Team Lead

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Position Title: Team Lead (TL)

Department: Residence Life (Student Health, Wellness, and Support; Student Affairs)
Term of Position:       August 14, 2026 – May 3, 2027

Remuneration: $437/month, paid in equal installments bi-monthly, plus $85.68 per semester for general expenses, plus a room in residence as a taxable benefit. Note: Employees who work during the holiday period (the two weeks in December/January when the rest of the University is closed) will be paid an hourly wage of $20,73/hr.

Job Reports to: Lead Coordinator, Residence Life

Purpose of a Team Lead (TL)

This is a live-in position and requires the individual to be on campus to attend on-site training, meetings and provide in-person support to students living in a University Residence environment. All live-in members of the Residence Life team are leaders in their communities, maintain an important presence in residence, and are available to support and engage with students in residence at all hours of the day. Therefore, individuals should have strong organizational, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills, as well as integrity and flexibility.

The role of a Team Lead (TL) is to create the best student experience for members of the University of Ottawa community living in Residence. This is completed through various strategies to build community and uphold safety in residence. TLs lead teams of Community Advisors (CA) and CAs in a Living Learning Community (LLC), where applicable. Any further mention of "CAs" in this job description should be understood to include CAs and LLC-CAs unless otherwise specified. TLs support their team of CAs through mentoring, coordination, and as a resource to support as needed. Duties include supporting their team with challenging student cases, providing mentoring around aspects of their role and responsibilities, managing the schedule for coverage and time off, being a resource for and coordinator of the team's programming requirements, and being available to help when circumstances require more support.

A TL is an individual who is well equipped to create a safe community in which residents of all origins and orientations may thrive while they embark on their academic and personal development. TLs support the wellness and safety of students with regular rounds, conflict resolution, report facilities-related issues, and emergency management with the support of a peer-team and Lead Coordinators, Residence Life. They may respond to highly sensitive situations therefore, a respect for confidentiality and good stress management skills are essential. 

As a unionized position, all TLs are expected to be familiar with their Collective Agreement (CUPE

Time Commitment and Training

• Total of 555 hours to be worked, based on 37-week academic year (mid-August to April, inclusively). An average of 15 hours/week, including early mornings, evenings, weekends and holiday periods.
• Available to work evenings, including on-call on a rotating basis, and during the weekends.
• Mandatory training sessions in-person and online, offered throughout employment:
  • Mandatory Online Training as determined by Residence Life and the University.
  • Start of Contract Training: Two weeks in August preceding the start of the Fall semester, or period in January preceding the start of the Winter semester if hired for the Winter semester.
  • Ongoing Training: One (1) five-hour ongoing training commitment once a semester, includes a lunch break.

Student Interactions

• TLs should become acquainted with each CA in their team on an individual basis. They should foster an inclusive and cohesive team environment by taking a proactive approach in helping to resolve any conflicts. TLs should be alert to the various conflicting relationships that may arise on their team or that their CAs are helping to manage among their communities. TLs may be asked to facilitate mediations when necessary. They should document and inform their supervisor of any situations or conflicts they are aware of, and, when appropriate, work in collaboration to address them.
• TLs are expected to support CAs in their efforts to support community members in completing Roommate Agreements with help from tools like the Shared Living Guide.
• TLs are responsible for monthly individual in-person interactions with the members of their CA team as well as monthly in-person programming for large sized group events ("building-wide events") to foster a strong sense of community and to engage students living in residence at the University.
• TLs assist in peer and professional staff led events, projects, and initiatives in residence. This may include, but is not limited to Move-In, Open House, Study Fest, Carousel interviews, Move-Out, etc.
• TLs contribute to efforts for campus-wide knowledge sharing.
• TLs are expected to contribute to Residence Life Education, Training, and Hiring projects. This may include, but is not limited to attending meetings with designated Lead Coordinators, facilitating and/or assisting with the development of training opportunities for other staff, etc.
• TLs are expected to support communities of residents and fulfill tasks related to the CA role to respond to operational needs as necessary.

