Sustainability & EESC Assistant - UBC, Kelowna

About this opportunity

The position will provide student, faculty and financial related administrative support to the Department Head, faculty and staff in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (EESC). Key duties for this position are to provide administrative support for the Bachelor of Sustainability degree program and the Earth and Environmental Sciences MSc and PhD graduate programs. The position holder also will assist with other EEGS programs as required and work closely with a second Senior Departmental Administrative Assistant with whom there will be overlap in some duties, including assisting with managing and coordinating student hires, assisting the recruitment and onboarding of new faculty, staff and sessional instructors, assisting with departmental financial processes and organization of department seminars, workshops, conferences and other events.

The position holder will work closely with the Director and Steering Committee of the B.SUST degree program and the Chair and members of the EESC Graduate Program Committee. The position requires initiative and judgment to assess and respond to issues and to resolve administrative problems, effective use of database and web-based programs and performance of general routine office procedures.

Requirements

• Four years post secondary in a relevant discipline.
• Over two years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience in a university setting providing administrative assistance to executives preferred.
• Knowledge of University policies and procedures is an asset.
• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own.
• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Intermediate proficiency in MS Office software which includes Word, Excel, Access, Publisher, Outlook and PowerPoint, with knowledge of Adobe PDF.
• Experience with UBC Workday and/or UBC SISC systems is an asset.
• Ability to effectively manage multiple tasks and priorities.
• Demonstrated organizational skills are required.
• Ability to ensure efficient records management procedures and practices required.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and within a team environment.
• Ability to take and transcribe accurate minutes and able to perform word processing at 60 words per minute.
• Demonstrated oral and written communication using clear concise business language is required.
• Ability to maintain accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to exercise confidentiality, sensitivity, tact and discretion.
• Ability to prioritize work, multi-task and work under pressure to meet deadlines in a hectic environment.

Key duties

Provides administrative support by:

• Assist with the Education Plan management for the B.SUST degree program in accordance with established guidelines and in consultation with the B.SUST Steering Committee and relevant departments.
• Manages and updates required information into spreadsheets for the Dean's Office.
• Arranges and prepares minutes for B.SUST Steering Committee and EESC Graduate Program Committee meetings.
• Prepares registration reports for review by the Head, B.SUST Program Director and the Graduate Program Committee Chair.
• Works with the EESC Department Laboratory Manager to coordinate TA hires, allocations and assignments in accordance with established guidelines.
• Monitors enrolment and waitlists of SUST courses and arranges for movement of classes into appropriate classrooms if necessary.
• Assists with student registration, records appropriate changes to student records in Workday, and manages waitlists, pre-requisites, course conflicts, and registration requests.
• Prepares and distributes SUST field school course requirements, advertisements, waivers, restricted registration, and accounts for the field school budget.
• Assists with recruitment of new SUST faculty, sessional and staff hires, creates adverts, schedules interviews, and coordinates onboarding.
• Adds SUST instructors and TAs to Student Evaluation of Teaching (SEOT) for evaluation purposes.
• Prepares and distributes agendas, documentation and minutes for EESC department and committee meetings, and attends to take minutes.
• Coordinates and schedules appointments with department members, University members, students and general public.
• Responds to inquiries from students, faculty members, staff, other UBC departments and the general public.
• Processes, tracks and updates Salto security access.
• Monitors office equipment, arranges service maintenance and repair calls, and instructs faculty on proper equipment use.
• Receives and distributes mail, and distributes general and departmental announcements.
• Photocopies and collates materials, including mid-terms and final exams as required.
• Files and retrieves documents, reviewing files to rename, cull, archive, or dispose of material when directed.
• Prepares and submits Facilities work orders to address routine facility, building, and maintenance issues.
• Collects and organizes electronic copies of course outlines for public inquiries.
• Assists with final exam supplies, sign-up sheets, and storage organization for large classes.
• Orders and maintains office supplies, and maintains department bulletin boards.
• Facilitates courier and shipping as needed, collaborates with Dean's Office for directory updates, and creates promotional print materials.
• Monitors and responds to EESC Department, B.SUST, and EESC Graduate Program generic email accounts, and supports department student course unions and official visitors.

Provides administrative support with respect to student hires by:

• Oversight of student hires including Graduate Teaching Assistants, Undergraduate Teaching Assistants, Graduate Academic Assistants, Undergraduate Academic Assistants, Work Study and Work Learn students in the Bachelor of Sustainability program.
• Collects, records, uploads, files and/or appropriately disposes of all confidential documents required for student hires.
• Provides set-up information to student employees including CWL, PIN and UBC email information.
• Assigns student hires to appropriate courses in Workday and coordinates duties with EESC department staff.
• Coordinates onboarding by setting up office space and entering IT and Facilities requests.
• Provides ongoing assistance to TAs, AAs, Markers and Work Study/Work Learn appointments regarding payroll, facilities, equipment and supplies.
• Prepares and posts Teaching Assistant positions for Head's review, and tracks appointments and salary.

Provides administrative support for Graduate Students by:

• Serves as the resource person for faculty, staff and students regarding policies and procedures surrounding admissions, programs of study, awards, research assistantships, graduation, and related matters.
• Coordinates and publicizes graduate student research seminars and workshops, office allocations, and onboarding.
• Administers creation of Earth and Environmental Sciences Special Topics 551 and Directed Readings 552 courses for graduate students.
• Maintains graduate student information database to track applicant info, degree progression, grades, thesis, biographical, financial, and award data.
• Monitors student progress with faculty supervisors and the Graduate Program Coordinator, checking transcripts prior to defense.
• Announces thesis defenses, processes related tasks, and ensures graduation documents are received and processed to the College of Graduate Studies.

Assists with Department financial processes by:

• Initiates and processes requisitions for payment/expenses.
• Manages and reconciles a department VISA card.
• Reconciles financial expenses for Department staff or faculty when delegated and approved.
• Creates Purchase Orders for Department expenses and follows up with payment procedures.
• Collects and coordinates student software fees/purchases, cash deposits, and accounting requirements for B.SUST and EESC graduate programs.

Provides support to events and performs other related duties:

• Assists with organizing seminars, workshops, conferences, guest speakers, and other events by booking facilities, arranging catering, travel, materials, expenditures, and registration.
• Supports events by collecting fees, ticket sales, attendance lists, and creating print and advertising.
• Performs other related duties as required, including covering for the other EESC Department Administrative Assistant during vacations and sick leave.

About the employer

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.