Community Advisor

Faculty/Service – Department:

Wellness, Residence Training and Development

# of Open Positions:

61

Posting Dates:

janvier 31, 2025 – février 22, 2025

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the Posting End Date above

Term of Position:

août 15, 2025 – mai 01, 2026

Remuneration:

$18,00 – $18,00

Job Reports to:

Allan Charbonneau

Position Title: Community Advisor (CA)

Department: Residence Life (Student Health, Wellness, and Support; Student

Affairs)

Number of Positions: Up to 61

Term of Position: August 15, 2025 – May 1, 2026

Remuneration: $312/month, paid in equal installments bi-monthly, plus $75 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 $18/hr.

Job Reports to: Lead Coordinator, Residence Life

Purpose of a Community Advisor (CA)

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 Community Advisor (CA) 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. CAs support communities mainly consisting of first-year students living in residence with the goal of fostering a strong sense of community and engaging students.

A CA 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. CAs 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. 

For a more detailed and specific description of the responsibilities of the CAs role, please consult the Residence Life Student Staff Manual, which all staff are expected to know and respect. As a unionized position, all CAs are expected to be familiar with their Collective Agreement (CUPE-2626-03).

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 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.

Community Development and Student Interactions

• CAs develop communities and interact with residents by becoming acquainted with every individual resident in their designated community. They should foster an inclusive and cohesive residence environment by taking a proactive approach in helping to resolve any conflicts. CAs must be available to residents for formal and informal support, including the facilitation of 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.
• CAs are expected to support community members in completing Roommate Agreements with help from tools like the Shared Living Guide.
• CAs are responsible for facilitating community meetings with their assigned residents each month.
• CAs are responsible for individual in-person interactions with students as well as monthly in-person programming for medium to large sized group events to foster a strong sense of community and to engage students.
• A limited number of CAs are placed in Living Learning Communities (LLC) in residence. CAs in this community are selected, in part, by the Faculty linked to the LLC. In addition to the regular responsibilities of a CA, an LLC CA will work in collaboration with the Faculty to offer specialized experience to community members. In turn, certain other responsibilities are adjusted for CAs in an LLC.
• CAs returning to the role are expected to actively contribute to the mentorship of colleagues and teammates new to the CA role within Residence Life at the University.
• CAs 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.
• CAs contribute to efforts for campus-wide knowledge sharing.

Residence Conduct and Care Support

• CAs are expected to support students with conduct and care peer conversations as informed by their training. Although they will be primarily responsible for peer conversations concerning residents in their designated communities, they 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 residence.
• Care support involves the ability to recognize, respond and refer students in distress to the appropriate resources.

Programming Requirements

• CAs are expected to create a variety of passive programming at the start of each semester to contribute to the sense of community and belonging within their designated area of residence. 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), CAs 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), CAs are expected to organize and facilitate/host a community event for their designated residents (small to medium sized group). This event, reviewed by the TLs, is to be informed by observed trends, reflect one of the learning outcomes of the residence curriculum, and respect the available and allocated budget.
• Once a month, except for December and April (final exam periods), CAs are expected to support TLs with the organization and facilitation of large-scale events in residence (“building-wide event”).
• CAs 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, CAs are expected to remove all posters and passive programming from their communities.

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.
• 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.
• CAs 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. Bi-weekly individual meetings with supervising Lead Coordinator, Residence Life (30 minutes).

Safety and Security

• CAs must know and respect the Residence Life Code of Ethics for Student Staff, Residence Life Confidentiality Agreement.
• CAs assist with ensuring safety and security in the residence community through various strategies led by principles of harm reduction and informed by residence policies. Therefore, CAs must know, follow, and uphold the Residence Agreement, Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedure in the University of Ottawa’s residences. CAs should promote the respect of residence policies by helping residents understand the reason for regulations and encourage individual and community responsibility in maintaining them. CAs must be consistent in upholding regulations throughout their employment with Residence Life.
• CAs must maintain an awareness of routine and emergency procedures essential to the safety and security of residents (e.g., fire alarms, medical emergencies, fire evacuation procedures).
• CAs complete regular rounds (“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.
• CAs will work with other campus partners such as Protection Services, reception, security guards, etc., to ensure the safety and wellbeing of residents.

Day Shifts and Responsibilities

• Duty shifts are a mandatory part of this position and require the CAs to have a regular rotation within a daily duty schedule in order to meet operational needs.
• When scheduled to work a duty shift, CAs 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 security 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 Fall semester resident move-in, Fall Welcome Week, Halloween, Winter Welcome Week, Saint-Patrick’s day, etc.

Essential Qualifications

• 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.
• 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

• 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)

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 hrtalentmanagement@uottawa.ca 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.

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