Academic Programs and Policy Specialist

The College of Arts and Science at the University of Saskatchewan comprises 19 distinct disciplinary units, encompassing thousands of undergraduate and graduate students across many programs. The Vice-Dean Academic oversees the academic program planning and policy development for the college. Department Heads, Chairs, and faculty collaborate with the Vice-Dean Academic and the Director of Programs to create and/or revise their program offerings.

To ensure sustainability and enhance operational continuity, the college is introducing a second program and policy role with the additional responsibility of serving as the secretary for formal college level governance activities.

The Academic Programs and Policy Specialist will play an essential role in advancing the college's academic mission and strategic goals. This will be accomplished through a blend of strategic advice, project management, and leadership aimed at improving the quality of academic programs and initiatives as well as ensuring proper implementation and compliance of academic policies.

There is implicit and explicit coordination and sign-off from the Vice-Dean Academic when carrying out the key responsibilities of the role including:

• Leading project work related to the college’s academic priorities, policy initiatives, and long-term strategic goals

• Serving as Secretary of Faculty Council and other standing committees as needed.

• Advising departments on the creation, revision, and implementation of academic programs.

• Supporting quality assurance procedures at the departmental level; this is in collaboration and coordination with the university's data office.

• Managing regular curricular updates to programs with academic oversight by the Vice-Dean Academic.

Nature of Work: The role reports to the College General Manager and works closely with the Vice-Dean Academic and Director of Academic Programs as a member of the college office. There is no regular travel involved for this role, and the role functions during standard university business hours.

The role requires a high level of judgement and expertise as the decision makers (Vice Dean Academic, Associate Dean Student Affairs, Student Services, Dean, etc.) will rely, in part, on the advice of this position to make final decisions on matters brought to their attention.

Accountabilities:

Leading project or term-limited work

The role will be required to lead and/or support projects that are directly related to the college’s Vice Dean Academic portfolio or longer-term initiatives for the college.

This includes:

• Research and organize key information/data/plans to support the discussions and decision-making process for specific projects.
• Establish strong working relationships with contacts across campus as well as comparable roles in other Canadian post-secondary institutions.
• Understand the complex and interrelated dependencies of academic programs, policies, and operational logistics when developing action plans for proposed changes.

Policy and curricular updates

This position conducts analyses to assess the impact of programming and policy changes on the College and the University and facilitates proposals for new and revised policies through the college and university governance approval processes.

• Engaging in strategic discussions regarding curriculum updates with related colleges to foster collaboration and alignment.
• Working with administrative staff across the college to ensure changes to policy are integrated into the operational processes and any logistical issues are addressed prior to implementation.
• Working with administrative staff across the college to ensure changes to policy are integrated into the operational processes and any logistical issues are addressed prior to implementation.
• Serve as the Vice-Dean Academic’s delegate on institution wide committees, as required.

Shepherding Revisions and Development of academic programs

• The role provides high-level support in developing new undergraduate and graduate programs.
• This involves:
• Providing strategic analysis and advice on the design of academic programs, facilitating the approval of new graduate and undergraduate programs,
• Ensuring that program requirements, regulations, and policies remain aligned with university-level changes and relevant college updates.

Effectively managing the College approval process for course and program proposals as delegated by the Vice Dean Academic. While the final academic approval for decisions must be made by the Vice Dean Academic, this role is responsible for providing all of the details and recommendations based on their expertise.

• Vets all proposals for errors/omissions prior to accepting each to the online challenge
• Vets all proposals for issues of potential pedagogical/logistical concern, and provides suggestions to the proponent(s) to remedy these concerns
• Actively works with parties to find a resolution when a challenge is made to a proposal to the College Challenge
• Notifies the Faculty Council Chair if there are Academic Programs items requiring approval
• Prepares reports on behalf of the Academic Programs committees for circulation with the agenda for Faculty Council
• Prepares reports for information or approval in University Course Challenge

Providing deliberate, collaborative, and practical leadership in support of the Arts and Science Academic Programs Committees, including:

• Provides orientation for new members
• Provides logistical and strategic support to most committees of Council ensuring committee chairs are supported in all aspects of planning, orientation, coordination, communication, and follow-up.
• Manages council votes, elections, nominations, and other member-related activity
• Provides guidance to those seeking to steward materials through the governance pathways to University Council
• Reviews terms of reference
• Provides guidance/support in the election of Chairs
• Distributes challenge information
• Prepares and posts minutes and agendas
• Updates and maintains the College Challenge system by liaising with and requesting changes be made by the technical staff, to address errors and necessary updates.

