University of Waterloo

Administrative Officer

University of Waterloo • $113K — $141K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree in business administration or finance required.
  • Preferred additional designation in finance and/or human resource administration.
  • Preferred educational background in Computer Science, Science, or Mathematics.
  • 8 years of progressively responsible administrative experience, ideally in academia.
  • 5 years of staff management and operational leadership experience.

Responsibilities

  • Supervise staff and provide non-academic support for the School's operations.
  • Manage budget development and financial oversight for the School.
  • Provide strategic advice and operational plans to academic leaders.
  • Oversee human resources processes including recruitment and evaluations.
  • Ensure efficient administrative operations for academic programs offered.

Benefits

  • Temporary contract opportunity for 1 year.
  • Support for professional development and training.
  • Access to employer-sponsored health and wellness programs.
  • Opportunities for strategic leadership in a prominent academic institution.
  • Engagement in meaningful projects that impact the academic and administrative landscape.
Full Job Description
Job Requisition ID:


Time Type:
Full time

Employee Group:
Staff

Job Category:
Administrative Support

Employment Type:
Temporary

Department:
Faculty of Mathematics - Cheriton School of Computer Science - Graduate Studies

Hiring Range:
$113,285.63 - $141,607.03

Posting Information:This posting is for an existing vacancy.

The internal posting deadline for this position is October 8, 2026 at 11:59PM

This position is being offered as a Secondment or contract opportunity. Term 1 year.

Job Description:

Primary Purpose

The Administrative Officer is responsible for effective management of all non-academic aspects of the School of Computer Science within the framework of the Faculty of Mathematics and the University of Waterloo. The purpose of the position is to supervise staff and provide support and guidance to the School with respect to human resources; manage budget and financial activity; and to provide management and oversight of other administrative functions, such as space, safety and planning. The Administrative Officer serves as a resource to the Director and other senior administrators in the school and provides leadership and support for strategic initiatives and special projects. As the senior administrative staff member in the school, the Administrative Officer provides continuity as academic leadership changes.

Key Accountabilities

Strategic Planning and Development
  • Provide strategic, confidential advice and direction to School Executives as they develop short- and long-term vision and strategy in academic, research and outreach programming.
  • Provide academic administrators confidential advice and strategies (e.g., human resources, budget, financial oversight, organizational change, personnel issues, infrastructure etc.) to translate vision into operational plans.
  • Develop business and experiential plans including: revenue opportunities and special events, organizational processes, human resources.
  • Oversee strategic marketing and communication activities, including digital presence (ie. website, social media).
  • Develop long-term implementation plans for the School (e.g., financial plans, operational plans, support for research etc.).
  • Develop succession plans for staff and faculty.
  • Develop plans and oversee space management, renovation and new construction projects.
  • Manage related research and support units including oversight of facilities, equipment, financial management and performance (e.g. CSCF, ISG, etc.).
  • Monitoring and reporting on strategic and operational plans.

Human Resources Management
  • Overseeing the recruitment, evaluation, promotion, professional development, and retention processes of all staff within the School including technical and teaching staff.
  • Providing the Director with necessary staffing and systems support for the recruitment, evaluation, promotion, and retention of faculty.
  • Oversee the onboarding of new faculty including office and laboratory set-up, training on HR and finance systems and process, department support roles and University wide systems.
  • Review all new staff position descriptions & reclassifications approving grading and compensation recommendations.
  • Maintaining personnel files, work schedules and vacation records for faculty and staff in accordance with University policies.
  • Administering the salary increase process for faculty and staff in the School.
  • Establishing work schedule and assigning duties for positions reporting to the Administrative Officer.
  • Conducting annual staff performance reviews for positions reporting to the Administrative Officer.
  • Ensuring adherence to University policies in all operations and activities.
  • Ensuring processes are in place for recruitment, evaluation and pay of temporary employees, co-op students, and Graduate Teaching Assistants.
  • Coaching and mentoring staff managers within the department.

Budget Planning and Financial oversight
  • Overseeing the development of the School's annual operating budget, including teaching and the computing facility.
  • Providing financial input to the School's strategic plan.
  • Ensuring that funds are available to support the School's strategic priorities.
  • Providing high-level direction to the Financial Officer, ensuring that all operating, trust, endowment and research accounts are soundly managed including monthly reconciliation of accounts.
  • Overseeing asset management.

