Job Description

Date:

Mar 12, 2025

Location:

Waterloo, CA

Company:

Wilfrid Laurier University

Department:

Student Affairs

Job Type:

Limited Term

Full-time/Part-time:

Full Time (>=1249 hrs/year)

Campus:

Waterloo

Reports to:

Associate Director, Transition & Learning Services

Employee Group:

Management

Application Deadline:

March 25, 2025

Requisition ID:

9126




Wilfrid Laurier University is a leading multi-campus university that excels at educating with purpose. Through its exceptional employees, students, researchers, leaders, and educators, Laurier has built a reputation as a world-class institution known for its rich student experience, academic excellence, and global impact. With a commitment to Indigenization and commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, Laurier's thriving community has a place for everyone.




Laurier has more than 21,000 students and 2,100 faculty and staff across campuses in Waterloo and Brantford, as well locations in Kitchener and Milton. The university is committed to providing an inclusive workplace, a flexible work policy and employing a workforce that is reflective of local and national demographics. Laurier's Waterloo, Kitchener, and Brantford campuses are located on the shared traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishnaabe, and Haudenosaunee peoples. This land is part of the Dish with One Spoon Treaty between the Haudenosaunee and Anishnaabe peoples and symbolizes the agreement to share, protect our resources, and not to engage in conflict. Laurier's Milton campus is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, and part of the Nanfan Treaty of 1701 between the British Crown and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

Position Summary

====================


Working with the Director, Associate Director, Faculties and administrators, and leading a team of professional Learning Consultants, the Manager, Orientation Programs provides strategic direction and oversight to programs and services that support orientation and onboarding initiatives for new students across Laurier's campuses. Programs under the direction of the Manager include: Laurier 101 Student Transition Programs and Graduate Student Orientation and Transition Programs. The incumbent is responsible for delivering programs in an online and on-campus format with careful consideration of ensuring equitable services for students enrolled in programs in a multi-campus environment (Brantford, Milton, Waterloo, etc.).




The incumbent will provide the day-to-day leadership for staffing, budget management, program development, and assessment of orientation programs. This multifaceted position works closely with professional staff in Student Affairs, Student Success, Graduate Students' Association, Students' Union, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, and other university administrators to enhance the coherence and integration of orientation programs and initiatives at Laurier. In addition to hiring, training and supporting professional Learning Consultants, the incumbent oversees the hiring and training of 15 student paraprofessional staff each year.




The Manager is a member of the Student Success and Retention leadership team. As a member, the Manager works with their colleagues in Transition and Learning Services and the Student Success and Retention team (Writing Services, Co-Curricular Learning Supports) to ensure consistent and coherent program and service delivery. The incumbent may undertake special projects related to the evolving department and portfolio of Student Success and Retention as they emerge. This position is located at the Waterloo campus and requires travel to Laurier's other campuses, normally a minimum of one day per week.

Accountabilities

====================

Orientation Programs' Leadership

------------------------------------


Provides strategic direction and guidance in the development and delivery of new-student orientation programs for undergraduate and graduate students at three entry terms per year Leads the delivery of the Laurier 101 and ASPIRE orientation programs including online pre-arrival university preparation support, pre-arrival webinars, preparation modules, online orientations for online-only students, and in-person orientation events for Fall, Winter, and Spring-start students in Brantford, Kitchener, Milton, and Waterloo Develops new programming, including specialized programming, for target cohorts Leads the strategy and delivery of the on-campus LEAD @ Laurier Summer Retreat programs in Brantford, Milton, and Waterloo Leads discussions and collaborations with Faculties, academic advising managers, Dean of Students Office, the Students' Union, Graduate Students' Association, and other units in Student Success to identify gaps in orientation support Works with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and Graduate Students' Association to explore opportunities to enhance orientation support for incoming graduate students Designs and develops interactive, multimedia online learning modules to increase students' pre-arrival university preparation Oversees planning and execution of all parent/supporter programs and events Ensures consistency of program delivery and access to resources across Laurier's campuses Oversees data collection, analysis, assessment and dissemination of program information to faculty and senior academic administrators for all orientation programs Executes the First-Year Check-In Survey to all new graduate and undergraduate students in their first term Researches and stays up to date with best practices and new research related to new-student orientation programs Supports the strategic direction and guidance in the development of multiple communication campaigns including the Laurier 101 and ASPIRE student newsletters, Laurier 101 parent/supporter newsletters, social media outreach and website content

Management & Administrative Activities

-------------------------------------------


Hires, trains and manages a team of professional learning consultants, including performance evaluations, work schedules and assigning priorities Provides direction to colleagues in Student Success and Retention regarding onboarding and orientation programs for new students, and coordinates collaboration and participation from campus partners Provides advice and direction to program support staff including administrators and communication coordinators Develops and delivers professional development and training to a team of Learning Consultants and program support staff Leads hiring, training and supervision of approximately 15 student staff each year including student budget management and access to student funding opportunities Creates departmental reports to track and assess orientation program outcomes and disseminates information to senior administrators and faculties Builds budget proposals and manages and adheres to guidelines for multiple budgets including Laurier 101 and ASPIRE Orientation and Transition program budgets

