Senior Officer, Academic Development and Operations

Follow us on Job Type:EmployeeDuration in Months(for fixed-term jobs):6Job Family:Academic Administration# of Open Positions:1Faculty/Service - Department:InfoServiceCampus:Main CampusUnion Affiliation:SSUODate Posted (YYYY/MM/DD):2025/12/04Applications must be received BEFORE (YYYY/MM/DD):2025/12/15Hours per week:35Salary Grade:SSUO Grade 08Salary Range:$64,865.00 - $81,935.00About Student Affairs:Student Affairs is at the very heart of the student experience at the University of Ottawa. We recruit the very best future students, support them throughout their university years and leave them well-prepared for fulfilling careers and future studies. Our team of more than 600 dedicated staff provides the services that keep students happy, well and thriving as they pursue their ambitions. We help them apply and enroll for courses, we oversee 11 residences and an award-winning Dining Hall, we organize fun events, we provide extensive recreation program opportunities and varsity sports activities, we run an innovative career development and experiential learning program and much moreThere’s nothing more rewarding than helping future generations reach their full potential at a world-class university. With our wide variety of career opportunities and professional development pathways, we’re sure that you’ll enjoy the experience as much as our students do.Position purpose:Serve as a first point of contact for students by receiving, acknowledging, anticipating and responding to various student requests and by ensuring above average client service in order to attract, retain and maintain the student population rate in all programs of study. Execute administrative tasks, such as evaluating requests, making recommendations, approving certain requests and providing follow-ups with students, colleagues and other faculties. As an ambassador for the University and the Faculty, attend graduation ceremonies and various events to promote the University of Ottawa and the Faculty’s services.In this role, your responsibilities will include:Academic Development and Student RetentionAssess student needs: Evaluate student needs by analyzing, identifying, interpreting and translating student needs to determine which policies and procedures need to be activated.Plan interventions: Support the planning process for student interventions by providing a diagnosis and recommendations to address student issues.Execute interventions: Assist to the implementation process by providing relevant information to inform the approach for each intervention.Follow-ups: Perform follow-ups for student files to facilitate meeting administrative and academic timelines.Direct students to the appropriate authority: Redirect students to the appropriate services to ensure they receive proper support to help them pursue their studies. Operations ManagementAdmissions: Analyze student files with conditional acceptance and/or equivalences, so the Academic Development and Student Retention Specialist can follow up with these students. Monitor these files to ensure that administrative and academic deadlines are respected.Modification to program of study: Serve as a first point of contact for students by receiving, acknowledging and taking action on student requests for modification to their selected program of study.Course selection and registration application process: Serve as a first point of contact for students by receiving and acknowledging student requests for course selection and registration. Determine the eligibility of the request. Based on eligibility, approve course selection for first year students and special students and perform the necessary steps to finalize requests.Academic performance: Evaluate files pertaining to academic performance and taking all necessary steps to populate relevant systems.Retention: Identify students in difficulty and students who might potentially experience academic difficulties by analyzing academic performance and other relevant data (ex. absenteeism rates). Share information with colleagues to alert them of potential student intervention opportunities.Student mobility: Serve as a first point of contact for student by receiving and acknowledging student requests pertaining to student mobility (ex. permission letters, agreements, etc.). Determine the students’ eligibility and coordinate the course selection to facilitate the transition to other programs and/or institutions.Graduation: Conduct a primary evaluation of files while respecting the policies and processes to identify and prepare files for graduation. Attend the graduation ceremony as an ambassador of the University.Other programs and associations: Determine the students’ eligibility for programs and services. Closely collaborate with other associations, such as COOP and Immersion to ensure the quality and relevance of services.Course offer: Coordinate the course selection process such as maintaining course sequences, ensuring the course schedule is available on SIS and reconciling enrolment limits (ex. classroom capacity versus registration and demand rates) and necessary activities related to these enrolment limits. Ascertain that follow-up actions are initiated within defined timelines to increase positive student experience. Establish and maintain the list of courses available to students with special needs and distribute to relevant offices and individuals.Exam management: Participate to the coordination of exams by making sure that exam content remains confidential according to the policies and by organizing the schedule for exam supervisors.Deferred and reprise exam management: Determine the eligibility of requests and approve according to defined policies. Follow up with students and the appropriate departments to obtain or provide official documentation. Communication and LiaisonRecruitment activities: As an ambassador for the University, promote the University of Ottawa as well as its programs and services during commercial fairs and recruitment events.Public relations: Represent the faculty and the University of Ottawa during events and receptions by connecting with students and participants. What you will bring:Knowledge of administration usually acquired through postsecondary studies and several years of experience in a similar role.Bilingual – French and English (spoken and written)Knowledge of academic programs at the high school, college, undergraduate and postgraduate levelsKnowledge of and experience interpreting, communicating and applying procedures, policies and methodsExperience researching and analyzing data as well as creating administrative and statistical reportsExperience in problem solving and decision-makingExperience providing client serviceExperience implementing strategies and activity plans for studentsExperience with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access), word processing, Windows and InternetCapacity to deal with conflicting priorities and respect strict deadlines in a fast paced environmentOrganizational and analytical skills, excellent judgment and attention to detailListening skills and strong work ethicsPrior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as defined in Policy 129 – Covid-19 Vaccination. This policy was suspended effective May 1, 2022 but may be reinstated at any point in the future depending on public health guidelines and the recommendations of experts.