Institutional Awards Officer

**Institutional Awards Officer**:
The University of Saskatchewan's (USask) main campus is located in the vibrant city of Saskatoon on Treaty 6 territory and the traditional homeland of the Métis. USask is one of the top research-intensive, medical doctoral universities in Canada, and is home to **world-leading research** in areas of global importance, such as water and food security and infectious diseases.

Research Profile and Impact, one of four support units within the Office of the Vice-President Research, leads strategic research storytelling across the university —through print, video, web, social media, advertisements, speeches, op-eds, and events—working with the university’s broader communications network to share the findings and impact of USask research and build profile for the university.

**Primary Purpose**: The Institutional Awards Officer plays a critical role in telling the university’s research story, leading a central strategy to secure prestigious national and international awards, and advancing the university’s placement across several university rankings systems.

**Nature of Work**: Reporting to the Director, Research Profile and Impact, this position works with many campus stakeholders - including the VP Research, Deans, Associate Deans Research, Centre Directors, Research Facilitators, Manager of University Rankings, and communications professionals. This position plays a leading role in developing and implementing institutional processes and supports resulting in the successful creation of high-quality nomination packages for national and international awards, particularly those that are used to evaluate the university’s placement in university ranking systems. This position also supports communications, engages media, and fosters partnerships that advance the university’s reputation and profile as a research-intensive university.

Work is self-directed and deadline driven. Occasionally, there may be a requirement to work outside of standard hours. The incumbent will be expected to manage their own workload and set priorities to achieve results and meet targets.

**Typical Duties or Accountabilities**:
The Institutional Awards Officer is responsible for:
1. Institutional Awards and Nominations
- Develop an institutional strategy that identifies high performing faculty, capitalizes on career-stage appropriate recognitions, and creates mechanisms to support and enhance the storytelling, recognition, and celebration of the accomplishments of USask artists, scholars, and researchers.
- Collaborate with various campus stakeholders and draw upon examples of leading practices at other U15 institutions, to create and administer an annual process for institutional specific awards, particularly those that are used to evaluate the university’s position in domestic and international university rankings systems.
- Facilitate results-driven strategies that increase the number, quality, and success of award nomination packages for prestigious awards. This will often involve writing nomination materials themselves, or co-writing materials with college faculty and staff.
- Liaise with award-granting agencies and organizations to identify award opportunities, protocols, and deadlines, and communicate these opportunities to the broader university community.

2. Research Communications
- Assisting Research Profile and Impact with various communications and media that advance the university’s reputation and profile as a research-intensive university, including print, video, web, social media, advertisements, speeches, op-eds, and events.
- Supporting the Director of Research Profile and Impact and collaborating with other members of the Research Profile and Impact team, on communications-related projects and activities.
- Develop strategies to celebrate recipients of awards of distinction and create opportunities for recognition through the USask web page or public events.

3. Data Collection and Reporting
- Monitor program outcomes, predict key factors for future successes and adjust program strategies as needed. This will include collecting, maintaining and interpreting data regarding potential awards and their deadlines, past nominees, award winners, pending submissions, and potential nominees.
- Prepare an annual report on the activities and accomplishments of the position.

Accountabilities:

- Raises the University’s profile and advances its research reputation, locally nationally and internationally by communicating research findings and impact.
- Ensures key U of S messages and strategic goals for research, scholarly and artistic activity are effectively communicated to target audiences in all initiatives.
- Ensures that activities are carried out in accordance with best practices in strategic communications and news writing/editing.
- Ensures effective knowledge transfer by working to understand highly complex research results and translating these results to the public