Staff - Union

Job Category

CUPE 2950

Job Profile

CUPE 2950 Salaried - Administrative Support 3 (Gr6)

Job Title

GPS Program and Executive Assistant

Department

Support | Graduate Student Professional Development | Dean's Office, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

Compensation Range

$4,449.00 - $4,676.00 CAD Monthly

Posting End Date

December 31, 2025

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

Ongoing

Please provide a cover letter as part of your application as applications without a cover letter will not be considered.

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary
The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS) is responsible for the recruitment, admission, support and graduation of approx. 11,000 graduate students who attend UBC annually, and supports another 800 Postdoctoral Fellows.

This dual reporting position provides high-level administrative support across two key areas within the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Graduate Pathways to Success (GPS) programming and executive/office operations supporting the Dean and Vice-Provost as well as Associate Deans.

As Executive Assistant support to the Dean and Vice-Provost, the role manages complex scheduling, meeting coordination, and confidential communications, ensuring priorities, deadlines, and preparation requirements are met. Responsibilities include preparing agendas and materials, recording and distributing minutes, coordinating travel and expense claims, maintaining tracking systems for correspondence and follow-ups, and supporting faculty wide receptions and special events. The position also contributes to broader office effectiveness through building operations coordination, support to committee and program review processes, and assistance with Workday HR business processes across the faculty as needed.

In support of the GPS program, the role coordinates end-to-end logistics for in-person and online professional development programming including event promotion and web posting, registration management, participant communications, room booking, catering, webinar setup, A/V coordination, materials preparation, and day-of technical and onsite support. The incumbent also supports major GPS initiatives such as 3MT and GradStart by preparing event programs and resources, recruiting and coordinating volunteers, finance support.

Organizational Status
This individual has a dual reporting structure and will report to the Director, Graduate Student Professional Development, and to the Senior Manager, Human Resources and Postdoctoral Affairs. They have internal contact with all Dean’s Office Executives and Staff and various external vendors. The incumbent will greet and support facilitators and graduate students participating in GPS events.

Work Performed
Executive Assistant to the Dean and Vice-Provost – 45%

• Plans, co-ordinates and maintains the Dean's schedule, including prioritizing requests, negotiating times and locations with senior internal offices (Executive Offices, other Deans' Offices, Faculty Unit Directors and external parties), to book meetings, functions etc.
• Schedules and organizes meetings; secures appropriate locations, arranges catering, ensures IT requirements are met, informs, reminds attendees and tracks attendance, prepares and circulates agendas, takes detailed and concise minutes; drafts, reviews and distributes minutes; prepares reports and presentation materials.
• Keeps the Dean apprised of daily responsibilities, meetings, deadlines and potential changes in schedule, prioritizing urgent requests. Ensures adequate time between meetings and documentation preparation requirements are met.
• Communicates and responds to emails, and written communication.
• Composes confidential correspondence from drafts or verbal direction.
• Prepares documentation for distribution; opens, sorts and reads incoming mail, and responds independently or redirects appropriately to general enquiries and forwards items requiring action to appropriate faculty and/or staff.
• Co-ordinates travel accommodation, itineraries, agendas, meetings etc. for the Dean and visiting guests.
• Completes travel claims and other reimbursements of expenses incurred by the Dean on behalf of the faculty.
• Coordinates the planning and implementation of faculty-wide receptions hosted by the Dean and Vice-Provost of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and other special events.
• Coordinates the Office wide annual Holiday Card and mail outs for any events hosted by the Dean and Vice-Provost of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
• Maintains a correspondence tracking system, including pending and follow-up action items.
• Liaises with faculty, staff, students, the President's Office, Office of the VP Academic & Provost and other organizations both within and external to UBC.
• Assists with projects and reports assigned by the Dean and/or Associate Deans.
• Is the main point of contact for Building Operations for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Maintains control over building ops requests for the office, ensures maintenance and customer funded requests are submitted, follows up and monitors requests, and communicates timely all construction/potentially disruptive activities/work to office.
• Coordinates G+PS involvement in external reviews, from initial data sharing to reviewing the final report.
• Coordinates across faculties and other administrative units during Graduation Ceremonies to confirm faculty participation, including taking responsibility to confirm Readers and Greeters for all ceremonies.

