Manager, Pod Operations

Faculty of Arts is currently seeking a Full-time Regular Manager, Pod Operations . The Faculty of Arts is home to highly motivated educators, researchers, and students who have the critical and technical skills, as well as the creative knowledge and spirit, to make sense of our rapidly changing and increasingly globalized world. The Faculty of Arts is central to the Eyes High goals of sharpening our focus on research and scholarship, enriching the quality and breadth of learning, and integrating with the community. We are excited about promoting a distinctive student experience, and our commitment to citizenship, diversity and inclusion helps build a healthy and respectful campus culture for all. The Manager, Pod Operations is a regular full-time Management & Professional Staff position, reporting to the Director, Administrative Operations. This position serves a critical leadership role, focused on leading and managing an operational pod that supports 2
- 3 departments/schools. This position requires interaction with faculty, staff, and students across a diverse and complex environment, and works closely with academic leadership within schools & departments to advance the strategic direction of the units they serve. The Manager also takes a proactive approach to the organization, management, and integration of the academic pod operations in alignment with the Faculty administrative strategic direction. This position relies on the ability to creatively problem solve, resolve conflict, manage and lead change, and exercise good judgment, taking into consideration the needs of multiple stakeholders. This leadership role is complex in scope, with varied accountabilities and with a high volume of responsibilities, projects, and deadlines to navigate throughout the financial year, and the academic cycle. Given the cyclical and relatively short-term nature of Department Head/School Director academic appointments, the operational continuity provided by the Manager is critically important. The working relationship with Department Heads/School Directors is highly collaborative and consultative. The Manager is also part of the Faculty of Arts administrative operations leadership team, comprised of a peer group of managers who, under the direction of the Director, Administrative Operations, work collaboratively on activities and initiatives related to the business functions of the Faculty. Reports-To-Manager for a team of AUPE administrative (and in some pods, technical) staff including recruitment, annual performance reviews, development, performance management, and discipline up to and including termination Plans, develops and implements administrative policies and procedures which promote staff competency, effectiveness and development, and align with the strategic direction and initiatives of the departments & schools served Onboards new academic leadership (i.e., Department Heads/School Directors) Oversees the recruitment, hiring, and onboarding processes for Faculty, Sessional Instructors, Postdocs and other academic and non-academic staff, including participating on selection committees for Department Heads, and Managers, Pod Operations Is responsible for the organizational structure of the pod operational teams including role design, job profiles, and job reviews, to ensure effective and efficient management of the pod operational workload In consultation and collaboration with Human Resources, oversees the various academic career process cycles at the pod level (promotion & tenure; research and scholarship leaves) In consultation and collaboration with Human Resources, actively supports all academic recruitment initiatives within the pods Budget Planning and Management Works closely with Department Heads and directors to understand the strategic goals of the units served by the pods and makes recommendations on optimal use of available resources to align with unit initiatives Acts as the budget owner for department/school non-salary operating budget Responsible for tracking actual spending, variance reporting and analysis Manages a comprehensive financial plan for departments/schools served by the pod, coordinating a variety of budgets including operational, research, graduate, and other funding sources Works closely with the Finance Partner to maintains detailed budget reports, modeling and analyses Responsible for all operational transactions and reporting for the pod(s) to the Finance Partner, including sessional instructor & recovery tracking Acts as a resource for academics with regard to processes pertaining to research / project funding, regulations, and compliance, referring to the Business Operations Centre, where appropriate Leads and implements the pod operational plan in alignment with the Faculty administrative direction and units strategic plans with respect to staffing, budget, resource allocation, program operations, and space planning/maintenance Develop