Assistant to the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs

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Term: 18 months

This position is being offered as an internal secondment/contract opportunity.

Internal deadline is Thursday, January 15, 2026, at 11:59 pm

Job Description:

Primary Purpose

This position is responsible for providing strategic support to the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs on all aspects of the portfolio relating to internationalization and postdoctoral studies.  The incumbent provides operational and administrative support to the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs with the development of events, new initiatives, and student engagement opportunities supporting international graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.  The Assistant to the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, plays a key role in providing effective administrative, logistical and project support for a variety of key initiatives within the Faculty of Engineering Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs Office.

Key Accountabilities

Provides strategic support to the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs

· Undertakes special projects, performs background research, and prepares letters of invitation, reports and promotional materials.

· Represents Engineering Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs by greeting international delegations, ensures groups arrive at meetings and other events as needed.

· Works collaboratively to build consensus to ensure the success of Engineering Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, through effective communications with academic and support units.

· Is knowledgeable of all aspects of programs, initiatives and issues related to internationalization, international graduate students, and postdoctoral affairs.  The incumbent serves as a resource for the interpretation and application of related university and faculty policies, and guidelines for best practice for the Engineering community.

· Maintains awareness of cultural norms and sensitive issues relevant to internationalization.

· Supports the Faculty of Engineering by coordinating logistics related to visiting international delegations.  Specific duties include preparing presentations, biographies, and itineraries, logistical arrangements, and assembling briefing notes for incoming and outgoing delegations.

· Plans and executes events sponsored by the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.  Incumbent provides logistical support and contributes to the organization of announcements, meetings, events, and workshops.  Duties may include booking venues, catering, and technical support for presentations.

· On behalf of the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, liaises with a variety of stakeholders.  Creates and manages positive, effective relationships with external agencies, university administrators, faculty, staff and students and represents the university in a professional manner that reinforces Waterloo's reputation.

Supports the on-going development of initiatives related to internationalization:

· Assumes project management responsibilities for special projects, and initiatives, including resources and budget requirements.

· Monitors and initiates workflows for international approvals.

· Supports the on-going development and coordination of community-building events and mentoring programs for international students in the Faculty of Engineering.

· Coordinates incoming delegation requests and in consultation with the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, develops plans for visiting delegations and outgoing missions.

· Ensures that out-going delegations on exchange or otherwise have necessary documentation for travel, work, etc.

· Oversees strategic communication materials including web content for the Office of the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, as it relates to internationalization and postdoctoral studies.  Incumbent contributes to, monitors, and recommends changes to ensure that all information is current and aligns with digital content best practice, institutional standards, and web accessibility requirements.

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Program Enhancement and Promotion:

· Provides support to new initiatives for the postdoctoral fellowship program.

· Develops and implements onboarding and orientation for new postdoctoral fellows; welcomes new candidates offering information about the university as needed.

· Supports the organization of meetings and events with international graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to discuss issues, provide updates, obtain feedback on overall experience; compiles feedback to support implementation of changes where appropriate in collaboration with the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.

· Compiles information on new opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows including exchange programs, industry or collaborative opportunities, potential job opportunities.

· Identifies opportunities to share successes of international graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and works in collaboration with the communications team to promote to a broader audience.

· Support planning and logistics for events for international graduate students and postdoctoral fellows including training opportunities, workshops, career fairs, conferences, etc.

Provides operational oversight:

· Acts as the first point of contact for all enquires to the Office of the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, as it relates to internationalization, and postdoctoral studies.

· Monitors and reports on progress to date on portfolio strategic initiatives.  Incumbent maintains current information on international and postdoctoral fellow activities and provides timely reports and recommendations.

· Creates and manages metrics to measure and report on effectiveness of the internationalization and efforts supporting postdoctoral fellows in the Faculty of Engineering.

· Maintains all records and official documentation.

Administrative support to the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs:

· Is responsible for providing a high level of administrative support to the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, including but not limited to preparing correspondence, manages calendaring and schedules meetings.

· Provides faculty-level support for collaborative graduate programs.

· Acts as a recording secretary for meetings related to the international portfolio.  Incumbent attends all relevant meetings, prepares agendas, and records minutes.

· Provides administrative support as needed to all aspects of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs within the Faculty of Engineering.

Equity Statement

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is coordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion.  As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

Positions are open to qualified candidates who are legally entitled to work in Canada.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at  or , ext