Senior Officer, Academic Administration

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Job Type:

Employee

Duration in Months (for fixed-term jobs):

N/A

Job Family:

Academic Administration

# of Open Positions:

1

Faculty/Service – Department:

Academic Services, Graduate Studies

Campus:

Main Campus

Union Affiliation:

SSUO

Date Posted:

January 13, 2025

Applications must be received BEFORE:

January 24, 2025

Hours per week:

35

Salary Grade:

SSUO Grade 08

Salary Range:

$62,218.00 – $78,589.00

About the Faculty of Education

The Faculty of Education, along with its commitment to the promotion, advancement and dissemination of knowledge in the field of education in general, is actively involved in teacher training. Located on the unceded ancestral lands of Algonquin peoples, the Faculty of Education is proud to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion. Moreover, according to the latest QS ranking, our faculty is ranked among the top 100 in the world, and fifth in Canada, for research.

Position Purpose:

Reporting to the Supervisor of Academic Administration, the incumbent coordinates and performs the main tasks related to academic activities for programs in accordance with the academic regulations of the Faculty and the University. Provides courteous, timely and accurate service that projects a positive image of the University of Ottawa to all clients and contributes to an enriched student experience.

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

• Admissions: Oversee the admission process for programs under the incumbent’s responsibility. This includes developing, evaluating and providing front-line services and information for potential students in order to determine needs and advise them on program options, admission scholarships and admission requirements based on their previous education and career goals. Analyze and prepare admission files according to University requirements and ensure all conditions are met. Check accuracy of student status lists and make any necessary corrections. Determine eligibility of applicants, prepare files for evaluation by admission committees and manage entry of evaluation committee recommendations. Calculate admission averages for Canadian and international students using University standards. Act as a resource person for files related to Canadian and international students, check university accreditations and authenticity of documents submitted for student applications and remove admission conditions at the appropriate time. Determine eligibility of applicants based on averages calculated and refuse applications that do not meet the minimum average requirements.
• Academic Advisement: Provide advice to students on academic processes and regulations related to the academic requirements of their program in order to improve student retention and success and reduce time to completion. Coordinate academic processes under the incumbent’s responsibility, such as student registration, evaluation of CO-OP student files and academic performance, including checking student progress reports and prepared lists (registration in CTN activities, two failures, thesis supervisors, etc.). Approve final grades, coordinate course evaluations and manage deferred exams and exam accommodations. Provide input related to course offerings and assist with creating course and exam schedules. Update course and exam schedules in computer system. Evaluate cases involving exceptions (such as requests for leave, deferrals and extensions; letters of permission; late registrations; changes to programs and options) related to the academic progress of graduate students. Carry out a preliminary analysis of requests for exceptions that require the approval of the supervisor of academic services as required by University policies in order to propose solutions and follow up as required.
• Thesis and Graduation: Coordinate the master’s and PhD thesis evaluation and defense processes. Carry out a preliminary review of the list of external examiners to ensure there is no conflict of interest and have the list of thesis examiners approved. Review student files to determine whether all requirements have been met; approve initial submission of theses and get the evaluation process under way. Communicate with the thesis committee and ensure the thesis examiners’ reports are received by the deadline. Recommend a jury chair for thesis defenses. Set a date for the thesis defense according to availability of the jury members.
• Grants and Scholarships: Coordinate the internal and external scholarship evaluation processes and provide academic units with assistance in interpreting academic regulations. Evaluate and prepare files for external scholarships according the requirements of the funding organization or agency and prepare files for review by the scholarship committee. Calculate averages as required by the granting agencies. Provide applicants with information on criteria for admission scholarships, scholarships and bursaries offered by the Faculty and grants offered by funding agencies (OGS, SSHRC, CIHR, NSERC). Together with the chairs of graduate studies, organize information sessions for students about the various scholarships and other funding available.

What you will bring:

• Thorough knowledge of postsecondary programs, academic regulations and university services, normally acquired through postsecondary training, or equivalent experience
• Experience analyzing, managing and verifying academic records
• Experience interpreting, explaining and applying academic regulations and procedures
• Experience in an advising role and in customer service in an academic setting
• Experience using computer systems (SIS/uoCampus, Talisma, Calculator, Document Manager, or similar systems) and applications and platforms such as Windows, word processing software, databases, spreadsheets, email and the Internet
• Experience in administrative writing in both official languages
• Strong skills in interpersonal communication, teamwork and problem solving
• Experience working under pressure and prioritizing work to meet firm deadlines
• Bilingualism – French and English (spoken and written)

Key Competencies at uOttawa:

Here are the required competencies for all or our employees at uOttawa: 

Planning: Organize in time a series of actions or events in order to realize an objective or a project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.

Initiative: Demonstrate creativity and initiative to suggest improvements and encourage positive results. Is proactive and self-starting. Show availability and willingness to go above and beyond whenever it is possible.

Client Service Orientation: Help or serve others to meet their needs. This implies anticipating and identifying the needs of internal and external clients and finding solutions on how to meet them.

Teamwork and Cooperation: Cooperate and work well with other members of the team to reach common goal(s). Accept and give constructive feedback. Able to adjust own behaviour to reach the goals of the team.

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.

Note: if this is a union position: The hiring process will be governed by the current collective agreement related to the union affiliation noted above; you can click here to find out more.

If this is a front-line position with responsibilities to interact with students, selected candidates must be rated at the Low Advanced proficiency level or higher for both oral comprehension and reading comprehension in their second official language. The rating is determined by a proficiency test designed by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute.

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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