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Posting Information:
This posting is for an existing vacancy.

Term - 2 year
Internal posting expires Friday October 16th at 11:59 PM

Job Description:

Primary Purpose

The Health Undergraduate Advisor advises undergraduate students within the Faculty of Health. In partnership with the members of the Health Undergraduate Office (HUO) they are responsible for the effective administration of Health undergraduate programs and for enhancing student success through appropriate advisement and support. The Health Undergraduate Advisor is the first point of contact for the HUO. The role is intended to strengthen student advising capacity during a pilot period of increased undergraduate demand and to provide continuity of service across participating units.

The incumbent provides confidential academic advice and first-line student support; interprets and applies undergraduate regulations, program requirements, and Faculty/University policies; supports students navigating course selection, enrolment, progression, academic standing, petitions, appeals, plan changes, co-op/regular stream questions, and degree requirements; and refers complex or non-routine matters to the appropriate unit academic lead, program manager, Associate Chair/Associate Director, Associate Dean, Registrar’s Office, or student support service. This design draws directly from the KHS and SPHS USG 6 models, where academic advising includes policies, academic standings, appeals, petitions, grievances, student crisis support, progression review, and records management.

Key Accountabilities

Cross-unit academic advising

• Provides academic information related to the various majors in the Faculty of Health;

• Advises students on degree requirements, course selection, course sequencing, academic regulations, and progression, including complex or non-routine academic questions;

• Reviews student progress at midterm and after completion of the first term to identify students who may be at academic risk and shares relevant information with Program Managers to support timely follow-up and coordinated student support;

• Provide immediate support to students experiencing academic difficulty, personal distress or urgent concerns, and connect students to appropriate campus resources and unit contacts;

• maintains ongoing communication with Program Managers and Program Coordinators to share relevant information, coordinate referrals, and support students of mutual interest;

• Monitors enrolment reserves, capacities and student override requests for undergraduate programming for undergraduate courses in the Faculty; ui

• Provides information to Scheduler regarding reserves for specific courses as needed;

• Maintain current knowledge of the academic requirements, advising practices and student support pathways for the Faculty of Health.

Academic records, and delegated academic transactions

• Monitor students who may require additional support, including students in academic difficulty, non-degree/foundation term , complex course sequencing, or transition situations;

• Maintain advising notes, templates, records, and student-facing resources in approved systems;

• Support or authorize routine academic transactions where delegated, including course overrides, enrolment adjustments, block enrolment, plan/sequence changes, co-op/regular stream administrative steps, and internal transfer workflows;

• Prepare summaries, reports, or recommendations for unit Program Managers, Associate Chairs/Associate Director, Associate Dean Undergraduate Studies, or Registrar’s Office as required.

Program coordination and student communications

• Coordinate student communications related to advising opportunities, deadlines, policies, program changes, course selection, enrolment, academic supports, orientation, events, and student success resources;

• Maintain or contribute to LEARN sites, SharePoint resources, undergraduate web pages, webforms, advising templates, and internal advising documentation;

• Support orientation, recruitment, transition programming, and student success initiatives where cross-unit coordination is beneficial;

• Collect, update, and distribute program information, forms, syllabi or resources where assigned;

• Participate in relevant advising meetings, undergraduate operations discussions, and pilot-review conversations as assigned;

• Attend and present student information within classroom, recruiting or outreach events.

Backup coverage and continuity across units

• Provide backup coverage for advising and program administration functions across the Faculty of Health units, especially during absences, vacancies, peak advising periods, progression, enrolment, orientation, convocation, admissions, final exams, and course selection cycles;

• Maintain cross-training materials and shared advising protocols to support continuity across units.

• Support coverage plans that preserve student service continuity without requiring unit-specific managers to absorb all front-line advising and operational tasks.

Tracking, reporting, and continuous improvement

• Track advising volume by unit, topic, complexity, referral type, and resolution pathway;

• Help identify process gaps, inconsistent practices, duplicated effort, or escalation bottlenecks across units;

• Monitor patterns in student inquiries and identify opportunities to improve advising protocols, communications, forms, web resources, or escalation practices;

• Provide annual summary to the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies and participating unit leads, related to service pressures, student challenges, and recommended changes;

• Support development of shared advising protocols for Health Undergraduate Office and participating units.

Required Qualifications

Education

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of education and experience. Degree in Health-related studies an asset.

Experience

• Administrative experience in an academic environment including knowledge of undergraduate policies and procedures;

• Experience with SharePoint, LEARN, Quest, ASIS and Infosilem would be an asset;

• Experience with conflict management;

• Experience working with confidential information;

• Familiarity with the needs and concerns of students, including students facing difficult situations and students experiencing mental health concerns, and a commitment to student engagement and experience;

• Leadership experience in event coordination and volunteer management is an asset.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Well-developed organizational, analytical, customer service, and communication skills (oral and written);

• Knowledge of the undergraduate curriculum, policies and regulations related to the University of Waterloo and programs in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, and the School of Public Health Sciences.

• Proven ability to work independently and as a team member with a high level of initiative in a fast-paced, deadline-driven work environment;

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to interact in a positive and supportive manner;

• Aptitude for attention to detail and accuracy are essential;

• Excellent interpersonal skills to deal professionally, efficiently and emphatically with a wide range of student issues and concerns, within a diverse population;

• Computer skills including intermediate MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, WCMS3, OAT, Waterloo Inquiry, PowerBI and Outlook;

• Ability and willingness to learn new software systems.

Equity Statement

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is coordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion.  As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

Positions are open to qualified candidates who are legally entitled to work in Canada.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at [email protected] or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.