Team Lead, Graduate Program Officer, Faculty of Graduate Studies

Description

Faculty of Graduate Studies is currently seeking a Full-time Regular Team Lead, Graduate Program Officer.

Reporting to the Manager, Student and Program Support, The Team Lead, Graduate Program Officers has responsibility for coordinating and supervising the delivery of Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) Enrolment and Program Support services including admission, registration, fee assessment, program changes, supervision, examinations, and convocation for about 8000 graduate student files in 80+ graduate programs. The Team Lead has a significant impact on multiple stakeholders within FGS and the University, including students, staff, faculty, and senior leaders; guidance and recommendations from the Team Lead influence priorities, procedures, and plans.

This role ensures that FGS graduate program officers and graduate program staff in teaching faculties have appropriate knowledge and access to information and support to perform successfully. The Team Lead oversees the daily work of the Graduate Program Officer team (7), and acts as a mentor to the broader FGS Graduate Student and Program Support team, providing leadership and guidance.

Excellent time management skills are required to balance Team Lead duties (50%) with Graduate Program Officer duties (50%). A high level of concentration is required to handle multiple tasks in a position that is driven by constant deadlines and a high volume of requests from students and graduate programs. Stress levels can be high during busy periods and due to an environment of constant change and shifting priorities. Strong communication, teamwork, and customer service skills are required, as is the ability to exercise sound judgement based on specialized knowledge to ensure high quality service is maintained within established regulations and guidelines, ensuring FGS policies and procedures are adhered to, and exceptions are forwarded for review/ruling. The impact of error is high and inaccurate guidance may have a serious impact on a student or graduate program.

The key purpose of the Team Lead, Graduate Program Officers is to ensure the smooth, effective, and efficient delivery of FGS graduate enrolment and program support services. This includes overseeing the day to day operations of the graduate program officers as well as coordination of workload and assignment of duties. The Team Lead ensures that graduate students are monitored and supported at all stages of their programs and that appropriate referrals are made if a student requires support during their graduate student journey and/or fails to meet Faculty regulations.

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

Recruitment, Training and Supervision

• Assists in hiring and onboarding of the Graduate Program Officers and contributes to annual goal setting.
• Liaises with the Manager, Student and Program Support to ensure consistent procedures are in place, and followed by all Graduate Program Officers, and that any staff concerns are resolved quickly and fairly.
• Liaises with the Team Lead, Student Services and Team Lead, Graduate Program Support to ensure knowledge is shared and communicated to all stakeholders.
• Ensures Graduate Program Officers understand their own responsibilities and accountabilities and have a general understanding of how all units within FGS work together to enhance the student to enhance the student experience.
• Ensures equitable distribution and delegation of workload and monitors performance, considering the strengths and growth potential of the staff involved.

Student Administration and Record Management

• Responsible for the administration of graduate student records within a defined portfolio.
• Ensures that students who are admitted to the University meet the minimum requirements, have appropriate supervision, are registered, complete program requirements, fulfill examination requirements and graduate having fulfilled all Faculty of Graduate Studies and University of Calgary requirements.
• Ensures the accurate and efficient delivery of graduate student services, including credential evaluations, admissions, registrations, fee assessments, student record maintenance, administration of examinations, convocation, and application of academic policy.
• Ensures that appropriate processes and documentation are developed and shared to support FGS and program staff navigate more complex or exceptional circumstances effectively and consistently.
• Ensures any anomalies or problems are brought promptly to the attention of the Manager, Student and Program Support, Senior Director, and/or the appropriate Associate Dean for resolution.
• Supports graduate student wellness/success through direct referrals to the Graduate Academic and International Specialists.

Client Service

• Provides accurate information to students, staff and faculty in a professional, courteous, and timely manner.
• Assesses the effectiveness of processes and procedures, and suggests changes to enhance service, efficiency, and effectiveness.
• Ensures Graduate Program staff receive adequate training in FGS procedures.
• Ensures services meet the changing needs of the graduate students, the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the University.

Communications

• Develops and maintains excellent working relationships with administrative staff and faculty members, both within FGS and with other units on campus.
• Investigates and responds to inquiries from other departments on campus, (i.e., Enrollment Services, Finance, and International Student Services, such as fee assessments, registration, study permit, and process concerns.
• Ensures students, staff, and faculty members are informed of changes or issues promptly and effectively and are appropriately engaged in resolution.
• Drafts content for emails, newsletters, process documentation, and other purposes professionally and accurately.
• Effectively presents content at workshops and training sessions as required.

Technical

• Collaborates with the Manager, Student and Program Support as well as FGS staff and campus partners to ensure that the functionality of technical services such as the Peoplesoft student information system, EDMS and the Data Warehouse effectively meet the needs of the team.
• Participates in development, testing and roll out of new technical functionality, ensuring the perspectives and needs of the graduate program officers is accurately represented.
• Supports the Manager, Graduate Student & Program Support with the development of new reports for enrolment-related data reporting and analytics.

Qualifications / Requirements:

• An undergraduate degree is required.
• Required 5 to 7 years of experience in all aspects of student record administration, registration, admissions, and tuition & fee assessments, providing support across multiple faculties and units, preferably within the graduate education environment.
• Demonstrated outstanding communication skills in both written and verbal communication.
• Required expertise in standards and practices across the student academic journey and of UCalgary/FGS policies and procedures including supervisory policies, examination policies, tuition & fees etc.
• Experience in assessing staff training needs and the ability to develop and maintain complex documentation.
• Demonstrated success as a positive, collaborative, and supportive leader, able to organize, motivate, and mentor other staff members.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and manage a high volume of 1200 to 1400 student files across a diverse portfolio of programs.
• Ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with all levels of university partners. Strong existing relationships with UCalgary partners and graduate program staff are preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to query data and produce reports such as low-grade reports, failure to register reports, etc.
• Subject matter expert in PeopleSoft, EDMS, and all aspects of student record administration from admissions to convocation.
• Experience in guiding and troubleshooting with FGS and graduate program staff on FGS policies, procedures, Peoplesoft, SharePoint, Electronic Data Management System, and student administration processes.
• Experience in dealing with exceptional and complex student cases related to financial hardship, personal emergencies, or health-related issues in a timely and sensitive manner.
• Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Office experience especially with Outlook, SharePoint, & Teams.

Application Deadline: April 19, 2024

We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.

This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Specialist / Advisor Job Family, Phase 3.

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 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.

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 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (equity@ucalgary.ca) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources (hrhire@ucalgary.ca).

Do you have most but not all the qualifications? Research show that women, racialized and visible minorities, and persons with disabilities are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At UCalgary we are committed to achieving equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible employment practices and workplaces and encourage you to apply if you believe you are right for this role.

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