Serving as the College Secretary for Council

• Coordinating college committee meetings;
• Providing senior and confidential level of administrative, executive, and project support to the committee Chairs of the various standing sub-committees that are supported by the incumbent as per council bylaws.
• Liaising with university council regarding bylaw committee updates and/or changes.

Preparing reports for College Faculty Council and the University on programs and policies and is prepared to speak to these reports on behalf of the committee/College, at meetings of the approval bodies. Reports include:

• Items for information or approval by University Course Challenge
• Items for approval by Faculty Council, Academic Programs Committee of Council, and/or University Council.

Participating in faculty council coordinators meetings to ensure college alignment with university council, or governance office.

• Attends meetings, provides updates, and ensuring that college and faculty level policies are consistent with institutional ones

Strategic Leadership in Quality Assurance

This position is integral to leading quality assurance processes related to the college's academic programs.

• and follow up stages of the institutional Academic Program Review process.
• Ensuring adherence to established procedures for program evaluations.
• Following up on recommended changes/updates outlined in final reports, and when necessary, facilitating action to meet the outlined recommendations.

Education**:** A university degree and a minimum of five years’ experience working with senior administrative offices in post-secondary administration are required. A Master’s degree and previous experience working with university governance and/or academic programming would be an asset.

Administrative and project management functions are required. Clear and concise writing skills; the demonstrated ability to support senior level administrators; and the ability to work with confidential and sensitive information is essential

Experience: The incumbent should have a comprehensive knowledge of the post-secondary environment and program progression in both undergraduate and graduate degrees; outstanding organizational, analytical, communication, interpersonal skills and diplomacy; experience in planning and coordination; technical skills, prior administrative experience working with committee structures including decision-making bodies ; the capacity, credibility, discretion and enthusiasm to develop and strengthen relationships within the university stakeholder network.

Skills: The APPS must exhibit a high degree of autonomy, initiative, independence, flexibility, assertiveness, and diplomacy. The responsibilities noted above are diverse and complex, requiring a high capacity for:

Leadership Skills:

• Proactively identifying and clarifying curricular issues and challenges.
• Demonstrating sound judgement founded on expertise, experience, and analysis of key metrics.
• Representing the college, as a delegate, or in the company, of the Vice Dean Academic at relevant governance meetings.

Problem Solving:

• Mastering detail and data across a wide and diverse range of topics.
• Developing creative and effective solutions; working solo or collaboratively.

Communication Skills:

• Articulating and explaining complex and often technical information in clear and concise writing and in speech.
• Providing clear guidance in response to technical or strategic questions posed by many stakeholders.

Relationship Building

• Identifying and engaging key partners and stakeholders within the college as early and as often as possible. This includes department heads, undergraduate chairs, committee chairs, and departmental and other college staff engaged at any stage of curricular development and approval processes.
• Identifying and engaging key partners and stakeholders in other colleges, engaged in curricular development and approval processes that align with or otherwise impact Arts and Science.
• Responding in a timely fashion to the questions and demands of a large and diverse body of stakeholders with varying levels of expertise in the subject matter of policy and academic programming.
• Developing and maintaining a reputation for prompt, expert, honest, and fair advice to all parties.

Technical Proficiency

• Proficiency with relevant institutional systems and applications.

Department: College of Arts & Science
Status: Permanent

Employment Group: ASPA
Full Time Equivalent (FTE): 1.0

Salary: The salary range, based on 1.0 FTE, is $87,266.00 - 145,353.00 per annum. The starting salary will be commensurate with education and experience.

Salary Family (if applicable): Specialist Professional

Salary Phase/Band: Phase 3

Posted Date: 10/2/2025

Closing Date: 10/16/2025 at 6:00 pm CST
Number of Openings: 1
Work Location: On Campus

The University of Saskatchewan aspires to be what the world needs and embraces equity, diversity and inclusion as foundational to excellence and innovation. We actively seek to create a welcoming environment where all individuals feel empowered to thrive, contribute, and grow. Applications from equity-deserving groups are encouraged as part of our ongoing efforts to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve: EDI Framework for Action**.**
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 the 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.
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