General Administrative Support - Graduate Academic Policy Committee

• Provides general administrative support to the Associate Deans
• Provides support to the Graduate Academic Policy Committee.
• Co-ordinates Academic Policy Committee meetings; books rooms, orders catering and arranges audio-visual requirements. Circulates agendas, takes detailed and concise minutes; drafts, reviews and distributes minutes to Academic Policy Committee.
• Maintains and updates the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website page in relation to the Graduate Academic Policy Committee.
• Acts as main point of contact to Faculties/programs undergoing review, liaises with appropriate staff to coordinate collection of data to send to the faculty/program being reviewed, ensures deadlines are met. Provides feedback and assists in establishing documented protocols and a process for these reviews.
• Coordinates and schedules the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies representatives for spring and fall congregations, and assists with regalia rental as required.
• Coordinates and prepares semi-annually the doctoral citations for the graduation ceremonies.

GPS Program (50%)

Event support and coordination

• Promotes events by posting to grad.ubc.ca and (as applicable) preparing announcements and posting in the UBC online events calendar.
• Coordinates end-to-end event logistics for in-person and online programming, including room bookings, seating and A/V setup, supplies and printed feedback forms, webinar setup, participant technical support, and electronic feedback survey setup.
• Manages event registration and participant communications: tracks enrolment, drafts/sends confirmations and reminders, prepares attendance sheets, and manages waitlists
• Organizes and prepares event materials in advance (online and paper feedback forms, signage, name labels, handouts/recordings/posted materials)
• Creates and prepares event programs for in-person events (e.g., Three Minute Thesis Open Heats, semi-finals, finals)
• Coordinates catering; provides onsite support (set-up of computers/presentations/webinars, audio, registration, catering support, clean-up)
• Leads recruitment, training, and support of event volunteers and student assistants
• Assists with tracking and processing invoices (room bookings, facilitators, caterers, etc.) and liaises with the G+PS Finance Assistant to ensure payment
• Coordinates processing of Three Minute Thesis award payments
• Stores and replenishes event supplies (name labels, presentation aids, catering items)
• Collects and provides feedback analysis; reviews/updates 3MT and Orientation websites for currency aligned with annual planning
• Creates and maintains an Excel database of student attendance records.

General administrative support

• Responds to graduate student inquiries; resolves registration issues; provides relevant event materials
• Monitors shared GPS and Orientation inboxes; replies or redirects as appropriate with guidance from Manager/Director
• Assists with meeting scheduling (including leading GradStart Orientation planning meeting scheduling); prepares agendas and records minutes.

HR Assistant – 5%

• Supports the HR & PDFO Assistant with Workday business processes across full-cycle HR tasks (recruitments, appointments, salary/costing allocation changes, promotions, transfers, leaves, resignations, retirement, etc.)
• Assists with planning, developing, organizing, and implementing HR activities within the portfolio.

Consequence of Error/Judgement
Incorrect actions, decisions, delays or errors could negatively affect the provision of information about G+PS, and could mislead graduate students about the services and programs available to them. The incumbent will need to exercise independent judgement in handling matters of a routine and non-routine nature. There is a need to assess demands and determine priorities, in consultation with the Manager, Student Development and Support. Inattention to the details related to coordination of events might result in a negative experience for the graduate students, facilitators, audience members, and others. The success of events relies heavily on ensuring that the venue (online or in-person), A/V equipment, materials, catering, and other logistical details are scrupulously attended to. Any miscommunications, errors, and/or omissions in judgment could seriously undermine the roles, responsibilities, and effectiveness of The Dean and/or the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Supervision Received
Reporting to and works with minimal day-to-day supervision under the general direction of the Director, Graduate Student Professional Development. Additionally, will receive guidance from the Senior Manager, HR & Postdoctoral Affairs for matters pertaining to the EA and HR specifics of the role.

For 3MT and Orientation the incumbent works with direction from the Director. The incumbent will have the autonomy to coordinate event logistics, subject to regular consultation with the Director. They have the authority to act within policy boundaries. New or unusual matters, technical problems, and any issues outside policy boundaries are referred to the Director of Graduate Student Professional Development.

Supervision Given
Supervises all GradStart Orientation event volunteers and student assistants.

Minimum Qualifications
High School graduation, plus one year of post-secondary education, plus four years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own

• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

Ability to work within firm deadlines and requires an individual with strong attention to detail, event administration experience, and competency in data management, particularly use of Excel. The incumbent must simultaneously manage responsibilities and tasks from different portfolios (GPS, 3MT, Orientation, EA, HR and other G+PS units). Priorities will change on a regular basis, and it is understood that the incumbent will need to be flexible to meet special circumstances. Working knowledge and experience with Workday HR.