Executive Officer to The Provost and Vice-president

**Executive Officer to the Provost and Vice-President Academic**:
**Our vision**: We will contribute to a sustainable future by being among the best in the world in areas of special and emerging strengths, through outstanding research, scholarly, and artistic work that addresses the needs and aspirations of our region and the world, and through exceptional teaching and engagement.

We will be an outstanding institution of research, learning, knowledge-keeping, reconciliation, and inclusion with and by Indigenous peoples and communities.

Reporting to the Provost and Vice-President Academic, the Executive Officer for the Provost’s Portfolio plays a crucial and integrative role in the achievement of the strategic directions and academic priorities of the University. Their primary role primary role is to enable the PVPA to focus on the university’s vision, mission, and strategic priorities, and associated accountabilities.

**Primary Purpose**: The Executive Officer (EO) to the Provost and Vice-President Academic (PVPA) provides senior project support and executive-level coordination within the PVPA portfolio. The EO manages information, workflow, emerging issues, and projects for the portfolio. The EO advises the PVPA based on an extensive understanding of the university’s formal and informal structures and processes and contributes to the effective, efficient and professional operation of the portfolio.

The EO has a broad view across the entire PVPA portfolio, including an understanding of who is tasked with projects and work. This position manages and coordinates issues and initiatives; ensures implementation and follow up; builds relationships within the portfolio, and between portfolios; and provides background and strategic advice to the PVPA and other key members of the portfolio on issues, policies, and institutional areas of focus and priority. This is achieved through providing executive support services, project management, and portfolio support; by liaising with stakeholders; and through effective communications and relationships.

The EO participates in developing strategies and setting priorities and acts as a resource to other portfolios. This position provides support to the PVPA by anticipating needs based on the portfolio and university priorities. The incumbent will be responsible for preparing confidential and portfolio correspondence, reports, and documents, creating position papers and other operational and strategic documents. Similarly, the EO supports the PVPA through the preparation of background materials, briefing notes, presentations, and other essential materials along with strategic advice.

The EO is a consummate supporter of the provost’s portfolio contribution to the university mission, vision and values, and thrives in a behind-the-scenes role and gaining satisfaction through the success of others. Along with humility, kindness, and humour, the EO possesses an intense desire to get the job done.

**Nature of Work**: This position is about project management, workflow, and enabling decision-making. The EO works under pressure in an energetic fast-paced and high volume and diverse environment, characterized by continuous change, shifting priorities and a fluidity where competing deadlines and multi-tasking is the norm. The incumbent works within a team environment that includes the Deputy Provost, Provost’s Administrative Network, and other administrative professionals within the office. Judgment is used to make decisions regarding relationships, procedures, processes, or guidelines. The EO is expected to prioritize and ensure strong, respectful relationships.

The standard for the quality of work and timely completion of projects is high. This position experiences pressure when managing competing interests toward satisfactory outcomes. Considerable discretion is required as the EO is privy to and works with sensitive, highly confidential information.

**Key Activities**
- Work with colleagues in the PVPA portfolio to ensure all work is aligned with the university’s mission, vision and values; and the PVPA is best-positioned to deliver on their accountabilities
- Ensure the strategic management of the leader’s time through an intimate understanding of the priorities and when those priorities and goals need to be acted upon
- Liaise with the Manager of the provost’s portfolio administration network on time and content management needs of the provost.
- Contribute to the search and review of senior leaders as part of a team
- Ensure the leader is prepared for meetings, presentations and other commitments, through effective workflow planning, meeting planning, coordination of the development of needed materials, execution, and follow up on action items
- Facilitate information sharing
- Act as a problem-solving resource to others within and outside the portfolio
- Lead special projects
- Manage and track goals, collaborating with the other units within and outside