Job Description

Director, Graduate Program Services

Primary Purpose: The Director of Graduate Program Services is responsible for providing leadership to and oversight of all aspects of graduate program management in the College of Graduate Postdoctoral Studies (CGPS), impacting the entirety of the U of S graduate community. The Director will ensure that those services are efficient and effective, that they harmonize with university services and operations outside of graduate programs, and that they conform to best practices in graduate program administration. The Director recruits, mentors, supervises, and directs the work of the CGPS Graduate Program Services team within the college. The Director liaises and collaborates with senior leaders in other administrative and academic units to develop institutional-level solutions to emerging challenges, and develop structures, service models, systems, and other improvement initiatives to provide long-term benefit to the campus\'s graduate community. The Director is a member of the CGPS Dean\'s Leadership Team, Core Operations Team, and will work with those teams to effectively integrate program management with the other strategic, administrative, and academic activities of the college. The Director acts as a delegate of the Senior Director, Graduate Student Services, when necessary and represents the CGPS on committees and institutional projects which impact the graduate community.

Nature of Work: The Director of Graduate Program Services reports to the Senior Director, CGPS. The incumbent will work closely with other leaders in CGPS and stakeholders in other colleges, the Teaching, Learning and Student Experience (TLSE) unit, and graduate academic units to provide leadership and oversight which ensures a high standard of graduate program and records management at all levels of the university. The work of this position is complex and demanding, frequently involving sensitive and confidential student information. The scope of the work is broad with significant institutional impact.

Typical Duties or Accountabilities:

• Synthesize and implement long- and short-term strategies to address the needs and responsibilities of the college, to address current and emerging challenges, and to enhance service to all stakeholders of the institution\'s graduate and postdoctoral community.
• Based on experience and knowledge of the institution and stakeholders, anticipate future challenges, and proactively initiates and advocates for changes. Collaborates with the staff of the college and other administrative and academic units to identify and implement the program management initiatives required to strategically meet the objectives of the graduate community.
• Represent CGPS on committees and strategy teams for projects and ongoing institutional initiatives as appropriate.
• Play a lead role in making recommendations to the Senior Director and implementing agreed upon changes/updates to all aspects of the university\'s graduate program management, including but not limited to: admissions, program requirements, registration, leaves of absence, graduation/convocation, and policy exceptions.
• Ensure the fidelity of Graduate Student records according to registrarial standards and takes a lead role in developing reports based on those records.
• Ensure that the College engages with academic units to monitor the progress of individual students, maintain appropriate student records, and communicate with students and departments concerning progress towards completion of degrees.
• Oversee and direct the work of CGPS Graduate Program Services staff (as well as other term and special project hires as needed). Conduct ongoing recruitment, training, and development activities with direct reports and other CGPS staff to maintain a productive and effective staff team.
• Collaborates with CPGS staff to align operations with the needs of postdoctoral fellows.
• Act as CGPS liaison to the Registrar\'s Office, Student Accounts and Treasury, and Research Services regarding issues involving individual graduate students and graduate programs.
• Collaborate with ancillary unit leaders in TLSE and other administrative and academic offices to facilitate joint initiatives, initiate proactive improvement, address emerging challenges, and promote appropriate and effective integration of the two units\' operations. Work with these and other university stakeholders and service providers on a continuous basis to maintain and improve graduate program management tools and processes.
• Collaborate with Information Technology groups on campus to maintain and improve graduate student systems, and to maintain and improve online information and resources for graduate students, staff, and faculty.
• Produces reports for the Senior Director from student information systems used for policy development and communication with stakeholders.
• Serve as the liaison between academic units (Graduate Chair and Graduate Administrators) and CGPS to ensure service delivery, collect feedback to initiate improvements, and assist in program management challenges.
• Develop and maintain a set of internal standard operating procedures (SOP) and performance standards that document agreed workflow processes and activities to support graduate education and CGPS policies. These SOPs will guide the work of College staff, provide resiliency in operations, and communicate functional activities to all stakeholders.
• Identify needs and initiate ongoing training in program management tools and process for the staff of the CGPS and for graduate program administrators in departments/schools/colleges.
• Advise administrative staff on policy changes, new initiatives, and emerging challenges, and develop procedures that align with these changes.
• Act as a delegate of the Senior Director as needed to facilitate initiatives and represent the interests of the CGPS and graduate community.
• Attend and participate in special and ongoing events and forums as needed to represent CGPS and graduate community interests.
• Keep current with practices and issues in graduate program management through professional networks of senior administrative staff at other Canadian and international universities.