Community Development Requirements

• TLs are expected to prepare their communities to welcome residents at the start of each semester to provide information and contribute to the sense of community and belonging within their residence building. This may include, but is not limited to, door tags, welcome boards, and staff information boards (as well as their related documentation).
• Once a month, except for December and April (final exam periods), TLs are expected to update the passive programming board in their designated community informed by observed trends and reflecting the learning outcomes of the residence curriculum.
• Once a month, except for December and April (final exam periods), TLs are expected to review and offer feedback relating to the community events the CAs on their team are planning. This feedback should include recommendations to best incorporate the residence curriculum.
• Once a month, except for December and April (final exam periods), TLs are expected to organize and facilitate/host a community event ("building-wide event") for their designated residence (large sized group). TLs are to coordinate the schedule of the CA team for building-wide events. This event is to be informed by observed trends and respect the available and allocated budget.
• TLs are expected to regularly organize and lead events and programming targeting other members of the Residence Life student staff team each semester.
• TLs may be required to support alternative programming initiatives, each informed by a harm reduction approach, during key periods of the year to meet the needs of the service and community living in residence. These key periods may include but are not limited to Fall Welcome Week, Panda Game Day, Halloween, Winter Welcome Week, Saint-Patrick's day, etc.
• At the end of their employment contract period, TLs are expected to remove all posters and passive programming from their communities.

Resident Conduct and Care Support

• TLs are expected to support students with conduct and care peer conversations and follow-up in residence as informed by their training. Although they will be primarily responsible for peer conversations and follow-up concerning residents in their designated communities, TLs may be called to support these needs throughout the entire residence community.
• Conduct support may include roommate mediations and upholding the Residence Agreement, Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedure. This includes having proactive and preventative conversations with students about the rules in residences.
• Care support involves the ability to recognize, respond and refer students in distress to the appropriate resources.
• TLs will support the CAs in their residence who require assistance in managing conduct or care situations or will escalate to their supervisor as needed.

Administrative Duties

• Must use the software system eRezLife to document significant observations, interactions with residents, community development efforts, duty shifts (as needed), and all other required reports. The inbox associated with their eRezLife account must be checked regularly for bulletins and reports (unless on official time off).
• Monitor their work email inbox (Outlook) and messages (MS Teams) regularly to correspond with residents, the Residence Life Team, and the administrative staff in a timely manner (unless on official time off).
• Manage any work-related social media accounts (e.g., community Facebook or Instagram pages) on a regular basis (unless on official time off).
• Participate in Performance Appraisal processes.
• Report the hours of work completed each week through the designated reporting form.
• TLs are expected to regularly monitor their designated poster mailbox to ensure that posters (informational or other) are promptly distributed and displayed throughout the residence community.
• Monitor the posters displayed in their residence communities by removing and disposing of any posters that are out of date.

Meetings

• Required to attend and actively participate in all meetings deemed necessary for their role with Residence Life. This may include but is not limited to peer-led meetings, group meetings, as well as individual meetings with Lead Coordinators, Residence Life. There are no regular meetings scheduled during the University's final exam periods, and during Reading Weeks.
• TLs attend regular meetings with Residence Life team members to aid in meeting the needs of the communities of students living in residence.
  • Weekly Building Team Meetings (1 hour), alternating between being led by a Lead Coordinator, Residence Life and a Team Lead.
  • Weekly individual meetings with supervising Lead Coordinator, Residence Life (1 hour).
  • Weekly Team Lead Connection meetings facilitated by a Lead Coordinator, Residence Life (1 hour).
• TLs are expected to lead bi-weekly team meetings for the staff in their building. They are also expected to lead and develop team building activities for the team of staff in their building.

Safety and Wellbeing

• TLs must know and respect the Residence Life Code of Ethics for Student Staff, Residence Life Confidentiality Agreement, Residence Life Acceptable Media Use Policy, and the Residence Life Employee Supplies Contract.
• TLs assist with ensuring safety and wellbeing in the residence community through various strategies led by principles of harm reduction and informed by residence policies. Therefore, TLs must know, follow, and uphold the Residence Agreement, Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedure in the University of Ottawa's residences. TLs should promote the respect of residence policies by helping residents understand the reason for regulations and encourage individual and community responsibility in maintaining them. TLs must be consistent in upholding regulations throughout their employment with Residence Life. 
• TLs must maintain an awareness of routine and emergency procedures essential to the safety and wellbeing of residents (e.g., fire alarms, medical emergencies, fire evacuation procedures).
• TLs complete regular rounds as required ("duty shifts") of residence and conduct inspections by monitoring common areas (e.g., kitchens, washrooms, lounges, etc.) and reporting any issues via the appropriate platforms.
• TLs will work with other campus partners such as Protection Services, reception, Residence Safety Team, etc., to ensure the safety and wellbeing of residents.

