Director, Student Engagement & Learning

Job Category

Job Profile

Job Title

Department

Compensation Range

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge qualifications and experience for the the normal course employees will be hired transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Posting End Date

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

Job End Date

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 Description Summary

Student Engagement & Learning provides a wide range of student engagement and learning supports and services to facilitate a successful transition into through and beyond university life helping students to achieve personal and academic success while providing a rich university experience. This position is responsible for strategic leadership including the planning development implementation evaluation operational & fiscal management as well as administration of the Department to ensure alignment with institutional goals strategic priorities and the mission vision and values of the portfolio. This is achieved through the provision of student-centered services and programs that support the wellbeing of students for their personal and academic success. Supporting the Student Experience Office and the Learning Resources teams this position works with students staff faculty student organizations student government and faculty departments to lead in the following key areas: student orientation and transition Black student services and programs student access and inclusion academic learning resources community service learning leadership and peer programs. This position provides strong team leadership and overall direction and management of the Student Experience Office and Learning Resources. This position builds relationships and establishes and maintains connections with the local community organizations and other institutions. This position will further enact a commitment to equity diversity inclusion and decolonized practice through continued service level development and improvement using an anti-oppressive anti-racist gender positive service equity approach.

Organizational Status

This position reports to and works with significant autonomy under the direction of the Associate Vice President Students (AVPS) and is a member of the AVPS Leadership Team. This position oversees managers and staff. This position works closely with all partners in the AVPS portfolio and will also play a critical role in building and maintaining linkages across the campus the UBC community and the broader Central Okanagan community in support of student engagement and learning.

Work Performed

Leadership and Strategic Direction

• Provides leadership and strategic governance for the Student Experience Office and Learning Resources. This position is responsible to ensure staff meet annual priorities and strategic goals. This position plays a lead role in strategic planning and visioning alongside colleagues in the AVP Students portfolio.

• Provides full managerial authority and overall leadership in developing the departmental vision goals priorities objectives policies and procedures as well as integrated plans aligning with the overall AVPS portfolio and University strategic objectives and plans.

• Provides evidence-based leadership in the innovative design and delivery of services and programs encouraging the (re)development of initiatives and activities that address the changing needs and diversity of the campus. Evaluates trends in order to recommend advocate and initiate responsive and proactive change within the department.

• Supporting and leading Black Student Success services and space in partnership with campus stakeholders and students.

• Plans strategically for and defines the organizational structure for the unit including the kinds of equipment used the methods and techniques of work the work assignments duties and responsibilities of positions and the classifications and qualifications of positions as well as other management rights contained in appropriate collective agreements.

• Identifies staffing needs within all the units of the department to ensure that services are provided efficiently and effectively. Implements changes to the organizational structure including organizational change hiring layoff demotions creating and eliminating positions.

• Defines duties and responsibilities of staff including defining hours of work the schedules of work and the methods and techniques of work.

• Ensures the clear establishment of goals and priorities for the unit and monitors and evaluates staff and unit progress towards these goals.

• In collaboration with the AVPS Communications team develops and oversees the implementation and assessment of a communication strategy aimed at building awareness and use of services.

• Participates in the work of university-level committees and administrative structures in the development and implementation of student engagement & learning programming and initiatives and AVPS priorities.

• Works collaboratively with the AVPS and VPS Portfolio campus and community partners to establish timely goals that are responsive to student needs.

• Provides leadership on new strategic projects that align with the department mandate and operational goals.

• Provides expert level leadership around equity seeking student groups including access initiatives for under-represented students.

• Planning responsibilities includes development implementation and evaluation of programs and services with an ongoing focus on delivering the best evidence-based services to clients. These responsibilities include delegating through appropriate managers needs assessments programs and services evaluations and compatible strategic and operational planning initiatives.

• Responsible for introducing new policies and procedures that support the mandate of the units and the mission of the University. This is accomplished through participation on and chairing committees as requested addressing institutional educational policy issues; contributing experience position papers; formulating policy proposals and participating in deliberations and decisions regarding forwarding such policy papers to Senate and/or Board.

• Monitors problem areas within the department and initiates or delegates the initiation of remedial interventions at a personal-individual or organizational-system level.

• Leads innovative comprehensive integrated and intentional programming that evolves with campus and student trends over time. Considers gaps in services and programs and aims to close those gaps through program and service improvement.

• Leads the development of new technologies which enhance the student experience and works across campus to ensure broad stakeholder engagement in new business processes associated with enhanced technology.

• Consults with the UBC Okanagan community and the external Okanagan community to provide the foundation for decisions regarding the activities of UBC Okanagan service-learning programming in the community.

• Works closely with other leaders and managers in departments in a cross functional capacity either on a project team or as part of working groups or advisory committees

• Provides leadership and strategic governance for the Student Experience Office and Learning Resources. This position is responsible to ensure staff set and meet annual priorities and strategic goals. This position plays a lead role in strategic planning and visioning alongside colleagues in the AVP Students portfolio.

