Department Office Assistant

Overview:
**Term: 18 Months**

Provide administrative support for Graduate and Undergraduate programs in Biology. Primarily responsible for coordinating graduate student meetings for MSc and PhD students and assisting in the organization and maintenance of graduate student information. Provides support for administration of TA contracts, preparation of undergraduate TA pay requests and general administrative support of the undergraduate program. The Department Office Assistant reports to the Administrative Officer and receives direction from the Graduate Studies Coordinator, Undergraduate Program Manager and Undergraduate Program Advisor.

**Responsibilities**:
Graduate Program Support
- Coordinate graduate meetings for MSc and PhD students, which includes room and audiovisual bookings, compiling meeting paperwork, sending out announcements, and as required, scheduling the meeting Chair
- Assist with the administration of Teaching Assistant contracts each term
- Create files for new graduate students and update current graduate student information in the master database
- Assist with the organization of the graduate student orientation and Teaching Assistant workshop each term, which includes room and audiovisual bookings, photocopying and preparing student information packages and organizing lunch and refreshments
- Assist with document preparation for graduate and undergraduate scholarships
- Coordinate proctor assignments and prepare casual pay requests
- Answer standard graduate admission inquires. Redirect non-standard inquires to the Graduate Coordinator
- Track graduate student paperwork and update the paper log to ensure timely processing and integrity of records
- Provide support with photocopying, filing and distributing graduate student mail
- Prepare and distribute the Biology Graduate Studies Bi-weekly Digest to inform students of upcoming events and important dates

Undergraduate Program Support
- Assist with the administration of undergraduate Teaching Assistant contracts each term
- Prepare undergraduate Teaching Assistant Temporary Authorization forms
- Assist with the collection of undergraduate co-op work term reports each term
- Prepare Teaching Assistant evaluation packages, sort and summarize evaluations, and coordinate student pick-up
- Assist with midterm and lab exam scheduling
- Support for Biology 499 Colloquium, which includes collecting proposals and final reports, room and audiovisual bookings, photocopying and preparing colloquium booklet and organizing lunch andrefreshments
- Record minutes for Curriculum meetings
- Book rooms for departmental use (e.g., TA meetings, alternate exams)
- Organize final exam collection and delivery to the Registrar’s Office
- Prepare print requisitions
- Provide support with photocopying, printing and filing
- Collect syllabi from faculty; archive and distribute as required

Other Duties
- Assist with updates to department website, twitter feed and bulletin boards
- Provide support for department events such as organizing catering, room bookings, travel arrangements etc.
- Attend applicable workshops and training sessions
- May serve on the Department Social Committee
- Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

- Bachelor degree or a relevant combination of education and work experience required
- Experience in an academic environment would be an asset
- Experience working in a high volume office would be an asset
- Excellent working knowledge of Word, Excel, Adobe Pro, SharePoint and Outlook Calendar
- Strong understanding and working knowledge of mail merge functions
- Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills (both oral and written) are required
- Superior organizational skills, strong attention to detail and the ability to multi-task and prioritizework
- The ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion is essential
- Ability to use the internet effectively for research purposes

Equity Statement:
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within our Office of Indigenous Relations.