Specialist, Continuous Improvement

University of Calgary; Calgary; On-site; CAD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Calgary seeks a Full-time Limited Term Specialist to drive quality performance in community-based participatory research within the Faculty of Social Work. This role emphasizes continuous improvement and collaboration across justice and human services, with responsibilities including performance standards development and stakeholder alignment.

Qualifications

• At least 8 years of experience in project management or evaluation.
• Proven success in collaborative project initiation.
• Experience supervising a team of professionals.

Responsibilities

• Develop performance standards and project goal setting.
• Identify risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Create performance tracking systems and compliance reviews.

Skills

Project Management

Organizational Skills

Data Analysis

Communication

Critical Thinking

Problem-Solving

Education

Undergraduate degree in social sciences

Master’s degree (preferred)

Certification in Quality Assurance

Certification in Risk Management

Certification in program evaluation

Tools

Excel

Power BI

SPSS

MS Office

Job description

Description

The Dean's Office in the Faculty of Social Work is seeking a Full-time Limited Term Specialist for approximately 60 months.

The Social Work and Law faculties are implementing transdisciplinary initiatives to transform the family justice system. The initiative has two major streams of work: Community-based Action Research (Endowment) to develop new knowledge, and a Centre for Transformation to translate research into action. The Specialist, Continuous Improvement, will be responsible for embedding quality performance management approaches, a continuous learning perspective, CBPR (Community-based Participatory Research), agility, journey-based learning, developmental evaluation methodologies, and principles.

The Centre's work includes building community capacity for systems change, education, awareness, and catalyzing collaboration across justice, human services, child welfare, health, and other systems to support families. It will also pilot and scale high-impact systems transformations, facilitate collaborations, and promote CBPR to advance shared goals.

Reporting to the Deans of Social Work and Law and working closely with the Centre's Senior Director and Director of Operations, the specialist will work 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday, with flexibility for events or meetings outside regular hours. The role involves supporting community-based participatory research based on relationality and Keeoukaywin (The Visiting Way).

Key Responsibilities:

1. Develop performance standards and support project goal setting, including timelines and success metrics, with an emphasis on continuous learning and agility.
2. Identify risks and develop mitigation strategies for the Centre's launch and project execution.
3. Organize and support cross-functional meetings with stakeholders to ensure alignment and quality assurance.
4. Create performance tracking systems to monitor progress and deviations.
5. Design and implement a Continuous Learning Strategy and Continuous Improvement Program with quality control measures.
6. Ensure compliance with university standards, policies, and best practices through regular reviews and reports.
7. Develop methodologies for continuous improvement and provide feedback and recommendations.
8. Support developmental evaluation focusing on program design and implementation quality.
9. Coordinate with external evaluators and design evaluation techniques for key milestones and activities.
10. Engage with research teams to ensure ethical approvals are in place.
11. Collect, analyze, and interpret quantitative and qualitative data; supervise research assistants.
12. Generate insights for strategy adaptation and improvement, and prepare presentations for stakeholders.
13. Align and integrate quality assurance processes and serve as liaison for compliance issues.
14. Facilitate training and professional development in quality assurance and continuous improvement.
15. Manage performance data reporting and develop program performance dashboards.

Qualifications / Requirements:

• Undergrad degree in social sciences or related fields; Master’s preferred.
• Certification in Quality Assurance, Risk Management, and program evaluation.
• At least 8 years of experience in project management, business analysis, process improvement, or program evaluation.
• Proven success in initiating projects collaboratively.
• Familiarity with developmental evaluation methodologies and tools.
• Strong project management, organizational skills, and attention to detail.
• Experience with data analysis tools (Excel, Power BI, SPSS, etc.).
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Knowledge of agile or adaptive management frameworks is an asset.
• Experience supervising a team of professionals.
• Proficiency with MS Office and experience designing quality assurance processes.
• Understanding of community-based research, social issues, and justice sector knowledge is preferred.
• Experience working with marginalized communities and understanding Indigenous principles is an asset.

Application Deadline: March 20, 2025

We thank all applicants; only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

This position is classified in the Professional Career Band, Level 3.

For more opportunities, visit our Management and Staff Careers website.

About the University of Calgary

UCalgary is Canada's entrepreneurial university, known for research, innovation, and community engagement. Founded in 1966, it offers a rich learning environment and is a leader in start-ups and Indigenous engagement.

We are committed to diversity and inclusion, welcoming applicants from all backgrounds and providing accommodations during the recruitment process. We encourage applications from women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, racialized minorities, and diverse gender identities.

Preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

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