Manager, Undergraduate Advising and Administration, Faculty of Arts

Description

The Arts Admin Operations within the Faculty of Arts is currently seeking a Full-time Regular Manager, Undergraduate Advising and Administration.

This permanent, full-time position reports to the Manager, Arts Students' Centre, with accountabilities to the Associate Dean, Academic, the Associate Dean, Student Success and the Associate Dean, Teaching, Learning and Student Engagement.

The Arts Students' Centre (ASC) is the main point of contact for undergraduate student advising and engagement in the Faculty of Arts. In addition to providing prescriptive program advising for over 40 undergraduate degree programs offered by the faculty, ASC provides general advising on University regulations and processes, coordinates participation in recruitment and conversions activities across the faculty, administers student engagement programs including the Arts and Science Honours Academy and Co-operative Education, supports course and program needs for non-departmentalized courses and certificates, manages the academic misconduct and appeals processes and oversees the calendar and curriculum review processes.

The Manager, Undergraduate Advising and Administration is an in-person role that requires attention to detail and the ability to work with competing deadlines while managing frequent interruptions. The ability to coach and support others is critical in this role. This position is guided by policies, university and faculty plans and strategies. From a big picture perspective, the incumbent will routinely use good judgement to identify and resolve day-to-day technical and operational issues. The performance has a direct impact on the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of own team and its contributions to the unit, faculty and university as a whole.

The Manager, Undergraduate Advising and Administration, is responsible for the overall operation of undergraduate program advising services and related administration in the Faculty of Arts. This includes communicating Faculty of Arts procedures to the broader university community and providing updates and insights from other units to the ASC team. In addition to being the reports-to manager for a team of eight Undergraduate Program Advisors (UPAs) and one Senior Undergraduate Program Specialist, this role also works closely with other members of the Arts Students' Centre team to ensure all processes connected to undergraduate programs, advising services and student engagement are meeting the needs of the faculty This role is also responsible for the management and day-to-day transactions (e.g., minute taking, course scheduling, etc.) that support non-departmentalized courses and certificates, academic misconduct and the curriculum and academic review (CARC) process. Occasional attendance at events outside of office hours is required.

Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

• Full managerial discretion for direct reports, including recruitment, performance management, training and discipline up to and including termination.
• Promote a collaborative team environment through excellent role modeling and coaching, training, and assigning work fairly and in a way that ensures breadth of skill and development of the team.
• Ensure that effective operations and a high level of quality assurance are maintained at all times, so that students consistently receive professional and fair treatment.
• Provide strong leadership and uses excellent communication, problem-solving and analytical skills to lead and motivate individuals to work cohesively in a team environment.
• Manage program-level advising policies and procedures within the Faculty, ensuring they are developed in accordance with university processes, policies, and procedures.
• Manage student communications from recruitment through to graduation.
• Liaise with other units on campus which are student focused such as the Student Success Centre, Student and Enrollment Services, Centre for International Students and Study Abroad,
• The Writing Symbols Lodge, etc. to ensure coordination of undergraduate policies and procedures.
• Identifies professional development needs and skills priorities for the undergraduate student support team; continues own personal development, learning and training; keeps current with post-secondary developments
• Participate as a contributing member on several Faculty of Arts committees and university-wide committees.
• Supports the ASC manager, Associate Deans and Undergraduate Program Directors (or equivalent) to ensure that advising and related administrative needs for Faculty of Arts students are being met.
• Reviews policies, procedures and processes regularly to ensure efficiency, working with the Business Operations Centre to develop tools that support the student experience.
• Provide support on complex advising matters, escalated issues, and system troubleshooting.
• Resolve any escalated student program conflicts as they arise.
• Generate collaborative relationships within the Faculty of Arts and the greater university community ensuring timely communication related to undergraduate support is shared with all stake holders.
• Gather, analyze, and report on relevant statistical information to improve the student advising services and faculty support.
• Creates and updates communication plans to target populations.
• Works with Undergraduate Program Directors in the departments and schools in the Faculty of Arts to recommend and monitor adjustments to policies and procedures.
• Manages courses and programs that do not have a departmentalized home. This includes directing the work of the Engagement Assistant as well as performing routine transactions (i.e., timetabling and sessional hires).
• Manages the Academic Misconduct process.
• Adhere to all university policy and regulatory requirements, including FOIP legislation.
• Attendance at recruitment and other events/activities as appropriate.
• Continue own personal development, learning and training; keeps current with post-secondary developments.

Qualifications / Requirements:

• Minimum 5 years of experience managing a team, including 3 years in a university environment or extensive experience with undergraduate program advising (and the related administration) is required.
• Previous experience working with post-secondary students is required.
• Excellent leadership skills, with an ability to work independently and as part of a team, be proactive and self-directed.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise, organize, motivate, manage performance, mentor and develop staff.
• Excellent oral, written and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to resolve conflicts related to highly sensitive and confidential matters and dealing with escalated and/or emotional issues empathetically and professionally.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement strategies to provide value-added service to students and the campus community.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the framework for the University of Calgary undergraduate degrees and related policies and procedures, particularly for programs in the Faculty of Arts.
• Knowledge of policies, procedures and practices related to student affairs.
• Strong organizational and planning skills with the ability to establish priorities, manage multiple demands and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and analyze business needs and participate in the development of budgets, goals, objectives, policies and procedures; including aligning staff and resources to achieve targets.
• Expertise with university business systems such as PeopleSoft, PureCloud, D2L, and Microsoft Office applications and the ability to develop processes and utilize technology to increase efficiencies.

Application Deadline:  October 4, 2024.

We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.

This position is classified in the Management Career Band, Level M1 of the Management and Professional Staff Career Framework. 

For a listing of all management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Management and Staff Careers website. 

About the University of Calgary

UCalgary is Canada's entrepreneurial university, located in Canada's most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada's leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion ([email protected]) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources ([email protected]).

Do you have most but not all the qualifications? Research show that women, racialized and visible minorities, and persons with disabilities are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At UCalgary we are committed to achieving equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible employment practices and workplaces and encourage you to apply if you believe you are right for this role. 

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.