Advocacy Coordinator

The Alma Mater Society (AMS) is the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) student society, and works to improve the academic, social and personal lives of the 56,000 UBC students at its Vancouver campus. The AMS also runs nine food and beverage outlets, a catering and conference operation, and the AMS Student Nest, providing on-campus employment opportunities and generating revenue that goes directly back into supporting the students at UBC.
**Position title**: Advocacy Coordinator (Work Learn)
**Department**: Student Services
**Supervisor**: Senior Manager Student Services
**Supervises**: Advocacy Assistant Coordinator
**Employee status**: Term, Appointed
**Hours Per Week**: 20
**Salary / Wage**: $26.00 per hour
**Anticipated Start Date**: May 19, 2025
Description
The AMS Services’ main mandate is to offer services and resources to the membership which are in significant demand and aim to further the well-being of the membership as a whole.
Each of these Services are run by a Coordinator, and in some instances, with the help of Assistant Coordinator(s).
The Advocacy Office was established in 1999 to provide information and support to students facing the bureaucratic challenges and disciplinary committees of UBC. The Advocacy Office is one of few resources on campus that is 100% pro-student. Its goal is to empower students to advocate for their rights when facing the UBC’s intimidating power structures. The Office strives to provide students with information about UBC’s policies and procedures when they are in a formal conflict with the University. Although the office does not provide legal advice, the Office offers confidential and effective support to any undergraduate or graduate student at UBC in regards to the disputes outlined below.
- Academic Misconduct - Academic Misconduct may include engaging or attempting to engage in cheating, plagiarism, falsifying information, etc.
- Academic standing - Academic Standing refers to issues such as failing a grade, being required to withdraw from a program, or promotion to next level of studies.
- Housing appeals - Housing incidents that relate to the UBC Resident Contract, subletting, etc.
- Parking disputes - Appealing a Traffic Notice (Parking ticket disputes).
- Library fine appeals - Appealing library fines and other charges.
- Other Disputes - accusations of bias, interpersonal complaints about faculty or staff, etc.

**Responsibilities**:
The Advocacy Coordinator oversees all aspects of the AMS Advocacy Office, including the day to day workings of the office, guiding the future vision, and managing a team of volunteers. Applicants for the Advocacy Coordinator position can expect to gain experience in:

- Actively practicing client interaction and client management skills
- Honing your ability to develop convincing arguments
- Helping to prepare clients for and attending hearings before university committees
- Assisting students with editing and submitting appeal documents
- Supervising Advocacy Assistant Coordinators
- Running intake appointments for clients
- Cultivating campus partnerships in order to better assist and refer students
- Working towards the long-term goal of growing the Advocacy Office

**Other work duties include**:

- Work closely with the Senior Manager, Student Services in developing successful outreach initiatives to advertise and promote the Service
- Post and attend regular office hours
- Attend weekly Services team meetings
- Attend weekly 1-on-1 meeting with the Senior Manager, Student Services
- Develop and maintain a Service Operations Manual
- Gather statistics regarding utilization of the Service
- Prepare a detailed budget and manage the finances of the Service
- Prepare a series of reports including: monthly reports to the Student Services Manager, end-of-term review report and a transition package (manual, report and position timeline) for the next Advocacy Coordinator
- Works within the AMS mission statement and values to operate a successful Service
- Other duties as required

Each of the Coordinators will be overseen on a daily basis by the Senior Manager, Student Services, a full-time staff position.

**Qualifications**:

- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills both written and verbal
- Experience working with vulnerable clients where empathy and understanding are emphasized
- Strong organizational, time management, and team-leadership skills
- Strong self-starter mentality with the ability to work unsupervised
- Background in law is an asset - particularly Administrative Law
- Strong demonstrated familiarity with principles of procedural fairness

**Eligibility**: Must be a currently enrolled student at UBC Vancouver, eligible for the Work Learn program.
**Experience Level**: Strong preference given to applicants enrolled in a JD program or with former legal education
**To Apply**:
At the AMS, we believe that a diverse workforce enriches our organization and we value individual life experiences, knowledge