reading comprehension in their second official language. The rating is determined by a proficiency test designed by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute.

Key Competencies at uOttawa:

Planning:

Organize in time a series of actions or events in order to realize an objective or a project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.

Initiative:

Demonstrate creativity and initiative to suggest improvements and encourage positive results. Is proactive and self-starting. Show availability and willingness to go above and beyond whenever it is possible.

Client Service Orientation:

Help or serve others to meet their needs. This implies anticipating and identifying the needs of internal and external clients and finding solutions on how to meet them.

Teamwork and Cooperation:

Cooperate and work well with other members of the team to reach common goal(s). Accept and give constructive feedback. Able to adjust own behaviour to reach the goals of the team.

The University of Ottawa embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are passionate about our people and committed to employment equity. We foster a culture of respect, teamwork and inclusion, where collaboration, innovation, and creativity fuel our quest for research and teaching excellence. While all qualified persons are invited to apply, we welcome applications from qualified Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, barrier-free work environment. The University is also committed to working with applicants with disabilities requesting accommodation during the recruitment, assessment and selection processes. Applicants with disabilities may contact [e-mail] to communicate the accommodation need. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Note: if this is a union position:

The hiring process will be governed by the current collective agreement related to the union affiliation noted above; you can click here to find out more.

If this is a front-line position with responsibilities to interact with students, selected candidates must be rated at the Low Advanced proficiency level or higher for both oral comprehension and reading comprehension in their second official language. The rating is determined by a proficiency test designed by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute.

Prior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as defined in Policy 129 – Covid-19 Vaccination. This policy was suspended effective May 1, 2022 but may be reinstated at any point in the future depending on public health guidelines and the recommendations of experts.