Assistant to the Chair

Date Posted: 06/12/2024
Req ID: 37912
Faculty/Division: UofT Scarborough
Department: UTSC:Dept-Physical & Environmental Sci
Campus: University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC)
Position Number: 00006727

 

Description:

About us: The University of Toronto Scarborough is a place of energy, enthusiasm and passion. Our commitment to inclusive excellence attracts the brightest learners, scholars and employees from around the globe. Our success has been made possible by the opportunity given to us by our Indigenous hosts to operate on their territory, and we cherish our continuing partnerships with these communities. The University of Toronto Scarborough is an exciting campus with unlimitedpotential. Join us on our journey. The Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences is built on a strong foundation of dedicated staff and faculty. This Department is a multidisciplinary unit comprised of four primary groups: Chemistry, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies and Physics & Astronomy with faculty who are engaged in vital research to better understand our environment. This Department is a place where diversity fuels innovation. Discover a campus filled with energy, culture and world changing ideas and facilities. Discover the University of Toronto Scarborough. Your opportunity: Under the general direction of the Chair and Academic Programs Manager, the Assistant to the Chair is responsible for providing a variety of advanced administrative support services to both the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences and the Office of the Chair. This is a high paced and multifaceted role that requires individuals with exceptional planning and organizational skills as you will be expected to not only support the diverse day-to-day needs of the Chair’s Office, but you will also play a key role in supporting the Department’s communications and events activities. Chair’s Office:
The Assistant to the Chair oversees administrative matters, composes correspondence, reports and other communications, as well as coordinates the Chairs' schedule while maintaining confidentiality. The Assistant tothe Chair identifies urgent matters of high importance and alerts the Chairs to necessary actions, responds to, redirects, or makes referrals based on understanding of priorities and activities of the Chairs' Office. Under the provision of University procedures and guidelines, the Assistant to the Chair works closely with the Chair and Academic Programs Manager to coordinate academic processes, including all academic searches (teaching and tenure stream as well as contract and stipendiary faculty), Graduate Faculty Membership (GFM), reviews, tenure, leaves, promotions, academic integrity issues, as well as the supporting the preparation and distribution of workload and salary letters. The Chair’s Assistant will also coordinate and support all administrative activities surrounding Post-Doctoral Fellows, Adjunct and status only faculty, as well as visiting researchers/faculty. Communications
Your exceptional communications skills and creativity will support all aspects of the Departments efforts to promote its academic programs, identify and support faculty funding opportunities, and the Department’s community outreach efforts. The Assistant to the Chair will play a key role contributing to and supporting the Department’scommunications and social media teams. Events
The Chairs Assistant will take the lead role in the coordination and execution of a wide range of events in support of the Department’s Graduate and Undergraduate programs as well as its community outreach efforts. You will be involved with all aspects of the planning, coordination and execution of large- and small-scale events including, but not limited to, determining logistical requirements, arranging catering, supporting travel and accommodations, developing content for marketing and promotional materials, on-site supervision and event direction. Your exceptional organizational and customer service skills will enable you to proactively engage and support the needs of both the Chair’s Office and the Department. Your creativity will help foster an environment of innovation designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our processes, enhance our ability to promote our programs, build connections within our community, and enhance the overall experience for our students, staff and faculty. This is an excellent opportunity to join our dynamic and dedicated team that values new ideas and initiatives, and the teamwork required to see those ideas become reality. Your responsibilities will include:

• Acting as the first point of contact for general enquiries, responding to enquiries within the defined scope of the role and redirecting as appropriate
• Applying established standards when administering academic search activities, tenure, review and promotion activities.
• Determining logistical details and activities for events and/or programming.
• Arranging catering, scheduling travel plans and requesting appropriate accommodations
• Coordinating meeting schedules, agendas, materials, action and follow-up items
• Creating and updating job postings in the database, preparing draft employment letters using templates and collecting supporting documentation required for payroll and/or HRIS processing
• Maintaining information on digital platforms and creating and maintaining presence on social media platforms in support of communications, marketing and outreach activities.
• Provides administrative support by: writing routine documents and correspondence, disseminating information, updating and maintaining records, verifying the accuracy and completeness of documents, etc.

Essential Qualifications:

• Advanced College Diploma (3 years) or acceptable combination of equivalent experience. Post-Secondary Degree in a Science (e.g. Environmental Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics) or Business (e.g. Marketing, Communications) related field.
• Minimum of three years of related experience in a high-volume office environment coordinating activities, scheduling, administrative support, etc. for senior management, preferably in a university or highly complex public sector environment.
• Experience drafting, editing, and preparing a variety of written communications including the ability to summarize information and prepare original correspondence concisely.
• Experience planning and coordinating logistics for large- and small-scale events.
• Experience creating, organizing and maintaining electronic and paper filing systems.
• Experience using social and digital media for marketing, communications or outreach purposes
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office Suites. Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel (e.g., pivot tables, vlook-ups, macros) to compile, analyze, and summarize data for reporting and planning purposes.
• Must be proficient utilizing databases and mail-merge functionality.
• Superior organizational and time management skills with the ability to effectively balance time sensitive independent and team-based projects. Ability to quickly pivot to changing priorities.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to independently troubleshoot issues within the parameters of policies, standard operating procedures and past practices.
• Tact, diplomacy and professionalism.
• Demonstrated strengths in attention to detail when reviewing large documents and reports
• Strong networking and interpersonal skills required to effectively build and maintain lasting relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders.
• Customer-service focused and dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external stakeholders.
• Self-motivated learner with demonstrated commitment to professional growth and development
• Demonstrate a commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and the promotion of a respectful and collegial learning and working environment.

Assets (Nonessential):

• Knowledge of the University of Toronto Academic Administrative policies and procedures.
• Proficiency with academic job posting activities and knowledge of SuccessFactors (SF) and Quercus (Canvas) or similar systems.
• Proficient in the use of RSVP management tools (e.g. Eventbrite, Doodle Poll, MailChimp, etc.) and survey creation (e.g. MS Forms, Qualtrics, Survey Monkey, etc.) tools.
• Experience using creative software (e.g. Adobe Creative Cloud, Drupal/WordPress, Canva) for content creation.

To be successful in this role you will be:

• Approachable
• Diligent
• Organized
• Possess a positive attitude
• Resourceful
• Team player

Closing Date: 06/23/2024, 11:59PM ET
Employee Group: USW 
Appointment Type : Budget - Term 
Schedule: Full-Time
Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone:
USW Pay Band 10 -- $69,455 with an annual step progression to a maximum of $88,819. Pay scale and job class assignment is subject to determination pursuant to the Job Evaluation/Pay Equity Maintenance Protocol.  
Job Category: Administrative / Managerial
Recruiter: William Guevarra

Lived Experience Statement
Candidates who are members of Indigenous, Black, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ communities, persons with disabilities, and other equity deserving groups are encouraged to apply, and their lived experience shall be taken into consideration as applicable to the posted position.