Operational Oversight
  • Oversee administrative aspects of the academic programs offered by the School.
  • Ensure the effective and efficient operation of the school's various committees (such as SACA, STPC); serving as a resource to School committees, as required.
  • Conduct analyses and oversee administrative operations related to budgeting, contracting and project planning.
  • Establish work priorities, delegate work to office support staff, and ensure deadlines are met and procedures are followed.
  • Oversee maintenance and security of facilities and equipment as well as renovations and new construction.
  • Manage the data-collection and document-creation processes for accreditation, program reviews, and similar activities.
  • Serve as a resource within the school for the interpretation and application of UW and School policies, guidelines, and practices.

Project Management of Long-Term Projects Assigned by the Director; some examples include:
  • Space Related Projects - Designing project plans, establishing milestones, allocating staff and monetary resources to projects, monitoring overall project progress, and ensuring communication of project status to relevant stakeholders.
  • Equipment Related Projects - Authorizing the purchase and managing the allocation of major equipment and furnishings.
  • Communications Related Projects - Overall responsibility for communication directions, overseeing web content, and approval of external communications to ensure consistency of message and delivery to appropriate audiences.
  • Human Resources Related Projects - Regularly reviewing the administrative structure to ensure that human resources are efficiently and effectively managed; ensuring that job descriptions and levels are managed appropriately; coordinating change management when redistribution of duties is required.
  • Curriculum-Related Projects, for example, coordination of certification processes and program reviews.

Required Qualifications

Education
  • Bachelor's Degree required in a discipline related to business administration or finance.
  • Additional designation in finance and/or human resources administration is preferred.
  • Some educational background in Computer Science, Science, or Mathematics preferred.

Experience
  • 8 years of progressively responsible administrative experience, preferably in an academic setting
  • 5 years of staff management and operational leadership experience
  • Demonstrated experience developing, monitoring, and managing budgets, including developing financial projections and participating in financial planning.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities
  • Ability to synthesize and organize financial information; demonstrated analytical skills.
  • Multi-tasking, concurrent task and problem management skills are essential with the ability to assess, analyze and resolve issues highly complementary.
  • Ability to obtain, interpret, and use knowledge, facts, and data in this process, and demonstrate originality and inventiveness.
  • Build collaborative relationships with colleagues and customers representing diverse cultures, races, ages, genders, religions, lifestyles, and viewpoints.
  • Ability to work within a team structure and negotiate and manage conflict.
  • Independent judgment in areas of time management, task prioritization and decision-making.
  • Ability to leverage existing digital technologies ethically and efficiently to solve problems, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.
  • Demonstrated adaptability to new and emerging technologies.
  • Ability to evaluate efficiency and effectiveness of resources utilization and results accomplishment.
  • Proven ability to manage a large volume of work, conflicting priorities, and deadlines.
  • Exceptional verbal and written communication ability.
  • Demonstrated respect for diverse cultures, races, ages, genders, sexual orientations, and religions. Tact, judgement & diplomacy are also essential.
  • Demonstrated commitment to continuous learning.

About University of Waterloo

The University of Waterloo is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on 404 hectares of land adjacent to "Uptown" Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also operates three satellite campuses and four affiliated university colleges. The university offers academic programs administered by six faculties and thirteen faculty-based schools. Waterloo operates the largest post-secondary co-operative education program in the world, with over 20,000 undergraduate students enrolled in the university's co-op program. Waterloo is a member of the U15, a group of research-intensive universities in Canada. The institution originates from the Waterloo College Associate Faculties, established on 4 April 1956; a semi-autonomous entity of Waterloo College, which was an affiliate of the University of Western Ontario. This entity formally separated from Waterloo College and was incorporated as a university with the passage of the University of Waterloo Act by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1959. It was established to fill the need to train engineers and technicians for Canada's growing postwar economy. It grew substantially over the next decade, adding a faculty of arts in 1960, and the College of Optometry of Ontario, which moved from Toronto in 1967. The university is a co-educational institution, with approximately 36,000 undergraduate and 6,200 postgraduate students enrolled there in 2020. Alumni and former students of the university can be found across Canada and in over 150 countries; with a number of award winners, government officials, and business leaders having been associated with Waterloo. Waterloo's varsity teams, known as the Waterloo Warriors, compete in the Ontario University Athletics conference of the U Sports.
Learn more about University of Waterloo

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