Specialist, Continuous Improvement

Description

The Dean's Office in the Faculty of Social Work is currently seeking a Full-time Limited Term Specialist for approximately 60 months.

The Social Work and Law faculties are implementing transdisciplinary initiatives to transform the family justice system. The initiative has two major streams of work: Community-based Action Research (Endowment) to develop new knowledge and a Centre for Transformation to translate research knowledge into action. The Specialist, Continuous Improvement will be responsible for the initiative's continuous improvement by embedding quality performance management approaches, a continuous learning perspective, CBPR (Community-based Participatory Research), agility and journey-based learning, and processes and integrating developmental evaluation methodologies and principles.

The Centre's action-focused work includes building community capacity to work in systems change, education and awareness and catalyzing collaboration across systems (justice, human services, child welfare, health, etc.) to facilitate coordinated person-centered support for families. The Centre will also advance innovation by piloting and scaling new high-impact systems transformations by facilitating, coordinating, managing commitments, building capacity, and celebrating CBPR (Community-based Participatory Research) to advance the common agenda.

Reporting to the Deans of Social Work and Law, and closely working with the Centre's Senior Director and Director of Operations, the specialist will work 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday, with an expectation to be flexible due to events or meetings outside of regular office hours. This person will support the Research Associates and Chairs in community-based participatory research based on relationality and Keeoukaywin (The Visiting Way).

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

Provide Strategic Support in developing performance standards in overall program design

• Actively support the Deans of Social Work and Law in developing project goals, deliverables, timelines, and success metrics with a specific focus on continuous learning perspective, with a need for agility and journey-based learning and approaches in the planning process.
• Identify potential risks and mitigating strategies to ensure the smooth launch of the Centre and the execution of the project charter and work plans.
• Develop agendas, send out invitations and support the Deans of Social Work and Law to run cross-functional meetings; these meetings are held with internal and external stakeholders to ensure alignment between program activities, quality assurance, and as continuous improvement plans.
• Develop performance tracking systems to ensure program work is effectively planned and deviations are identified early.

Develop a Continuous Learning Strategy integrating the work of the Centre and Research Initiatives 

• Design and implement a Continuous Improvement Program with quality control measures throughout the Center's lifecycles and research-specific projects led by the chairs.
• Monitor adherence to program strategy and the University of Calgary's established standards, policies, and best practices.
• Conduct regular reviews and provide reports to the two Deans, the Centre's team, and research chairs to ensure compliance with project goals and objectives as outlined in the Center's charter.
• Develop a process and methodology for implementing the Centre's continuous improvement plans, including providing feedback and actionable recommendations.

Provide developmental evaluation support with a primary focus on the quality of program design and execution process

• Work with external evaluators and the Centre's evaluation team to design and implement developmental evaluation techniques, with a primary focus on the Centre's key program milestones and deliverables and the two research chairs' key activities to inform the Deans' real-time decision-making.
• Connect with the research team (Chairs, Research Associates) to ensure necessary Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board (CFREB) applications are in place.
• Collect, analyze, and interpret quantitative and qualitative performance data.
• Supervise hourly research assistants and train them on collecting quantitative and qualitative data; this will include hiring and performance management during their employment.
• Generate insights to adapt and improve project strategies, fostering innovation and responsiveness.
• Prepare presentations to communicate findings to Deans and UCalgary senior leadership and external stakeholders as needed.

Facilitate proper alignment and integration with University of Calgary Quality Assurance Standards Team

• Harmonize or Integrate the University of Calgary's quality assurance process with the Centre's overall program strategy.
• Serve as a primary liaison between the University of Calgary and the Centre to address emerging issues around risk, quality assurance, ethics, and other compliance issues.
• Facilitate training and professional development opportunities for Centre staff in quality assurance and continuous improvement processes.

Performance Data Measurement, Management and Reporting

• Lead the development and timely submission of periodic continuous learning, quality assurance, continuous improvement reports, and recommendations to the Deans, The Centre's leadership team, and Research Chairs.
• Working with process participants and owners, analyze gaps and options, define desired outcomes.
• Develop an overall program performance dashboard to show the overall program milestone.

Qualifications / Requirements:

• Undergrad degree in social sciences or related fields such as social work, sociology, economics or political science required. Priority will be given to candidates with a Master¿s degree in social sciences or related fields such as social work, sociology, economics or political science.
• Certification in Quality Assurance, Risk Management, and program evaluation is required.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in project management, proven success in business analysis, process modeling/improvement, quality assurance, or program evaluation required.
• Proven track record of initiating projects and delivering results in a collaborative environment required.
• Familiarity with developmental evaluation methodologies and tools.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with attention to detail required.
• Experience in designing and implementing developmental evaluation.
• Proficiency in data collection and analysis tools (e.g., Excel, Power BI, SPSS, etc.) required.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and engagement with stakeholder abilities required.
• Critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities.
• Knowledge of agile or adaptive management frameworks is an asset.
• Experience supervising/managing a small team of professionals is required.
• Proven experience working/managing in a unionized environment is preferred.
• Proficiency with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Power BI) required.
• Proven experience in designing quality assurance processes, including developing and implementing continuous improvement plans.
• Adequate understanding of the quality assessment of partnership-based initiatives.
• In-depth understanding of the post-secondary role in community-based action research.
• Experience in the human service sector in critical social issues such as domestic violence, family justice, poverty, and population-specific problems.
• Justice sector knowledge is a strong asset.
• Experience working with marginalized individuals from various diverse and equity-deserving communities, especially racialized communities and marginalized and vulnerable citizens.
• Adequate understanding of fundamental principles of Indigenous ways of knowing and doing, such as experience in facilitating ethical space and positive relationships with First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples.

Application Deadline:  March 20, 2025

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 Professional Career Band, Level 3 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 Institutional Commitments ([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.