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Posting Information:
This posting is for an existing vacancy.

The internal posting deadline for this position is Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 11:59PM.

Job Description:

Primary Purpose

University of Waterloo is a leading global innovation hub that drives economic and social prosperity for Canada and the world. With more than 41,000 students, we are home to the world's largest co-op education talent pipeline, game-changing research and technology, and to an unmatched entrepreneurial culture. Together, these create partnerships and solutions to tackle today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.

The Global Engagement Office is Waterloo's central connector and strategic enabler for international engagement. It develops and stewards priority global partnerships, coordinates institutional international activity, enables academic mobility and international programs, supports senior-level global engagement, and provides the intelligence, infrastructure and governance required to advance Waterloo's international strategy.

The International Delegations Specialist provides operational and strategic coordination for high-profile international delegations, executive visits, and outbound missions involving senior University representatives. The role advises engagement opportunities, assesses strategic alignment and reputational considerations, and develops engagement approaches that advance the University's international priorities. Providing professional event management expertise, the role integrates strategic objectives, diplomatic and cultural protocols, executive briefing, stakeholder engagement, risk considerations and complex logistics to ensure each engagement is professionally delivered and produces clear institutional value.

The incumbent serves as the University's subject matter expert on international delegation management, diplomatic protocol, and international engagement, providing recommendations to support informed decision.

Key Accountabilities

Stakeholder and Relationship Coordination

• Serves as the University's primary liaison for international delegation activities and provides expert guidance to internal and external stakeholders regarding protocol, engagement approaches and institutional priorities.
• Manages and develops positive and effective relationships with internal, external and international partners, including representatives of government and private sponsorship organizations, such as Canadian embassy officials and foreign bodies of similar organizations.
• Facilitates consensus among diverse stakeholders and recommends solutions to competing priorities, balancing institutional objectives, stakeholder interests and reputational considerations.

Strategic International Engagement Support

• Supports the Executive Director in identifying, evaluating and advancing strategic international engagement opportunities.
• Recommends engagement approaches, stakeholder participation and relationship-management strategies for consideration.
• Identifies opportunities to leverage international visits and missions in support of partnership development, research collaboration, academic mobility and institutional reputation.
• Provides analysis and recommendations regarding emerging international trends and issues that may affect Waterloo's global engagement priorities.

End-to-End Visit and Mission Planning

• Develops and recommends engagement plans, agendas, schedules and detailed itineraries that align with priorities, partnership objectives, and senior leadership goals.
• Coordinates executive calendars and internal participation, advising on stakeholder opportunities to maximize strategic outcomes and institutional impact.
• Arranges venues, meeting rooms, catering, transportation, accommodation support, audiovisual requirements, gifts, photography and other event services.
• Coordinates virtual or hybrid components where required.
• Maintains specialized knowledge of applicable cultural/regional interpersonal expectations, travel advisories, and sensitivities in target markets and advises leadership on potential impacts to engagement activities and relationship building efforts.

Executive Briefings and Written Materials

• Conduct environmental scans and strategic research on countries, institutions, government priorities and sector developments to identify opportunities, risks and areas of alignment supporting Waterloo's international objectives.
• Prepares briefing notes, institutional profiles, meeting objectives, biographies, speaking notes, correspondence and background packages.
• Develops recommendations that support executive decision-making, stakeholder engagement and partnership development.
• Sources academic and strategic content from faculties and other units.
• Checks material for accuracy, consistency, completeness, cultural appropriateness and executive readiness.

Records, Procedures and Management Information

• Maintains a delegations and missions register.
• Maintain contact, visitor, partner and engagement records.
• Develops, implements and continuously improves institutional frameworks, protocols, service standards and best practices governing international delegations and executive engagements.
• Maintains calendars of international activity.
• Track costs, approvals, documents, risks and commitments.
• Analyzes engagement outcomes and trends and provides strategic reporting, recommendations and performance metrics to support planning and continuous improvement.
• Identifies emerging opportunities and challenges in international engagement activities and recommends process improvements, resource requirements and future priorities.

Post Engagement Follow Through

• Records decisions, commitments and partnership opportunities.
• Evaluates engagement outcomes, identify strategic opportunities arising from institutional interactions, and recommend follow-up actions to advance university priorities.
• Distributes follow-up actions and monitor completion.
• Conducts post-event reviews and gathers feedback.

Risk, Compliance and Reputation

• Applies university policies, travel and safety requirements, appropriate due diligence and confidentiality.
• Evaluates political, cultural and institutional sensitive issues and advises on appropriate engagement strategies and risk mitigation approaches.
• Leads coordination with security, legal, government relations and other institutional partners to develop responses to complex or sensitive international engagement matters.
• Protects confidential executive and stakeholder information.
• Exercises independent judgment in resolving complex operational and stakeholder issues and escalates matters with significant strategic, reputational or institutional implications.

Required Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in international relations, political science, public relations or event management, or equivalent experience preferred.

Experience:

• 4 or more years of experience in higher education, government, international relations or complex event delivery.
• Experience working across cultures and with senior internal and external stakeholders.

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities:

• Outstanding public/promotional/persuasive speaking and presentation skills

• Exceptional planning, organization and attention to detail

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Project and event management

• Ability to manage competing priorities and tight deadlines

• Intercultural competence and diplomatic sensitivity

• Strong political acumen and ability to manage complex stakeholder relationships.

• Ability to work independently while coordinating across multiple teams
  

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 hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.