Training Programs Specialist

Overview:
**Term: 3 years.**

The University of Waterloo is home to one of Canada’s largest concentrations of interdisciplinary climate change experts and a broad range of climate-focused degree programs and courses at undergraduate and graduate levels, including the first-in-Canada Masters of Climate Change program. Responding to growing demand both in and outside of UWaterloo, the Waterloo Climate Institute and the Faculty of Environment are collaborating on the development of new cross-Faculty training for graduate students and life-long learning programs for the public and private sectors. Both initiatives build on existing disciplinary strengths to train graduates and professionals to go beyond the context of their own academic-professional silos to engage broadly with the complexity of whole-of-society climate change solutions from community to global scales.

The Training Programs Specialist reports to the Managing Director of the Climate Institute. In addition, the position has a dotted line reporting to the Program Director for the graduate diploma in the Faculty of Environment to support the development of the proposed graduate diploma in climate change. The Training Programs Specialist works closely with the leadership group of the Climate Institute, the Program Director of the proposed graduate diploma in climate change, and the Director of Strategic Initiatives and Communications in the Faculty of Environment to manage the design, development and delivery of new collaborative academic and life-long learning programs in climate change. The incumbent is responsible for program and curriculum development, partnership development, program promotions, program management and administration, and program tracking, evaluation and reporting for Climate Institute life-long learning programs. The position is also responsible for supporting curriculum development, updates and approvals for the graduate diploma, and the management of an annual climate change lecture series. This unique position will contribute directly to shaping the evolution of Waterloo’s climate change educational programming.

**Responsibilities**:
Development and Management of the Life-long Learning Program
- Maintain effective input into program development from relevant Faculties, departments, schools and other support units through the establishment and coordination of an advisory committee to ensure program buy-in, alignment with strategic institutional objectives, and value
- Undertake structured market research to identify opportunities for new life-long learning program offerings related to climate change
- Develop and manage a partnership strategy to actively engage external groups, organizations, and companies to promote the programs and gain an understanding of their training needs
- Work closely with the Climate Institute’s Communications Officer to design marketing materials, program websites, and other communications products to support the promotion of the life-long learning programs
- Design and manage networking activities and events for program participants to expand and support strategic opportunities for the Faculty of Environment and Waterloo Climate Institute, including with respect to opportunities for interdisciplinary and experiential teaching, research, learning and outreach, and other University-industry collaborations
- Work closely with the Managing Director of the Climate Institute to ensure financial accountability and sustainability of the life-long learning programs
- Design program metrics and a system to track performance, outcomes, and the impact of the program over time
- Undertake regular program reviews, including soliciting feedback from participants, instructors, and other cross-faculty and external stakeholders
- Provide recommendations for updates and changes to the programs based on feedback, trends, and learning outcomes assessment tools and techniques, and develop a feedback loop to facilitate the ongoing refinement of course offerings
- Prepare annual reports that summarize program activities, achievements, changes and results for various internal and external audiences

Supporting the Graduate Diploma in Climate Change
- Support the Program Director of the graduate diploma, Associate Dean, Graduate Students, and Director, Strategic Initiatives and Communications in the program approval process, including development of required documentation and undertaking background research and information gathering
- Work closely with the Program Director and a cross-Faculty program advisory committee to design and develop the core course for the climate change graduate diploma
- Undertake a comprehensive review of the graduate course calendar to identify courses that could be linked to the diploma in each Faculty, and identify gaps where new course offerings may be developed
- As needed, support the coordination of the graduate diploma program, including budgeting, managing logistics, tracking mi