New Student Transition Specialist, Graduate Students

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**Job Requisition ID**:
2025-00657

**Time Type**:
Full time

**Employee Group**:
Staff

**Job Category**:
Academic Administration

**Employment Type**:
Temporary

**Department**:
Student Success Office - Student Experience

**Hiring Range**:
$71,827.90 - $89,784.87

**Posting Information**:
Term: 1 year
This role is being offered as an internal secondment or an external contract.

**Primary Purpose**

The Specialist, New Student Transition (Graduate), is responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining integrated programs intended to support a successful transition for new and incoming graduate students into the university. This requires the Specialist to be knowledgeable and up to date on the unique needs of graduate students with special attention and focus on international students and Black, Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQ+ and other historically under-represented students (e.g. students with disabilities). The Specialist will work collaboratively and strategically with key internal and external stakeholders and is responsible for overseeing the implementation of graduate transition programs including day to day operations, decision making and program leadership. The Specialist will work closely with the Manager, New Student Transition and New Student Transition (NST) team to ensure programs are well integrated, responsive to the needs of the faculties and campus partners and are achieving desired outcomes. The Specialist demonstrates a commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism through their leadership, program design and operational practices.

The Specialist has three primary areas of focus: 1) Design, implement, assess and maintain graduate student transition programming; ensure initiatives are well-integrated and coordinated into the overall new student transition strategy, 2) Be knowledgeable and up to date on the needs of incoming graduate students and, 3) Maintain positive working relationships with key campus and faculty partners and graduate students.

**Key Accountabilities**

**Program Development and Administration**
- Develops, coordinates, and maintains targeted programs and initiatives designed to ensure the successful transition of new graduate students for all three academic terms via virtual, in-person or hybrid offerings.
- Leverages resources, knowledge, and expertise in the SSO to assist in the design of transition programs when appropriate in partnership with the SSO leadership team and campus partners.
- With the Manager, New Student Transition and SSO leadership team, identifies and develops additional supports/initiatives for graduate students throughout their academic career beyond existing transition programming.
- Provides guidance to stakeholders on campus who support new student transition programs/opportunities to create an engaged and inclusive community of University of Waterloo graduate students.
- Contributes to the overall graduating student experience by assisting UWaterloo’s convocation team to support fall and spring convocation ceremonies.
- Applies an equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism lens to all program design elements.

**Relationship Building**
- Works closely with both the NST team and International Student Experience (ISE) team to ensure programs and strategies complement one another and, when appropriate, are consistent in delivery and outcomes for all incoming students.
- Collaborates with campus partners to ensure students are provided with necessary support, resources, and information pertinent to their University of Waterloo experience. Key campus partners include but are not limited to: Graduate Student Association, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, Campus Housing, Campus Wellness, AccessAbility Services, Community Relations, and all Faculties and affiliated University Colleges as applicable.
- Facilitates strong working relationships with SSO colleagues, particularly the NST and ISE teams, and collaborates on strategies that will support the successful transition of new graduate students and contribute to an overall positive graduate student experience across multiple portfolios within the SSO.
- Establishes and maintains a network of relationships with external organizations (e.g.: Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, etc.) to remain up to date on new research, strategies and initiatives in orientation programs and new student transition literature.
- Participates in and contributes to regular staff, department, and Faculty specific meetings as appro