Intermediate Officer, Academic Administration

Intermediate Officer, Academic Administration

Position Purpose

The core purpose of this role is to greet and inform students regarding graduate programs, regulations, and procedures. The Intermediate Officer performs a variety of academic and administrative activities in compliance with the regulations and procedures of the academic unit, the Faculty, and the University. This position ensures a courteous and prompt service that promotes a positive image of the University of Ottawa to internal and external clients, thereby significantly contributing to the overall university experience. This role may involve assignments to different units to assist with temporary vacancies.

Main Responsibilities

• Reception services: Provide frontline services to students, professors, and external parties. Identify students' needs to inform prospective students about programs of study and various university processes and services. Inform students and professors about academic and administrative procedures and regulations. Manage the unit's generic email inbox and Talisma account.
• Academic progression: Analyze academic records, service requests, course selection changes, and cancellations. Enroll graduate students when necessary. Inform students about the comprehensive examination process, thesis projects, dissertations, theses, and other service requests. Verify the entry of final course grades and approve them, coordinate teaching and course evaluations, special bookings, and, if necessary, schedule modifications.
• Theses: Inform students regarding the procedures and regulations for submitting their thesis for evaluation. Coordinate the evaluation and defense process for graduate students. Coordinate the creation of sponsored accounts for external examiners, communications with the thesis committee, and the receipt of thesis evaluation reports. Organize thesis defenses.
• Coordination of deferred examinations: Receive and process all requests for deferred exams and coordinate the entire deferred exam process.
• HR operations: Participate in the recruitment and staffing process of regular and part-time faculty members in accordance with APUO and APTPUO collective agreements. Prepare postings, offers, and contracts for part-time professors.
• Management of teaching assistantship and obligations: Participate in the recruitment and staffing process for assistantships by preparing postings, offers, and contracts in accordance with the provisions of the collective agreement SCFP.
• Financial resources: Prepare reimbursement requests, invoice payment requests, and place supply orders.
• Unit outreach: Provide support for the preparation of activities, such as conferences and seminars, by ensuring the necessary logistics. Update the unit's website in compliance with accessibility standards.

What You Will Bring

• Knowledge of administration normally acquired through post-secondary studies or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of two (2) years of demonstrated experience in a similar role.
• Experience in frontline client services.
• Knowledge of University structure and regulations.
• Experience in the interpretation, explanation, and application of regulations and procedures.
• Experience analyzing files and procedures.
• Experience using computerized systems: word processing, database, spreadsheet, e-mail, Internet, web content management, as well as academic and financial systems.
• Ability to produce high-quality work and meet tight deadlines.
• Experience in bilingual administrative writing.
• Experience working under pressure and organizing work.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Bilingualism: French and English (spoken and written), with a Low Advanced proficiency level or higher for both oral and reading comprehension in the second official language.

Key Competencies at uOttawa

• Planning: Organize a series of actions or events in time to realize an objective or project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.
• Initiative: Demonstrate creativity and initiative to suggest improvements and encourage positive results. Be proactive and self-starting, showing availability and willingness to go above and beyond.
• Client Service Orientation: Help or serve others to meet their needs, anticipating and identifying internal and external client needs and finding solutions.
• Teamwork and Cooperation: Cooperate and work well with other team members to reach common goals. Accept and give constructive feedback, adjusting behavior to achieve team objectives.

Key skills/competency

• Academic Administration
• Student Support
• Graduate Program Management
• Thesis Coordination
• HR Operations Support
• Client Services
• Regulatory Compliance
• Bilingual Communication
• Financial Processing
• Website Management