Academic Development and Student Retention Specialist

Salary (Grade: 10)

Hiring salary range

$73,537 – $92,891

The University of Ottawa—A crossroads of cultures and ideas

The University of Ottawa is home to a dynamic community of over 50,000 students, faculty and staff, who live, work and study in both French and English. Our campus is a crossroad of cultures and ideas, where bold minds come together to inspire game-changing ideas. We believe in the power of representation, and that increasing the diversity of our faculty and staff supports this objective. Our goal is to provide students with the best possible learning experience, in an environment that reflects the diversity of its people, their ideas, and their identities.

We are one of Canada’s top 10 research universities—our professors and researchers explore new approaches to today’s challenges. One of a handful of Canadian universities ranked among the top 200 in the world, we attract exceptional thinkers and welcome diverse perspectives from across the globe. Our employees come together around the shared purpose of constant improvement, personal development, service excellence, teamwork and a passion for learning with a desire to make uOttawa and the world a better place. Everyone’s contributions are valued, we all play a part in making uOttawa a world-class institution. Most importantly, we make it possible for you to achieve your full potential. Because at uOttawa, you belong!

Position Purpose

Reporting to the Manager, Education Partnerships, create an outstanding student experience by providing guidance and advice on academic development, such as course and program of study selection, to students to ensure an exceptional student experience and student satisfaction. Plan and execute student interventions as well as give advice to students experiencing difficulties to increase student success and retention rates. Build strategies and programs to increase enrolment and retention rates as well as increasing visibility by promoting the University, programs and the Faculty’s services at various on- and off- campus events.

In This Role, Your Responsibilities Will Include

Assess student needs: Review student files to ensure that identification, interpretation, analysis, and assessment of student needs support the students’ goals and respect the Faculty’s processes. May consult with colleagues and/or meet with students to further explore their needs.
Establish study plans: In consultation with students experiencing academic difficulties, develop a study plan which enables the student to improve his/her academic performance, reach his/her academic goals and promotes student retention.
Plan interventions: Ascertain the accuracy of the diagnostic outcomes and considerations to ensure the quality of the intervention and review and revise the intervention plan to make sure that it will address the student’s needs.
Execute interventions: Meet with students experiencing academic difficulties to provide guidance by informing them and giving them advice on programs of study, program and course prerequisites, graduation requirements, departments, agencies, institutions and other on- and off-campus services. When necessary, will refer students to the appropriate services (ex. tutoring services), departments or support tools.

What You Will Bring

Bachelor’s degree in education or a related field
Experience in the education field or academic advising or a combination of both
Knowledge of academic programs (ex. regulations, degree requirements, prerequisites and course descriptions) at the high school, college, undergraduate and postgraduate levels
Strong knowledge of and experience revising, interpreting, communicating and applying processes, policies and methods to individual cases varying in complexity
Experience providing client service
Experience elaborating strategies and activity plans for students
Experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access), word processing, Windows and Internet
Experience in mentoring and/or coaching an asset
Strong communication skills
Ability to solve problems, make fast decisions and negotiate with students
Organizational and analytical skills attention to detail and ability to work within tight deadlines
Listening skills and strong work ethics
Judgment, independence, diplomacy and discretion
Bilingual – French and English (spoken and written)

Bilingualism: French and English (spoken and written); to be considered for this position, candidates must be rated at the Low Advanced proficiency level or higher for both oral comprehension and reading comprehension in their second official language. The rating is determined by a proficiency test designed by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute.

Key Competencies At UOttawa

Here are the required competencies for all or our employees at uOttawa:

Planning: Organize in time a series of actions or events in order to realise an objective or a project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.

Initiative: Demonstrate creativity and initiative to suggest improvements and encourage positive results. Is proactive and self-starting. Show availability and willingness to go above and beyond whenever it is possible.

Client Service Orientation: Help or serve others to meet their needs. This implies anticipating and identifying the needs of internal and external clients and finding solutions on how to meet them.

Teamwork and Cooperation: Cooperate and work well with other members of the team to reach common goal(s). Accept and give constructive feedback. Able to adjust own behaviour to reach the goals of the team.

The University of Ottawa embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are passionate about our people and committed to employment equity. We are at our best when everyone has a seat at the table, and when we are made to feel like we belong. We foster a culture of respect, teamwork and inclusion, where collaboration, innovation, and creativity fuel our quest for research and teaching excellence. While all qualified persons are invited to apply, we welcome applications from Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, barrier-free work environment. The University is also committed to working with applicants with disabilities requesting accommodation during the recruitment, assessment and selection processes. Applicants with disabilities may contact [email protected] to communicate the accommodation need. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Note: if this is a union position: The hiring process will be governed by the current collective agreement related to the union affiliation noted above; you can click here to find out more.