Supporting Strategic Partnership and Collaborations

-------------------------------------------------------


Collaborate with the Student Unions (WLUSA and GSA) and Student Success on orientation and transition programming for international students. Foster and nurture relationships across all institutional units and take the time to develop and build trust, engagement, and collaboration with key campus partners Liaise and communicate with various campus partners on ways to improve and maximize student support and related universities policies and practices Effectively drive and manage change initiatives that align with organizational strategies, and provide opportunities to increase efficiency Stays informed and up-to-date on issues facing Post-Secondary and High School students to improve current practices; Seeks opportunities collaboratively to integrate ideas and share resources and advance student success Develops and delivers appropriate training to appropriate academic partners;

Other Activities

--------------------


Works with Institutional Research to development reports and gather data for Orientation programs and initiatives Participates in campus committees and initiatives to support the greater Laurier community Participates in Recruitment programs and sessions and delivers Laurier 101 transition presentations at Open Houses and conversion events Maintains a broad knowledge of initiatives for new-student orientation and skills development in both Canadian and international post-secondary environments for use in developing programs and policies Liaises with other universities and participates in national associations on behalf of Laurier to remain current on orientation programs and practices across the post-secondary system Researches issues and programs that can contribute to the orientation and success for various student populations, including first-year, senior, graduate, adult, Indigenous, International and exchange, first-generation, and high-risk students, and identifies trends and opportunities for improvement

Reporting Relationships

===========================

This Position Reports to:

Associate Director, Transition and Learning Services Position

Titles and Number of Incumbents Reporting to this Position:

Supervision of 15 student staff each year Learning Consultant, Transition Programs (2) Learning Consultant, Graduation Orientation & Transition Programs

Qualifications

==================


Master's degree in Education, adult education, higher education or equivalent preferred 5+ years of work experience in a post-secondary environment with direct experience planning and overseeing orientation programs Familiarity with the university environment, and academic and non-academic policies, procedures, and regulations Demonstrated experience with hiring, training and managing staff and student employees or volunteers Effective leadership and managerial skills including experience working in a multicampus environment and balancing competing priorities Experience leading and supervising staff in a multi-union working environment with evident orientation to equity and inclusion Demonstrated experience in developing and delivering workshops to students, staff, and prospective students and families Experience analyzing program data and developing and coordinating program assessments Superior communication skills with experience communicating across multiple channels and to multiple audiences Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines and achieve targets Excellent proofreading and fact-checking skills to scrutinize documents, newsletters, and promotional materials Understanding of strategic enrolment management processes and strategy Familiarity with research and trends related to student experience, learning and pedagogical practices, and student success and retention Skills of persuasion and influence to gain co-operation and co-ordination of activities. Technological proficiency using office software, student information systems, data analysis, knowledge or ability to learn new software applications and new technologies. Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills Able to function effectively in situations of stress. Awareness of a wide variety of learning and student success needs

Hours of Work

=================


This is a Full-time, Limited-term position for a duration of approximately 2 years. The normal hours of work are Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.




This role offers limited flexibility regarding flexible work arrangements. Please see Policy 8.14 (Flexible Work Policy) for more information. All arrangement must be approved by the direct manager. On occasion, this schedule may need to be adjusted to meet operational requirements.

Compensation

================

Level:

2B

Rate of pay:

$81,888 to $102,360 annually




Broad salary ranges include a hiring range ($81,888 - $92,124 of range midpoint), a target range ($92,125 - $112,596 of range midpoint), and a premium range ($112,597 - $127,951 of range midpoint).




When new employees are hired the appropriate base salary is determined using these sub-ranges as a guide while adhering to rules on hiring as defined in our compensation policy. Considerations for new hire salaries include, qualifications and length/depth of required experience, relevant market rates for similar jobs, internal equity, and estimated learning curve in starting the job.




Wilfrid Laurier University endeavors to fill positions with qualified candidates who have a combination of education, experience, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position while demonstrating Laurier's Employee Success Factors.




Equity, diversity and creating a culture of inclusion are part of Laurier's core values and central to the Laurier Strategy. Laurier is committed to increasing the diversity of faculty and staff and welcomes applications from candidates who identify as Indigenous, racialized, having disabilities, and from persons of any minority sexual and gender identities. Indigenous candidates who would like to learn more about equity and inclusive programing at Laurier are welcomed to contact the Office of Indigenous Initiatives. Candidates from other equity deserving groups who would like to learn more about equity and inclusive programing at Laurier are welcomed to contact Equity & Accessibility. We have strived to make our application process accessible, however if you require any assistance applying for a position or would like this job posting in an alternative format, please contact Human Resources. Contact information can be found at careers.wlu.ca/content/How-to-apply/




Should you be interested in learning more about this opportunity, please visit www.wlu.ca/careers for additional information and the online application system.

Job Segment:

Copy Editor, Proofreading, R&D, Data Analyst, Information Systems, Creative, Data, Research, Technology