Executive Assistant

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

This position offers a comprehensive benefits package which can be viewed at: Faculty & Staff Benefits .

Location - Work primarily 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.

Working for the Department of Biomedical Engineering

As we build our team, we recognize that our people are and will continue to be our greatest strength. The successful candidate will join one of the top Engineering programs in Canada. We help students develop the skills they need to dream of and invent the technology of the future through hands-on experiences in state-of-the-art labs with instruction from skilled faculty members. We have world-class research and teaching facilities and a range of research and education programs.

The Biomedical Engineering Department offers students interdisciplinary research opportunities and state-of-the-art facilities to take their ideas from imagination to application. The Department currently offers a Master of Science (M.Sc.) and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program in Biomedical Engineering, and the Department is expanding to offer a Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) in Biomedical Engineering. Working with medical professionals, our world-class researchers design systems, software, and devices that save lives today and improve the healthcare landscape of tomorrow.

Position 

This position will be the first point of contact for the BME department and will provide administrative support to the whole BME department as required.

In addition, you will be responsible for space allocation for highly qualified personnel, room bookings, and events management, and will provide support to all faculty members in the department who require assistance with basic HR and Finance support.

Duties 

• Prepares minutes, emails, internal communications, agendas and other correspondence. Draft agendas for meetings/committees in consultation with the leader.
• Ensures the Administrative/Academic leader has appropriate background/briefing materials for each meeting.
• Compiles and summarizes information for inclusion in reports or presentation materials. Prepares charts, graphs or tables as necessary.
• Receives visitors, guests and dignitaries on behalf of the Administrative/Academic leader.
• Respond to inquiries and determine appropriate action required.
• Manage the Department PCard, including verifying and inputting financial data for record accuracy and understanding.
• Help coordinate travel arrangements for faculty and visiting lecturers, and possibly assist in coordinating conferences, including arrangements for transportation, accommodation, preparation of itineraries, applications for funding, dealing with the travel agency/hotel, and completing all necessary forms and requisitions.
• Assist with research grant expense reconciliations.
• Review and enter Expense claims on behalf of faculty members.
• Space and facilities management – including implementing student and furniture relocation; Assessing space on an ongoing basis to proactively spot inefficiencies to better utilize available space; re-organizing/maintaining current spaces.
• Retrieve, compile and analyze data for strategic planning; streamlining work processes and program efficiency.
• Answer in-person, phone, and electronic inquiries and direct to other staff as required.
• Assist in coordinating events, including ordering supplies and catering, booking locations; answering inquiries, set-up/take-down; paying invoices and/or completing all necessary forms and requisitions.
• Schedule appointments, meetings, seminars, conferences, and teaching which may require room bookings, setting up food requirements, preparing agendas, taking and transcribing minutes, and preparing and distributing notices.

Minimum Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree required (equivalent combination of education, training and experience may be considered).
• Computer proficiency using MS Office Applications (Excel, Word, Outlook, Access, PowerPoint) and Google applications. 
• Minimum 3 years working experience with significant administrative experience in a post-secondary environment.
• Proven ability to work independently and take initiative.
• Strong interpersonal and highly developed organizational skills.
• Strong written and oral communication skills are a necessity.
• The ability to multi-task and effectively work with frequent and ongoing interruptions while maintaining strong attention to detail.
• Ability to work well under pressure; handle multiple tasks and changing priorities with tight time frames; plan and organize effectively.
• High level of understanding and capability of office administrative practices.
• Ability to retain knowledge of a variety of informational resources and requirements.
• High problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
• Ability to handle challenging employee, student, and instructor problems.
• Enthusiastic, resourceful, innovative and able to deal with ambiguity and tight deadlines, take the initiative and make decisions.
• Current First Aid Certification or willingness to be certified.

Preferred Qualifications

• Supervisory skills, coaching and mentoring an asset.

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.

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