Administrative Coordinator - Graduate and Postdoctoral Education

Staff - Union

Job Category
CUPE 2950

Job Profile
CUPE 2950 Salaried - Sr Program Asst-Gen (Gr8)

Job Title
Administrative Coordinator - Graduate and Postdoctoral Education

Department
Leadership | Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office | Faculty of Medicine

Compensation Range
$4,601.00 - $4,953.00 CAD Monthly

Posting End Date
February 16, 2024

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the Posting End Date above.

Job End Date

This position is located within a health-care facility, therefore, the successful candidate will be required to provide verification of full vaccination against Covid-19 provided prior to the start date, as required by a provincial health mandate.

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. 

Job Summary

The Administrative Coordinator-Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, Faculty of Medicine (FoM), coordinates all procedures and processes and oversees the administration of the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Education (GPE).

The Administrative Coordinator GPE is primarily responsible for coordinating and supporting the complex core functions of the FoM GPE Office which includes allocating $2.4m of university funding to graduate programs annually, adjudicating ~$75,000 of annual FoM graduate and postdoctoral awards, managing and delivering the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) course to approx. 300 FoM graduate students each year, conducting internal graduate program reviews, developing and delivering a diverse and multifaceted wellness support program to graduate and postdoctoral trainees (including two peer-mentorship programs each year), organizing and overseeing the Healthy Environments in Academic Research Teams (HEART) program and certificate, organizing and leading annual events such as research and career days for all FoM graduate and postdoctoral trainees, and developing new strategic initiatives to increase indigenous engagement and equity, diversity and inclusion in FoM graduate and postdoctoral programs.

The Administrative Coordinator provides administrative coordination and support of all work processes in the Office of GPE and provides administrative support to the Associate Dean, GPE.

 

The position is structured at 1.0 FTE and based on the UBC Vancouver Point Grey campus.
Organizational Status

The Administrative Coordinator reports directly to the Manager, Office of GPE. Works closely with and receives work direction from the Associate Dean, GPE, and as appropriate, the Program Coordinator, GPE. Interacts frequently with the members of the teams in the offices of the Vice Dean Research and Vice Dean Education, Faculty of Medicine, the graduate and postdoctoral program directors, and other offices within the Faculty of Medicine at large.

 

The Faculty of Medicine is home to almost 1,300 graduate students in 20 graduate programs (14 of which confer doctoral degrees), and approximately 400 postdoctoral fellows located in the Faculty’s Departments, Schools, Centres, Institutes, and affiliated hospital sites. Graduate and postdoctoral programs receive direct support and oversight from the Office of GPE. The mission of this office is to work collaboratively to offer informed and holistic support and to enhance nurturing research and learning environments, empowering all graduate and postdoctoral trainees in the Faculty of Medicine to thrive.
Work Performed

·        Provides critical operational and administrative  support to the Office of the GPE which includes supporting the day-to-day business of the office, providing administrative support to  projects and working groups, including new strategic initiatives to support indigenous engagement and to develop cultural safety training for all FoM graduate students.

·        Conducts research and compiles statistical data about the FoM graduate and postdoctoral program landscape to support annual reporting, inform new strategic initiatives. Performs qualitative and quantitative outcome assessments and evaluations for GPE initiatives such as mentorship programs and wellbeing programs and services.

Administrative coordination of internal graduate program reviews, establishes meeting schedules and membership of the Graduate and Postdoctoral Education subcommittee for program reviews, organizes meetings and takes minutes, drafts and edits complex reports.

·        Coordinates the operation of the FoM Graduate and Postdoctoral Education Committee (GPEC) and all subcommittees, establishes meeting schedules for in-person, remote or hybrid meetings, creates meeting agendas while appropriately balancing urgent requests and longer-term priorities, takes minutes and supports all GPEC communication and reporting procedures including maintaining and updating complex documents such as Terms of Reference.

·        Performs various financial duties such as processing expenses and reimbursements in UBC Workday and, monitoring and reporting on interdisciplinary graduate program budgets.  Monitors the annual allocation of indirect costs of research to graduate programs and critically supports all communication about university funding allocations to graduate programs.

·        Organizes large FoM GPE events such as the annual Building the Future research day for graduate and postdoctoral trainees or graduate and postdoctoral career days. May be required to adjust or work outside of normal office hours to support events.

