Director, Environment Technology and Instructional Support

Location

Waterloo, ON | Canada

Job description

The Director leads the Environment Technology and Instructional Support (ETIS) unit in two mission-critical and related ‘pillars of support.’ These pillars – which are core to the realization of the Faculty of Environment’s strategic goals – are 1) Information Technology and 2) Instructional support. Instructional support includes traditional course support and a wide range of experiential learning opportunities which leverage the unit’s diverse human and physical resources. Consequently, the Director needs to have significant experience in the world of IT and the world of Instructional Support. This position takes strategic and operational direction from the Associate Deans, Undergrad and Graduate Studies on matters related to instructional support and also works closely with the Faculty’s UCIST representative and Executive Officer. Additionally, the Director actively collaborates on campus-wide projects and assumes a leadership role in projects affecting both the Faculty and the campus at-large.

Management including, but not limited to:

• Recruit, manage and supervise staff to maintain the high level of excellence of ETIS
• Establish, communicate, and maintain operating guidelines and procedures for staff in alignment with University policies and procedures
• Supervise staff from other units (such as the Faculty Liaison staff from Information Systems and Technology) assigned to work in ETIS
• Liaise with staff from other units (such as the Centre for Teaching Excellence), who work with ETIS
• Direct staff training and professional development opportunities to assist in the achievement of their career path objectives and the provisioning of resources necessary to meet the current and future needs of the Faculty
• Provide staff with a productive work environment and career opportunities. Maintain a cooperative and collegial workplace
• Promote a co-operative, collegial approach to problem solving

Instructional support including, but not limited to:

• Provide faculty with instructional and experiential support. This currently has a focus in geomatics, design disciplines, the makerspace, and in the ecological sciences
• Ensure use of instructional support resources is maximized to align with the strategic goals of the Faculty
• Proactively pursue growth options within the Faculty for new areas of instructional support, collaborate with senior leadership to identify and prioritize these areas, and assess methods to provide them
• Works with team to explore experiential learning opportunities for all ENV students. Provide environments/infrastructure and staffing skillsets to achieve these opportunities
• Monitor curriculum directions in the Faculty, to identify emerging opportunities for instructional support and experiential learning, and develop ways to realize and support those opportunities
• Seek out and forge cross-campus collaborations in experiential learning

Infrastructure, service and support including, but not limited to:

• Ensure all information technology in the Faculty conform with function and direction as set out by the Dean, and University-wide steering and advisory committees
• Ensure a fully functional computing environment is available to all students, staff, faculty, and visitors in the Faculty
• Advise and make recommendations on IT purchases in the Faculty
• Accountable for budget resource allocation and managing the implementation, maintenance, and retirement of systems, software, and technology services for the Faculty
• Co-ordinate projects and technical activities within ETIS. Ensure broad-based initiatives related to technology at the University involve ETIS staff as appropriate and take Faculty needs into account
• Direct the development of software and systems for instructional, research, and administrative purposes. Work directly with faculty and staff to specify, write, purchase, or adapt programs and configurations to meet business needs
• Participate in the ongoing technical work of ETIS

Technology Leadership including, but not limited to:

• Represent the Faculty on campus-wide committees, including the Computing Technology Steering Committee (CTSC) and assign staff to University-wide committees and projects
• Provide technological leadership and continuity of direction to the department
• Assess current technology advances as they might affect or enhance the Faculty’s computing environments
• Identify the needs of the user community and work with ETIS staff to prioritize and meet these needs
• Interact with vendors to ensure the technology needs of the Faculty are met sustainably

• University degree in a field related to computing technology or equivalent experience in the field is required
• Graduate university degree in the field of Environment is preferred
• 10+years of progressive experience within the field of information technology
• Significant experience within the area of instructional support
• Must have extensive direct supervisory experience, including mentoring, and developing teams and experience influencing senior level management and key stakeholders. Demonstrated leadership, strategic planning, negotiation, communication, interpersonal, analytics, and organizational skills
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in broad-based computational technology management in an academic environment
• Excellent management, leadership, team-building and interpersonal skills
• Ability to apply abstract thinking to develop and execute strategic plans for the unit – especially within a rapidly changing academic landscape – with focus on both IT and instructional support
• A demonstrated understanding of technology (including but not limited to computational, geospatial, multimedia, makerspace) and how it applies to teaching and research undertaken within the Faculty and its impacts on instructional support
• A demonstrated understanding of the nature of the academic disciplines within the Faculty (including the geomatics, and design disciplines, the makerspace and multimedia facilities, and the environmental sciences), and how instructional support can be leveraged for these disciplines
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to manage multiple responsibilities with conflicting priorities and deadlines is required
• Proven ability to work collaboratively with campus and Faculty management teams
• Ability to recognize implications of change in technologies and directions and proactively align unit resources to support the emerging changes
• Detailed planning and organization of large and complex projects
• The Director is a working member of the ETIS team and will apply their expertise in one or more technological and/or instructional support disciplines

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.

Job tags

Salary