Strategic Initiatives Officer

This position is a part of the Association of the Academic Staff of the University of Alberta (AASUA).

In accordance with the Administrative and Professional Officer Agreement , this full-time continuing position offers a comprehensive benefits package found on our Benefits Overview page and annual salary range of $71,557 - $119,269.

Location - This role is hybrid with a mix of remote and in-person work at North Campus Edmonton.

Working for the University of Alberta

The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages and cultures of First Nations, Métis, Inuit and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.

The University of Alberta is teeming with change makers, community builders, and world shapers who lead with purpose each and every day. We are home to more than 40,000 students in 200+ undergraduate and 500+ graduate programs, over 13,000 faculty and staff, 260,000 alumni worldwide and have been recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for over a decade.

Your work will have a meaningful influence on a fascinating cross section of people—from our students and stakeholders, to our renowned researchers and innovators who are quite literally curing diseases, making discoveries and generating solutions that make the world healthier, safer, stronger, and more just.

Working for the Dean of Students

The Dean of Students supports all students — undergraduate and graduate — in the pursuit of academic and personal success. The Dean of Students collaborates with faculties, offices, and services across all campuses to deliver effective programming and provides leadership on university policies and initiatives. The Office of the Dean of Students coordinates many services that strive to create diverse and inclusive support in all stages of the student experience, including academic resources, career and professional development health & wellness services, and community resources.

Position 

Reporting to the Associate Vice President, Student Experience, and supporting senior leadership in the dyad model in the Dean of Students, the position provides planning, monitoring, and managing of specific initiatives and projects from initiation through completion.  Prioritizes multiple portfolio-wide initiatives with varying completion dates. This role is responsible for communicating complex strategies clearly to various stakeholders. In all facets of this role, this position endeavors to integrate and advance the University’s commitments to equity, diversity, and inclusivity.This position understands, fulfills, and promotes the health, safety and environment responsibilities identified in university policy.

Duties 

Advisor/Influencer:

• Provides clear and understandable advice and recommendations based on experience and knowledge to support informed decision making by leaders.
• Supports the Dean of Students in providing strategic advice and information and responds to various current and emerging issues. As such, the Strategic Initiatives Officer is regularly entrusted with confidential information and must be flexible to respond to changing priorities in a challenging and dynamic environment.
• Maintains a transparent and responsive relationship with clients and stakeholders. Takes accountability for performance. Develops trust.
• Leverages extensive contacts and relationships across campus to solve problems, gather data & ensure projects and initiatives are successful.

Strategic Thinker/ Organizationally Aware:

• Demonstrates a broad understanding of the internal and external context in which the University operates.
• Anticipates issues and challenges facing the university and aligns own projects and initiatives accordingly.
• Leads, coordinates, implements, tracks, and completes projects and events that are support of the strategic vision and priorities of the institution.
• Plans and schedules calendars with minimal consultation which requires an understanding of portfolio priorities and dependencies to deal with conflicts and respond to last minute shifts in priorities and emerging issues.
• Incorporates aspects of successful solutions from other organizations but adapts them to create a made for purpose solution for the University.

Issues Management:

• Raise urgent and/or sensitive issues while assessing options, implications and risks and provide recommendations to the AVP, Student Experience, and the Vice-Provost, Dean of Students for consideration and/or decision-making.
• Creates important, explanatory information from complex quantitative (e.g. financial or statistical) or qualitative data.
• Synthesizes complex ideas for all levels of users. Provides briefings, presentations or reports on findings, including interpretations.
• Direct and prioritize initiatives in alignment with the workflow and scheduling of the AVP, Student Experience, and the Vice-Provost, Dean of Students

Communication:

• Oversees the development of presentations, marketing and communication materials, updates or reports for all strategic initiatives. Leads and coordinates effective external communication, in collaboration with university-wide partners, to ensure a consistent understanding of key priorities and the development of effective, collaborative working relationships across the Portfolio.
• Develop documents, presentations, briefing and speaking notes to support and advance strategic priorities of the AVP, Student Experience, and the Vice-Provost, Dean of Students.
• Completes report submissions as required for external communications (e.g. Senate reporting, BLRSEC and other required reports as needed).
• Provides advice and counsel to the AVP, Student Experience, and Vice-Provost, Dean of Students on content that needs to be shared and best distribution method.
• Actively participates in Portfolio meetings to gather information and to provide information on proposed and ongoing initiatives.

Project/Event Manager:

• Manages projects and initiatives as assigned by individual leaders or leadership councils, including prioritizing projects based on determined priorities and the availability of resources. Leads complex, specialized project work on behalf of the Portfolio.
• Responds to major changes/ issues currently affecting or potentially affecting the Portfolio. Identifies new projects/work assignments required due to current or future directions. Proposes initiatives and projects based on these discoveries.
• Establishes strategic priorities with the Leadership Team to determine initiatives/projects in alignment with the DoS goals, the Student Experience Action Plan and the University’s Strategic Plan.
• Facilitates and presents proposals, recommendations, reports, and other documents through the university governance systems.
• Manages the implementation of recommendations or decisions, where appropriate.
• Meets with sponsors and organizing committees to plan the scope and format of all DoS events, to establish and monitor budgets, and to review administrative procedures and progress of events.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field; Graduate level preferred.
• 5-10 years of progressive experience where a significant portion of the duties involved managing projects/initiatives.
• Strong strategic thinking, analytical and problem solving skills, and market research experience are essential with the ability to develop innovative and concrete solutions to complex institutional problems.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, relationship management and issues management skills with demonstrated experience in conflict resolution and/or mediation in highly charged situations.
• Highly developed level of political acumen with proven ability to successfully collaborate with key campus constituencies including students, faculty, staff and community partners.
• Proven ability to be innovative, creative and passionate in developing and advocating for new policies, programs, administrative structures and/or modifying existing policies and practices.
• Extensive knowledge of the University of Alberta, its strategic plan, key initiatives, structures,  systems policies, procedures and values. In all facets of this role, this position endeavors to integrate and advance the University’s commitments to equity, diversity, and inclusivity.

At the University of Alberta, we are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible hiring process for all candidates. If you require accommodations to participate in the interview process, please let us know at the time of booking your interview and we will make every effort to accommodate your needs.

Note: Online applications are accepted until midnight Mountain Standard Time of the closing date.