Executive Assistant

Location

Waterloo, ON | Canada

Job description

The position provides executive-level support of logistics, correspondence, and finances. The incumbent oversees the Chair Appointments process along with day-to-day office management. In addition, the incumbent works collaboratively with GSPA staff to provide a broad range of administrative, scheduling, and technical support to the department.

Executive support to the AVP and the leadership team

• Calendaring
  • Maintain a record of the annual cycle of regular meetings and institutional processes; plan well in advance for activities
  • Manage the calendars of the executive(s); ensure they are prepared for meetings, events and other engagements
  • Support and prioritize executive responsibilities and completion of tasks;
  • Using time-management skills, handle complex situations as they arise with discretion, including need for urgent meetings and changes to detailed arrangements involving numerous other parties; tactfully communicate to other parties when schedules and priorities change
• Correspondence and Priority Management
  • Manage, delegate, and ensure timely response to correspondence received through one or more email accounts; inform stakeholders with regard to emerging issues of importance/sensitivity.
  • Exercise judgment in determining whether issues or requests for meetings/events are appropriate or best referred elsewhere
  • Draft correspondence with attention to clarity, accuracy, and the intended audience
  • Arrange for signature of various forms of reports, awards, agreements and general correspondence
  • Ensure business continuity in the absence of the AVP
• Travel
  • Manage travel preparations including accommodation, transportation, conference registration, meeting schedules; handle last-minute changes to schedules
  • Collect and maintain information related to previous travel needs, copies of relevant travel documents and contacts for use on subsequent trip planning
  • Prepare and process travel and expense claims

Financial support for discretionary and research accounts

• Prepare and/or preview expense reimbursement claims
• Coordinate the purchase of supplies and equipment, maintaining records and ensuring eligibility/approval
• Prepare casual pay requests and temporary employment contracts
• Ensure that assigned operating and research accounts are soundly managed and that activities are in compliance with university policies and procedures and those of external granting agencies
• Reconcile financial statements for assigned accounts on a monthly basis and report any concerns; assist with problem-solving and error correction

Approved Doctoral Dissertation Supervisor Records/Doctoral Examination Chair Appointments

• Manage the approved doctoral dissertation status records
• Coordinate with Departments the creation of the Designated Doctoral Examination Chair’s pool
• Recruit, appoint and record faculty members’ service as doctoral examination chairs
• Report chairs’ activities to Departments on behalf of the AVPGSPA
• Update the Guide for Chairing a PhD Examination including regulations and processes

Project Leadership

Responsible for the management and delivery of one-time and ongoing projects. Examples include:

• Onboarding Staff
  • Manage onboarding of new staff, with referrals as required
  • Provide training for departmental procedures and Health and Safety policies
  • Arrange for provision of furnishings and equipment
  • Maintain checklists and procedures for incoming and outgoing staff
• Computing support
  • Develop and implement annual equipment renewal plan and associated budget
  • Serve as primary point of contact to support desktop computing and telecommunications 
  • Provide basic training on desktop computing and telecommunications
  • Software installation/configuration changes to correct problems and oversees the implementation of computer software, on-site co-ordination for computer hardware, tracking maintenance requests,
  • Serve as GSPA department representative to IST; communicate information about new systems and training opportunities within GSPA
  • Serve as primary point of contact for GSPA SharePoint site and required security permissions
• Reception Services
  • Recruiting, hiring, training and evaluation of temporary staff and/or students for Office Assistant position and overseeing tasks associated with reception responsibilities
• Safety
  • Ensure compliance with safety regulations and required staff training
  • Identify and schedule sessions for staff in conjunction with the Safety Office (e.g. First Aid training)
  • Receive complaints/concerns about personal safety in the working environment; initiate an appropriate response mechanism; ensure incidents are recorded and reported.
  • Ensure the emergency plan is kept current
  • Inspect space for security, fire and accident hazards and submit work orders to remedy infractions
  • Maintain first aid supplies, first aid training lists, and workplace safety bulletin boards

Office Operations

• Manage office equipment and supplies including printers, photocopiers, and telephones
• Maintain key and access control systems
• Manages the shared spaces in the office along with needed supplies
• Manage mail and courier packages
• Oversee changes and updates to the Office Manual/workflow processes and procedures
• Maintain contact lists e.g. department contacts, organizational charts, committee membership
• Initiate work requests for Plant Operations regarding repairs, maintenance and custodial service
• Office and equipment moves
• Book meetings and arrange venues, catering, and IT as required
• Support the planning and execution of various special events as requested

Committee support for one or more committees

• Agenda, minutes and action items associated with Graduate Operations Committee
• Maintain membership lists, mailing lists, and shared document access
• Prepare agenda and associated materials; post documents
• Record minutes and ensure preservation of records
• Follow-up on relevant business
• Schedule time/room and manage attendees
• Run electronic ballots or surveys

• College diploma or some post-secondary education in office administration, or equivalent combination of education and experience with commitment to receive postsecondary training
• 3-5 years’ Administration and/or Executive Assistant experience required
• Experience with financial reconciliations and purchasing
• Experience making independent judgement and handling confidential information
• Experience writing process documents or procedure manuals
• Experience providing tier one technical support including troubleshooting various technologies in an office work environment
• Some supervisory experience is an asset
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and independently, and thrive in a fast-paced innovative environment
• Capacity to work with confidential and sensitive information
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
• Independent judgment in areas of time management, task prioritization and decision-making
• High degree of organizational skill, interpersonal acumen and problem solving ability is required to provide oversight in balancing multiple priorities and deadlines
• Demonstrated experience tracking and reporting project progress
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship building skills with ability to relate to faculty, staff and students from various cultural backgrounds with tact and diplomacy
• Ability to change direction swiftly, manage multiple tasks simultaneously amid a number of distractions and be flexible to changing schedules and workload
• Ability to troubleshoot and problem solve independently as well as part of a team
• Ability to understand the constraints of specific granting programs
• Experience with domestic and international travel and bookings
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite and SharePoint
• Demonstrated ability to learn new software as required
• Familiarity with University governance systems, policies and procedures is an asset

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations .

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion. As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at  [email protected] or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.

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