Manager, Arts Graduate Student's Centre - Faculty of Arts

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

Job summary

University of Calgary seeks a Full-time Regular Manager, Arts Graduate Student's Centre (AGSC) to lead graduate student services and operations within the Faculty of Arts. The role emphasizes strategic planning, change management, and HR leadership to support graduate progression and program administration.

The Manager will partner with faculty leadership, Human Resources, and campus units to implement processes, ensure compliance, and optimize resource use during peak academic periods.

Qualifications

• This role requires a Bachelor’s degree and preferably a Master’s in a related field.
• Experience in university settings or graduate student support is highly desirable.
• Strong leadership, change management, and policy development skills are essential.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for the Arts Graduate Students Centre (AGSC) and align goals with faculty strategy.
• Oversee staff, space, and resources; manage change initiatives with stakeholders and HR.
• Collaborate with Department Heads and directors to support graduate student progression.
• Develop reporting, assessment, and training plans to improve processes and efficiency.
• Ensure compliance with university policies and effective coordination with campus units.
• Lead budgeting discussions and oversee program administration for graduate studies.

Skills

Leadership

Change management

HR management

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree preferred

Tools

PeopleSoft

D2L

EDMS

Job description

Description

The Faculty of Arts is currently seeking a Full-time Regular Manager, Arts Graduate Student's Centre.

Reporting to the Director, Administrative Operations and working closely with the Associate Dean, Research, Graduate Education, & Faculty Development, the Manager, Arts Graduate Students Centre (AGSC) works 35 hours per week and is a part of the university Management and Professional Staff (MaPS) group. This is a demanding position that requires sound judgement, excellent leadership, organizational skills, and initiative, as actions impact graduate student progression and unit operations. Working within a frequently changing and shifting academic landscape, the incumbent works through peak periods which can be high stress and require balancing multiple competing priorities and deadlines.

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

LEADERSHIP AND PLANNING

• Develop objectives and set goals for the AGSC in collaboration with the Director, Administrative Operations and Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Education to align with the faculty strategic plan.
• Develop plans (staff, space, equipment, etc.) and allocate resources within the unit to meet the evolving needs of students, faculty, and departmental goals.
• Work with staff and other organizational change agents (including university and external consulting teams) to:
  • Evaluate current state for graduate program administration and understand complexity and impact of proposed changes.
  • Ensure change management methodology, skills and knowledge are successfully deployed to plan, organize, and execute change for all initiatives.
  • Collaborate with internal/external stakeholders to ensure alignment, generate change management recommendations, and develop change management solutions including building awareness and change readiness, and implementing training and communications activities.
  • Communicate regularly with stakeholders at all levels, develop, and deliver presentations as required.
  • Monitor and track change adoption and realization of benefits, address issues, and celebrate successes.
• Development of documentation and implementation of practices that contribute to promotion and achievement of faculty goals in alignment with the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
• Provide strategic advice on hiring decisions and HR matters related to graduate students and hiring categories/appointment types, in collaboration with the Faculty Human Resources.
• Partner and other members of the Administrative Operations Leadership Team.
• Collaborate and communicate with the campus community on issues related to audit assessment, compliance, confidentiality, system requirements, and changes in policies and procedures.
• Prepare reports, surveys, and evaluating data to make effective decisions related to the graduate portfolio.
• Liaise with Department Heads/School Directors, Graduate Program Directors, and Pod Managers to ensure graduate student advising needs are met.
• Liaise with other student-focused units on campus as the Faculty of Graduate Studies, Student Success Centre, Student and Enrollment Services, Centre for International Students and Study Abroad, Writing Symbols Lodge, etc. to ensure coordination of AGSC practices and capitalize on opportunities for collaboration and efficiencies.

MANAGEMENT OF SUPPORT STAFF

• Full managerial discretion for direct reports, including recruitment, performance management, and discipline up to and including termination.
• Support the growth and development of team members in a complex multi-disciplinary environment.
• Allocate work to team members, adjusting workloads to meet the needs of the academic cycle, and engaging teammates in developing best practices through excellent role modeling and coaching, training, and assigning work fairly and in a way that ensures breadth of skill and development of the team.
• Ensure that effective operations and a high level of quality assurance are always maintained, so that students consistently receive professional and fair treatment.
• Provide strong leadership and uses excellent communication, problem-solving and analytical skills to lead and motivate individuals to work cohesively in a team environment.
• Manage advising policies and procedures, ensuring they are developed in accordance with university processes, policies, and procedures.

CURRICULUM AND GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

• Overall accountability for the administration and smooth functioning of the Curriculum - Graduate Academic Review Committee (GARC), including design and implementation of GARDC processes to ensure the Graduate Calendar is correct and compliant with university level policies.
• Provide advice and strategic direction to Graduate Committees related to curriculum development and Graduate Calendar updates.
• Ensure that roles and functions such as Records Coordination and FOIP Administration are fulfilled within the AGSC, and that all records/information/archives/access practices are managed in accordance with university policy.
• Ensure strong collaboration with the Arts Student Centre, Business Operations Centre, and Faculty Pod Offices on all joint activities including graduate teaching assignments, student payments, orientation and recruitment activities and other department priorities related to graduate students and programs.

FINANCE AND BUDGETING

• In collaboration with the Faculty Finance Partner and Director, Administrative Operations, develop and implement processes pertaining to graduate student funding and program administration, providing advice on administrative and operational implications for annual budgeting and forecasting initiatives.
• Provide input to the annual budgeting process and ensure budget is considered in operational process design and decision making.
• Manage budgets for units in collaboration with the Director and Associate Dean as required/appropriate.

Qualifications / Requirements:

• Bachelor degree required; Master degree in a related discipline (e.g., education, business) preferred.
• Minimum 7 years of experience working in a university or other post-secondary environment, preferably with an emphasis on graduate student support, institutional analysis, or systems design.
• Previous experience interfacing with post-secondary students is required.
• Previous experience managing a team through a significant change initiative is required.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a team and support the growth and development of team members in a complex, multi-disciplinary environment.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct process analysis and implement improvements using technology both within and across units.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise, organize, motivate, manage performance, mentor, and develop staff.
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to resolve conflicts related to highly sensitive and confidential matters, dealing with escalated issues empathetically and professionally.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement strategies to provide value-added service to students and the campus community.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the framework for the University of Calgary graduate degrees and related policies and procedures.
• Demonstrated understanding of policies, procedures and practices related to student administration (i.e., student recruitment, admission, program progression)
• Strong organizational and planning skills with the ability to establish priorities, manage multiple demands and meet deadlines
• Demonstrated ability to identify and analyze business needs and participate in the development of budgets, goals, objectives, policies, and procedures; including aligning staff and resources to achieve goals and targets.
• Expertise with student related university business systems such as PeopleSoft, EDMS, D2L.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly advanced Excel skills, and the demonstrated ability to develop processes that utilize technology to increase efficiencies.

Application Deadline: November 05, 2026

This position is classified in the Management Career Band, Level M2 of the Management and Professional Staff Career Framework.

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]).

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