·        Assists in the FoM award adjudication process by coordinating the adjudication committee and processing and preparing adjudication packages for each applicant.

·        Supports the logistics of planning and delivering workshops, training and events related to the wellbeing of trainees, such as peer mentorship programs for graduate students and postdocs, HEART workshops and events, and other related and new initiatives.

·        Maintains   electronic information support systems for the Office of GPE, including project schedules and priorities, committee membership tracking, and mailing lists and ensures alignment of information across multiple channels and information sites, including the GPE webpage.

·        Initiates, compiles and writes confidential correspondences, communications, briefing notes and reports on behalf of the Associate Dean, GPE. Researches, prioritizes, and recommends appropriate course of action and/or responses on complex issues to the Associate Dean, GPE.

·        Provides calendaring and administrative support to the Associate Dean, GPE, using tact, diplomacy, and discretion with a high level of independence. Takes initiative to coordinate time-critical meetings involving the team and multiple stakeholders across sites and within and between regions, identifying and communicating high priority requests, and researching and preparing supporting documents and materials for meetings.

·        Responds to confidential and complex email, and in-person inquiries, and interacts with faculty members, staff, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and others in a professional manner on behalf of the Associate Dean, GPE, consistent with the Faculty’s Professional Standards document. These requests and interactions may require significant tact and diplomacy and/or contain sensitive information. Escalates unusual or highly complex requests to the appropriate individuals.

·        Maintains and updates a procedures manual for this position, which includes the maintenance of UBC and Faculty of Medicine system accounts and passwords.

·        Performs other related duties as required.

·        Fosters a strong collaborative relationship with the Offices of Research and Education, FoM, the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS), and other teams within the Office of the Dean, FoM.
Consequence of Error/Judgement
This position requires judgement, tact, discretion and initiative to an outstanding degree. The incumbent is expected to use sound judgement to respond to frequently changing conditions and priorities and to prioritize assignments accordingly for themselves. Errors in judgement or ineffective communication will compromise the effectiveness and efficiency of the Associate Dean, GPE on matters relating to education and research, and could reflect negatively on the Faculty of Medicine and the University. Unusual issues should be brought to the attention of the Associate Dean, GPE.
Supervision Received

Reports directly to the Manager, Office of GPE. Works closely with and receives work direction from the Associate Dean, GPE, as required, for the completion of more complex tasks. Work assignments may be managed through the Microsoft Teams platform.
Supervision Given
None.
Minimum Qualifications
High School graduation, plus two year post-secondary diploma, plus four years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- 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

Preferred Qualifications

·        Ability to take initiative and work independently and under broad direction and at a high level of comfort in an environment that involves frequently changing conditions and priorities.

·        Exceptional attention to detail required. Ability to exercise sound judgment on a daily basis, including determining nature and urgency of inquiries and issues and triaging appropriately.

·        Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, including ability to compose correspondence, reports, presentations and other written materials using clear, concise business English.

·        Ability to exercise high level of tact and discretion, project a positive image and be diplomatic in stressful situations while maintaining confidentiality in dealing with leadership, faculty, staff and graduate and postdoctoral trainees.

·        High-level of interpersonal skills including ability to provide assistance and emotional support to individuals who are under stress; ability to listen actively and probe for information to clarify complex requests and to provide interpretation of a complex nature.

·        Ability to function collegially and work collaboratively within a close fast-paced and hybrid/shared-office team-working environment.

·        Demonstrated ability to prioritize work (gathering, recording and organizing information), multi-tasking, working under pressure and meeting deadlines.

·        Ability to research, compile and integrate qualitative and quantitative information drawn from various sources.

·        Advanced computer experience required (Microsoft Office programs including Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, PowerPoint, Sharepoint, Teams).

·        Intuitive knowledge to operate modern online platforms effectively (Doodle Poll, Qualtrics, Airtable) and to develop and implement innovative procedures to increase team efficiency.

·        Experience with videoconferencing and teleconferencing.

·        Experience with UBC Workday preferred.

·        Ability to type 60 wpm, transcribe dictation and operate a normal range of office equipment.

·        Comfortable learning new technologies.

·        Knowledge of University and FoM policies, procedures, governance and administrative systems preferred.

·        Ability to travel between local sites is required.