Executive Assistant, Vice-Provost Faculty Relations

Primary Purpose:The primary purpose of this position is to provide executive, administrative and professional support of diverse and complex administrative services mainly to the faculty relations function, but also to the Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic.

This position provides professional advice and support to other members of senior administration, faculty and support staff. They must apply effective administrative skills and knowledge to perform a broad range of complex duties.

Nature of Work: Reporting to the Manager of the Administrative Network for the Provost\xe2\x80\x99s portfolio and receiving day-to-day direction from the Vice-Provost Faculty Relations, this position applies expert skills and knowledge, with minimal direction, in a high-volume office subject to frequent interruptions, continuous change, and competing deadlines (medium level of stress), shifting priorities and timelines.

The work varies significantly in complexity from scheduling meetings to sourcing and compiling complex and often confidential information into reports that are used in formal institutional records or communications from the Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic. The work requires a proactive approach in a complex, academic/research environment, and the ability to work and communicate effectively and cooperatively with a variety of stakeholders.

This position experiences pressure when managing competing interests toward satisfactory outcomes; workflow must be planned to meet deadlines and unexpected situations, and to accommodate the needs of the faculty relations function specifically and the Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic more broadly. Prompt, complete, and accurate work is extremely important to mitigate risks associated with all the activity that requires attention.

The position works within established policies and protocols and determines methods and processes within those that best suit specific events and circumstances. This position is expected to adapt and modify known practices to solve problems and achieve goals. The incumbent is expected to make recommendations on the work or work environment and is expected to contribute to policy and process improvement.

Impact of error is high as the position is responsible to ensure that the leaders in the Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic have access to necessary, accurate and timely information. Considerable discretion is required as the position is privy to and works with sensitive and highly confidential strategic, financial, and personnel information.

This position is also required to provide support to committees as per university policies and regulations.

Typical Duties or Accountabilities:

• As a first point of contact for the Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic and the faculty relations functions, ensures professional and effective representation, performs triage including assessing risk, responding to, or referring/assigning a broad spectrum of people and issues across all levels of the institution as appropriate in a timely, respectful, and effective manner.
• Coordinates and supports the special projects as assigned in the provost and vice-president academic portfolio. This includes developing, implementing, monitoring, and continually improving administrative processes.
• Supports events and workshops including implementation and coordination.
• Prepares correspondence and reports to penultimate stage, including drafting, editing, researching information, gathering data and performing analysis, and presenting penultimate versions to people leader(s) for revision and approval.
• Ensures data/content on website is current by updating the information or inform changes to applicable parties.
• Develops, maintains, and secures confidential/non-confidential records pertaining to the portfolio in alignment with the university archival filing structure.
• Takes initiative and works with colleagues to identify, adopt, implement, monitor, and continually improve best practices in the provost and vice-president academic portfolio.
• Establish and maintain collaborative and effective working relationships with senior leaders and the administrative core of the university, as well as the wider campus community, external stakeholders, and members of community.
• Monitors and effectively manages vacation usage to ensure fiscal liabilities for the university are reduced.
• Maintains accurate knowledge of and adherence to institutional policies and procedures, and collective agreements.
• Maintains confidentiality and handles sensitive matters diplomatically while exercising sound judgment and discretion.
• Performs other duties as assigned and assists with coverage during colleagues\xe2\x80\x99 absences.

Education: A recognized post-secondary diploma in office administration is required. A bachelor\xe2\x80\x99s degree, or a graduate degree in a related field would be a strong asset. A combination of education and experience may be considered.

Experience:Minimum five years of progressively responsible experience working with senior administrative leadership on the management of highly complex projects, preferably in an academic environment.

A broad understanding of the University of Saskatchewan strategic directions and of university teaching and research cultures are assets.

Experience working with Indigenous Peoples and organizations is an asset.

Relevant prior experience would include supporting decision-making bodies within the institution, and extensive experience in researching, drafting, and editing documents.

Experience with University of Saskatchewan systems is essential.

Skills:

• Ability to consistently demonstrate high standards of professional integrity and proficiency.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive matters diplomatically while exercising sound judgement and discretion.
• Effective and flexible professional interpersonal communication skills \xe2\x80\x93 including, but not limited to \xe2\x80\x93 interpretation, retention, and application.
• Ability to support senior level administrators and work effectively with highly confidential and sensitive information.
• Demonstrated self-awareness and capacity to develop and maintain relationships within a diverse post-secondary academic setting.
• Demonstrated ability to foster a community of collaboration, accessibility, equity, and inclusion.
• Ability to work independently and take initiative with minimal supervision as well as demonstrate the ability to work in a team environment collaboratively.
• Strong critical and analytical abilities and creative problem-solving skills, including the ability to anticipate problems and proactively identify solutions.
• Effective organizational skills and the acumen to handle complex situations and manage multiple projects originating from a variety of sources with competing deadlines while maintaining attention to detail and ensuring accuracy.
• An understanding of, and familiarity with the University environment and its policies and processes, including the nomenclature, regulations, governance, approval and administrative structures and processes, as well as the college governance structure.
• Ability to share knowledge appropriate to allow fully informed decision making by senior leadership and colleagues.
• Ability to learn in a fast-paced environment and utilize new technology and procedures to incorporate continual improvement in all activity.
• Ability to take initiative to move beyond completion of assigned tasks to plan for future changes or requirements.

The following technical skills are required for this position:

• Advanced proficiency using the most current Microsoft Office suite, particularly Outlook, Word, Excel, and Visio.
• Advanced proficiency using the most current Adobe Professional software.
• Advanced proficiency inputting and retrieving data from databases, experience using university specific databases will be considered an asset.
• Proficiency using web conferencing tools.
• Proficiency using web page editing tools.

Department: Vice-Provost Faculty Relations
Status: Permanent
Employment Group: Exempt
Full Time Equivalent (FTE): 1
Salary: The salary range, based on 1.0 FTE, is $50,000.00 - 88,000.00 per annum. The starting salary will be commensurate with education and experience.
Salary Phase/Band: Salary Band 2
Posted Date: 3/13/2023
Closing Date: 3/31/2023 at 6:00 pm CST
Number of Openings: 1
Work Location: May be eligible for hybrid work under the terms of USask\'s Alternative Workspace Guidelines
The successful applicant will be required to provide the following current verification(s) where \'Yes\' is indicated below. Further information is available at: https://careers.usask.ca/tips-for-applying.php Criminal Record Check: Not Applicable
Driver\'s License and Abstract Check: Not Applicable
Education/Credential Verification: Not Applicable
Vulnerable Sector Check: Not Applicable Please review the University of Saskatchewan\'s health and safety requirements for faculty, staff and students in consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic. 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 deybwewin | taapwaywin | tapwewin: Indigenous Truth policy 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\xe2\x80\x99s 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.