Regular/Temporary

Temporary

Job Title

International Student Advisor (Career), ENG

Job ID

70257

Location

Central Campus

Open Date

06/25/2025

Job Type

Limited Term (>12 months)

Close Date

07/02/2025

Employee Group

Unifor Unit 1, Staff

Favorite Job

Department

Outreach

Salary Grade/Band

Grade 9

Salary Range

$30.84 - $47.65 (hourly)

Contract Duration

12.1 Months

Hours per Week

35

Posting Details

Schedule

Monday-Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm (Hybrid)

Education Level

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field of study

Career Level

Requires 3 years of relevant experience

Job Description

International Student Advisor (Career)
(JD1520)

Engineering a Brighter Future
https://www.eng.mcmaster.ca/about-us/strategic-plan/

About The Faculty

Ranked among the top engineering schools in Canada and worldwide, the Faculty of Engineering is on a mission to empower agile and globally conscious leaders in engineering who collaborate to create a brighter future. The Faculty is at the forefront of transforming engineering education, transitioning from traditional lecture methods to a project-based, hands-on learning approach. Our graduates emerge as resilient professionals, armed with invaluable skills and experiences from Ontario's second-largest co-op program, unparalleled research opportunities—the most extensive offered by any Canadian engineering program—and a multitude of clubs, teams, and projects.

Our community, comprising 265 dedicated staff, 220 esteemed faculty members, 7,600 undergraduate students, and 1,300 graduate students, is drawn to the Faculty of Engineering for its vision of being leaders in advancing engineering for global change. Our commitment is steadfast to cultivating a respectful atmosphere where everyone feels they belong. Student success is central to all we do, and we are meaningfully reshaping an engineering field into one that reflects a diverse and inclusive society.

About the Team

The Centre for Career Growth and Experience (the Centre) in McMaster’s Faculty of Engineering supports student success through career development, cooperative education, and experiential learning. We offer personalized career advising, job search support, workshops, networking events, and opportunities to get involved in over 70 student clubs and teams.

Through our holistic approach, we ensure that engineering students are well equipped to navigate their career paths and achieve success in the workforce. Within the Centre, the Experience and Engagement team enhances the student experience through the delivery of experiential learning, leadership development, and community engagement. Working with all students, to deliver inclusive events, personalized advising, and hands-on learning opportunities, the Engagement and Experiential team helps students build the skills, confidence, and connections they need to thrive from first year to graduation and beyond.

About the Position

As a member of the Engagement and Experiential team, the role of International Student Advisor (Career) provides culturally responsive career and experiential learning support to international students in the Faculty of Engineering, helping them build career readiness, access co-op and research opportunities, and successfully transition into the Canadian workforce.

Taking a holistic, student-centered approach, the Advisor offers one-on-one career advising, targeted workshops, and proactive support for students navigating job searches, cultural adjustment, and academic or personal challenges. The role also includes guidance on immigration matters related to work-integrated learning and global mobility.

The Advisor supports students in navigating university systems, connecting with key resources, and fostering a sense of belonging and community within the Faculty. By actively monitoring student progress and offering timely interventions, this role contributes to both individual student success and an inclusive engineering environment.

Job Summary

The International Student Advisor plays a pivotal role in facilitating international students’ academic, personal, and professional success and overall well-being. This role will be proactive in providing intervention services for international students identified at risk that are struggling personally with their academics, and/or career exploration. This role will also advise students on all immigration related matters and will provide guidance related to immigration to students wishing to participate in our work and study abroad mobility initiatives. They will provide employers with information, resources and direction on how to navigate the immigration processes to facilitate the hiring of McMaster students post-graduation. Recommend tools and strategies for the early identification of students and important resources needed by students. Foster positive relationships and a sense of community amongst these students. Assist international students in navigating the administrative processes at the University and coach students towards solutions and resources. This position will take a holistic approach to supporting students’ needs and enhancing student experience through active monitoring of student progress.

Representative Duties & Responsibilities

• Provide immigration knowledge, advice, and assistance to prospective and current international students, recent graduates, faculty and University departments through in-person meetings, over the phone, or through electronic means. Expertise in permanent and temporary applications.
• Reviewing and assisting students in preparing documents prior to submission and in achieving their immigration goals.
• Plan, coordinate, and deliver immigration related workshops, information sessions, and other outreach events within the University and Hamilton communities.
• Serve as the primary resource for struggling international students referred from Faculty and/or identified through early intervention strategies.
• Develop an action plan based on a wrap-around approach for supporting students and triage areas of concern.
• Provide success coaching as a developmental and educational discipline to facilitate personal competence, academic success, career exploration and life management. Empower international students in constructing plans to overcome challenges (conflicts, program difficulties) and maximize resources to achieve their goals.
• Provide individual and group coaching to the University’s international students in an ethical, considerate, confidential and responsible manner.
• Develop a mechanism to identify when an international student would benefit from specific professional counselling services within the community and facilitate connections to these services.
• Collaborate with other student support providers at the University, including Faculty, to build a support network for the students, and promote a shared responsibility for student success.
• Develop and implement strategies to enhance student success for international students including (but not limited to) but not limited to workshops, peer-mentoring groups, study groups, tutoring services and online skill-building modules and web-based self-help tools.
• Consult with relevant professionals and others within and outside the University community regarding the goals of academic success, personal growth and career expectations.
• Develop relationships and stay current on support services provided by internal departments to effectively connect students to important services.
• Monitor trends relating to common student concerns and identify knowledge and service gaps within the University to enhance services and information supports to reduce challenges to international students where possible.
• Work with the Student Wellness Centre to promote the well-being of international students and engage students in addressing mental health challenges and embracing a self-care approach.
• Facilitate conversations amongst key stakeholders with a view to sharing information on challenges, intercultural competency knowledge and instill a culture of continuous process and service improvements with international students in mind.
• Work in collaboration with department to provide integrated student-centered services, enhance the international students’ academic and life success and promote a globally engaged campus.
• Develop a mechanism for the collection of usage and data regarding issues and assessment of the impact of intervention strategies and success coaching.
• Coordinate service and support in emergency situations.