Duty Shifts and Responsibilities

• TLs are responsible to coordinate the monthly duty schedule for their team while ensuring an equitable distribution of shifts, respect of various academic schedules and official time off periods, as well as maintaining the necessary coverage to respond to the operational needs of the building. Each TL is responsible for regularly publishing the duty shift schedule for their respective team once a month.
• Duty shifts are a mandatory part of this position and require the TLs to have a regular rotation within a daily duty schedule in order to meet operational needs (at least one shift per month). TLs from smaller teams may be called on more frequently to participate in the duty rotation, as necessary or at the discretion of the Lead Coordinator, Residence Life.
• When scheduled to work a duty shift, TLs are expected to perform scheduled rounds while interacting with residents, completing any necessary interventions or follow-up, inspecting community spaces in their designated areas for issues (i.e., safety and wellbeing concerns, presence of physically or psychologically harmful situations), as well as monitoring the shared duty phone (when applicable). Those working a duty shift must remain in the designated residence building during the entirety of their shift and are on call overnight and expected to respond to needs for support (e.g., mental health interventions, door unlockings, roommate conflicts, etc.) and to complete any resulting documentation or reports.
• During key periods of the year, additional staff may be called to complete duty shifts to meet the needs of the service and community in residence, as determined by the Lead Coordinator, Residence Life and Management team. These key periods may include but are not limited to Move-In, Fall Welcome Week, Halloween, Winter Welcome Week, Saint-Patrick's day, etc.

Essential Qualifications

• Previous experience in a student staff position with Residence Life and obtained a positive recommendation from a supervising Lead Coordinator, Residence Life.
• Maintain a full-time student status at the University of Ottawa at the time of application and throughout the employment contract period.
• Obtain and maintain a minimum 5.0 CGPA at the University of Ottawa.
• All members of the Residence Life team are required to meet a high level of bilingualism (English, French) in order to best support students living in residence and studying in either of the University's official languages. Given the multilingual nature of the student community living in residence, proficiency in additional languages is an asset. As employees with the University of Ottawa, prospective candidates for a role with Residence Life must obtain a satisfactory result on a language proficiency test. Results that do not meet this requirement will automatically result in disqualification.
• Maintain a good standing at the University of Ottawa and in residence (where applicable).
• Valid Standard First Aid and CPR-C/AED Certification delivered by a recognized certification body in Canada and approved by WSIB in Ontario. Certification is to be valid throughout the employment contract period, recertification within this period is permitted.
• Results of a Vulnerable Sector Criminal Background Check completed within the 2 years before the start of the employment contract period.
• Skilled in the use of all Microsoft Office software and other communication platforms.

Job Competencies

• Demonstrated competencies in leading and mentoring peers
• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills to connect with others on a peer-to-peer level
• Excellent problem solving and decision-making skills
• Ability to manage time effectively and meet deadlines
• Ability to collaborate with others as well as work independently 
• Ability to facilitate large- and small-scale events and meetings
• Creativity and initiative for community events and programming 
• Understand the importance of documentation in their role
• Strong organizational abilities and attention to detail 
• High tolerance for stress and ability to self-regulate
• Capacity to assist in managing crisis situations of a physical, emotional, academic, and environmental nature
• Ability to self-evaluate and be receptive to feedback 
• Excellent communications skills with supervisors related to deadlines, issues arising, urgent matters
• Familiarity with Residence Life's leading principles, concepts, and approaches like harm reduction, JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion), stepped care model, etc. (an asset) 
• Skilled in objective documentation and reporting (an asset)
• Knowledge of the University of Ottawa campus and surrounding vicinity (an asset)
• Knowledge of the Residence Agreement, Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedure as well as other University of Ottawa policies (an asset)
• Knowledge of the University of Ottawa Residence Curriculum (an asset)

The hiring process will be governed by the current CUPE 2626 collective agreement; you can click here to find out more.

The University of Ottawa embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are passionate about our people and committed to employment equity. We foster a culture of respect, teamwork and inclusion, where collaboration, innovation, and creativity fuel our quest for research and teaching excellence. While all qualified persons are invited to apply, we welcome applications from qualified Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, barrier-free work environment. The University is also committed to working with applicants with disabilities requesting accommodation during the recruitment, assessment and selection processes. Applicants with disabilities may contact to communicate the accommodation need. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Prior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as defined in Policy 129 – Covid-19 Vaccination. This policy was suspended effective May 1, 2022 but may be reinstated at any point in the future depending on public health guidelines and the recommendations of experts.