Coordinator, Residence Transitions and Academic Initiatives

This position is a part of the Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA).

This position has a term length of one year plus a day and offers a comprehensive benefits package which can be viewed on our Benefits Overview page .

Location: This role is in-person and work takes place 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.

Department/Faculty Summary

Residence Life at the University of Alberta is a leading program in Canada, dedicated to the principles of dignity, respect, safety, equity, learning and community. Reporting to the Supervisor, Residence Life – Community Education and Leadership (SRL), the Coordinator – Residence Transitions and Academic Initiatives assists in achieving the goals of the University of Alberta. This is accomplished through the provision of caring, student-focused, residential environments, which assist students in being academically successful, teach students how to live respectfully with diverse groups of people, provide many leadership opportunities and build a sense of community responsibility.

For more information about our Residence program, visit our website.

Position Summary

The Coordinator – Residence Transitions and Academic Initiatives supports the Community Education and Leadership portfolio, which contributes to the development and operations of Residence as a learning environment. The specific programmatic areas supported by this position include orientation and transition programming as well as programming the supports student’s academic success. At the heart of each of these programs is rigorous planning, careful execution, and thoughtful assessment and sharing of data. Each of the programs contributes to the larger Residence learning environment, ensuring a value-added experience for students.

This position has the option to rent a semi-furnished staff apartment on campus, if units are available.

Duties

• Coordinating the development, delivery, and assessment of the BaseCamp first-year orientation program and the Ascent upper-year orientation program for over 4000 students collectively at the beginning of the Fall Semester, and for over 100 students at the beginning of the Winter Semester; Includes coordinating development, promotion and delivery of Expedition: Connect (online portal for orientation resources, cohort communities, residence communication and community connection) across residence communities.
• Coordinating and promotion of the Academic Cohort Communities, which includes supporting the selection of students living on Faculty Floors, supervising a team of Academic Cohort Leaders, being the main contact for faculty partners and ensuring they are engaged, ensuring fulfillment of programming curriculum
• Coordinating, promoting and supporting the programming of the Faculty in Residence, Academic in Residence and Visiting Irish Scholar programs
• Developing and delivering programming that support academic success and career success of all students living in residence at all stages of their university degree (consistent with the University's academic plan)
• Coordinates with other Departments and University staff concerning projects and student issues in both the residence community and for the residence system at large.
• Selects, supervises, trains, supervises and provides overarching HR support for student staff at least 10 casual student staff including academic cohort leaders and student interns; and supports the student staff selection and training for the whole residence life team
• Participates in a shared, after-hours emergency standby and callback rotation with a team of Coordinators. The on-call Coordinator is an escalation contact for emergency and crisis situations response, both during the day and after hours (e.g. assault, suicide attempts, illness, substance abuse, death, alarms, evacuations, emergency relocation, etc.)

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree, with preference given to those granted in Education or a related field; equivalent combinations of education and experience will be considered.
• Able to work in the after-hours emergency standby rotation and perform callback duties as required.
• Able to respond to emergency and crisis situations (described above) during and outside of office hours as required.
• Strong interpersonal and empathic skills, with ability to establish trusting relationships with staff members and students.
• Computer proficiency using MS Office applications (Word, Outlook and Excel) and proficiency using Google Suite of software.
• Ability to work with confidential information in a professional and sensitive manner.
• Excellent communication (verbal and written), interpersonal, organizational and problem solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in a university residence (ideally, one as a resident and one as a student staff member) is a strong asset
• Significant experience planning programs and events, preferably in a post-secondary environment, such as program planning, project management and working with partner organizations to realize successful event execution.
• Current understanding of student learning, transition, and development
• Experience planning, administering, and assessing learning outcomes
• Appreciation and ability to work with student and faculty politics
• Demonstrated ability to work well with students (i.e. to build trusting relationships) in both formal (e.g. meetings) and informal (e.g. retreats, excursions, etc.) settings
• Ability to make sound decisions when leading student activities
• Knowledgeable of University policies, procedures, and resources in order to assist students and guide them to appropriate resources (e.g. Counselling and Clinical Services, filing reports with UofA Protective Services, the Sexual Violence Policy, etc.)
• Certifications in suicide intervention, health & safety, first aid training, and dispute resolution are an asset
• Openness to receive on-going training in student learning and development, program planning, and evaluation.
• Experience in community engagement and community building activities.
• Experience in supporting diverse communities and populations.
• Ability to work independently and cohesively within a multidisciplinary team environment.
• Interpreting and applying policy such as the Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection (FOIPP) Act and the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA).

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

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those individuals selected for an interview will be contacted.