Supervision

• Provides functional guidance to others on an ongoing basis.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field of study.
• Requires 3 years of relevant experience.
• Regulated International Student Immigration Adviser (RISIA) License with membership in good standing with the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC)
• Coaching and/or Appreciative Advising certificate

Assets

• Experience working in a post-secondary environment, particularly in a career advising capacity.
• Lived experience as an international student within the Canadian post-secondary education system.
• Knowledge of engineering disciplines, and/or experience in an engineering environment, would be considered a strong asset.
• Experience using Orbis is considered an asset.

Additional Information

The successful candidate must have / demonstrate:

• A deep understanding of the systemic barriers and inequities that impact international students in STEM and experience supporting diverse student populations
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks and handle multiple competing priorities with tight deadline
• Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills when working with a range of stakeholders, such as employers, alumni, community organizations and students
• Strong attention to detail while producing thorough and accurate work
• Strong commitment to maintaining the data integrity of student records
• Experience in supporting a student-centered culture, with a strong commitment to benchmarking and evidence-based practice
• Collaborative team player as well as self-reliant professional
• Flexibility and ability to take initiative and action on projects and tasks
• Strong problem solving and conflict resolution skills
• A high degree of professionalism and integrity
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion
• Ability to respond creatively to resolve issues and maintain workflows
• Advanced skills in MS Office, including Word and Excel, as well as the ability to learn new programs quickly

Additional requirements include:

• Ability to safely lift and carry items weighing up to 25 kg

NOTE: Flexibility is required to work occasional evenings, weekends, and extended hours to meet the demands of the position.

Should the successful applicant be a Unifor Unit 1 bargaining unit member, who meets the eligibility conditions of Article 19.02 of the Unifor Unit 1 Collective Agreement, then the Limited Term Assignment will be defined as a Career Growth Opportunity in accordance with Article 19 of the Unifor Local 5555 Unit 1 Collective Agreement.

How To Apply

To apply for this job, please submit your application online.

Employment Equity Statement

McMaster University is located on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee and Mississauga Nations and within the lands protected by the “Dish With One Spoon” wampum agreement.

The diversity of our workforce is at the core of our innovation and creativity and strengthens our research and teaching excellence. In keeping with its Statement on Building an Inclusive Community with a Shared Purpose, McMaster University strives to embody the values of respect, collaboration and diversity, and has a strong commitment to employment equity.

The University seeks qualified candidates who share our commitment to equity and inclusion, who will contribute to the diversification of ideas and perspectives, and especially welcomes applications from indigenous (First Nations, Métis or Inuit) peoples, members of racialized communities, persons with disabilities, women, and persons who identify as 2SLGBTQ+.

As part of McMaster’s commitment, all applicants are invited to complete a confidential Applicant Diversity Survey through the online application submission process. The Survey questionnaire requests voluntary self-identification in relation to equity-seeking groups that have historically faced and continue to face barriers in employment. Please refer to the Applicant Diversity Survey - Statement of Collection for additional information.

Job applicants requiring accommodation to participate in the hiring process should contact:

• Human Resources Service Centre at 905-525-9140 ext. 222-HR (22247), or
• Faculty of Health Sciences HR Office at ext. 22207, or
• School of Graduate Studies at ext. 23679

to communicate accommodation needs.

Hybrid Work Language

To ensure an ongoing and vibrant University community that meets the needs of our students, staff and faculty and supports the University mission, ability to work on-site continues to be a requirement for most University positions. The University is supportive of exploring flexible work arrangements that effectively balance operational needs and employee interests.

Interview Experience

At McMaster University, we believe in a comprehensive and inclusive interview process. Our interview methods encompass a variety of approaches that allow our hiring teams to provide a flexible and accessible experience for engaging with our candidates. Throughout your recruitment process at McMaster, you may be requested to participate in a variety of formats, that may include in-person, virtual or recorded interviews. If you have any questions as you move through the hiring process, please reach out to talent@mcmaster.ca or the HR contact associated with your position of interest.