Education: A University degree is required. A graduate degree would be considered a significant asset. Combinations of education and training will be considered.

Experience: Five years or more of increasingly responsible experience in a university environment is required. Experience should include oversight of program services or operations and contribution to strategy synthesis and implementation, management of large-scale, broad-impact projects, staff supervision, and the design, development and maintenance of business processes and systems to support academic goals. Experience with initiatives at a high level with broad institutional impact is desirable.

Skills: The successful applicant will demonstrate the ability to contribute and collaborate within a team of leaders, and where appropriate, lead a diverse team from a variety of academic and administrative units. They will demonstrate the ability to develop confidence in collaborators and productive relationships among internal and external stakeholders. The successful applicant is expected to have strong oral and written communication skills, an understanding of systems for institutional data management, outstanding interpersonal skills and a good understanding of the operational nature of graduate programs at Canadian universities. They should have demonstrated supervisory skills, organizational skills, communication skills, the ability to identify individual and institutional priorities, and the capacity to establish and manage professional working relationships. The ability to effectively manage work under mutually agreed schedules and timelines will be essential. This position requires technical and policy knowledge, an ability to deal with competing priorities and deadlines, and personal initiative and judgment. It will suit an individual who is creative, innovative, versatile, and committed to upholding standards of accuracy, consistency, transparency, and equity in the University community.

Inquiries regarding this position can be directed to Marc Usunier at or Jarett Danyluk at .

Department: College of Grad&PostDocStudies
Status: Permanent
Employment Group: ASPA
Full Time Equivalent (FTE): 1.0
Salary: The salary range, based on 1.0 FTE, is $81,037.00 - 134,978.00 per annum. The starting salary will be commensurate with education and experience.
Salary Family (if applicable): Managerial
Salary Phase/Band: Phase 3
Posted Date: 9/19/2023
Closing Date: 10/2/2023 at 6:00 pm CST
Number of Openings: 1
Work Location: On Campus

The successful applicant will be required to provide the following current verification(s) where \'Yes\' is indicated below. Further information is available at:

Criminal Record Check: Not Applicable
Driver\'s License and Abstract Check: Not Applicable
Education/Credential Verification: Not Applicable
Vulnerable Sector Check: Not Applicable The University is committed to employment equity, diversity, and inclusion, and are proud to support career opportunities for Indigenous peoples to reflect the community we serve. We are dedicated to recruiting individuals who will enrich our work and learning environments. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority. We are committed to providing accommodations to those with a disability or medical necessity. If you require an accommodation to participate in the recruitment process, please notify us and we will work together on the accommodation request. We continue to grow our partnerships with Indigenous communities across the province, nationally, and internationally and value the unique perspective that Indigenous employees provide to strengthen these relationships. Verification of Indigenous Membership/Citizenship at the University of Saskatchewan is led and determined by the and Standing Committee in accordance with the processes developed to enact the policy. Successful candidates that assert Indigenous membership/citizenship will be asked to complete the verification process of Indigenous membership/citizenship with documentation. The University of Saskatchewan\'s main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the M\xc3\xa9tis. We pay our respects to the First Nations and M\xc3\xa9tis ancestors of this place and reaffirm our relationship with one another. Together, we are uplifting Indigenization to a place of prominence at the University of Saskatchewan.

University of Saskatchewan