Human Resource Management

• Provides leadership and individual supervision to a team of professional staff student staff and volunteers. This includes regular supervision performance evaluation individual goal setting and ongoing team and individual development opportunities.

• Responsible for overall team functioning and performance including recruitment hiring training and development.

• Ensures that coordination among staff is maintained and when necessary clarifies responsibilities and boundaries between roles.

• Initiates and organizes training and professional development plans and opportunities for the team.

• Identifies wellbeing initiatives and interventions that support the health and wellbeing of all team members.

• Identifies staffing needs within all the units of the department to ensure that services are provided efficiently and effectively. Implements changes to the organizational structure including organizational change hiring layoff demotions creating and eliminating positions.

Partnerships

• Works closely with senior administration students faculty staff departments (such as: Equity and Inclusion Athletics & Recreation Campus Security Enrolment Services Human Resources etc.) to advance department and portfolio-wide priorities.

• Ensures members of the campus and broader community are provided with information resources and support to increase awareness of transitional needs faced by students

• Oversees the development of appropriate training for front-line support faculty and staff.

• Liaises with local provincial national and international contexts to foster and maintain communications and relationships with administrators in other post-secondary institutions through various forms of networking opportunities including participation in professional associations and conferences.

• Liaises with community agencies in the Okanagan region to establish co-curricular learning community engaged learning and transition programming to support students.

Financial Accountability

• Oversees the department budget(s).

• Oversees a complicated funding model which sees revenue coming from numerous sources: central operating fee for service billings; private grants; and local and provincial government funding and grants.

• Reviews monthly department financial statements in partnership with the Finance Manager to ensure expenditures are consistent with operating plan and develops strategies to balance flow of expenditures over the course of the fiscal period.

• Forecasts revenue targets and operational expenditures based on knowledge of operational costs and trends.

• Ensures that all departmental financial practices and accountabilities are in line with fiscal policies and procedures.

• Authorizes departmental financial transactions within designated level of authority.

• Responsible for maximizing the operational efficiencies through appropriate scheduling and deployment of staff resources and funds and for finding creative ways for addressing financial shortfall including user fees grant applications identifying efficiencies and partnerships with the city or third parties.

• Develops annual operating budget and business plan for approval through appropriate channels of the Universitys senior administration governance and in accordance with financial policies for services operations.

• Ensures all government funding compliance guidelines are followed and reports submitted as required.

Assessment & Evaluation

• Leads assessment and evaluation efforts to ensure quality programming and constant improvement.

• Ensures continuous program improvement through assessment and evaluation processes.

• Uses institutional and sector data and metrics to inform and guide the work of the team and to drive positive change and improvements in service delivery and programming.

• Writes and/or oversees the preparation of unit documents including annual reports and planning documents in support of planning and evaluative processes.

• Ensures the clear establishment of goals and priorities for the unit and monitors and evaluates staff and unit progress towards these goals.

• Planning responsibilities includes development implementation and evaluation of programs and services with an ongoing focus on delivering the best evidence-based services to clients. These responsibilities include delegating through appropriate managers needs assessments programs and services evaluations and compatible strategic and operational planning initiatives.

Consequence of Error/Judgement
This position makes independent decisions and is expected to exercise judgment diplomacy and tact in all interactions associated within the function of this position. Errors in decision making can have serious negative effects on the departments and the Universitys public relations and/or the departments relations with Faculties and other departments.

Supervision Received
Working under the direction of AVP Students this position acts independently and exercises considerable judgment and innovation in working with students faculty and staff.

Supervision Given
Provides leadership to and management of a team that includes professional and student staff. Responsible for the recruitment training supervision evaluating and termination of staff if necessary.

Minimum Qualifications
- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives including perspectives in conflict with ones own
- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing ones own awareness knowledge and skills related to equity diversity and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters degree in a relevant discipline preferred.

• Demonstrated experience working with Black communities and a nuanced understanding of the diverse experiences of Black-identifying students in Canada.

• Experience working with Indigenous people/organizations people with diverse abilities and people of colour in post-secondary education.

• Proven sensibility and appreciation of the role that gender race disability gender identity sexuality social background play in the experience of students.

• Expert level knowledge and experience in student engagement and student development theories and approaches.

• Demonstrated administrative and supervisory experience.

• Experience in working in strategic planning and experience and knowledge of university governance structures policies and procedures academic programs and student services is essential.

• Experience in planning and facilitating meetings workshops conferences and similar events.

• Knowledge of financial structures and management required.

• Must have a deep understanding of Indigenous experiences particularly as they relate to post-secondary education and an appreciation of the complexity and range of Indigenous peoples and communities.

• Must have a strong commitment to advancing the educational aspirations of people with disabilities.

• Demonstrated leadership interpersonal and written and oral communications skills including public speaking.

• Demonstrated organizational administrative and supervisory capabilities as well as effective problem-solving and analytical abilities are required.

• Ability to take initiative and exercise judgement and work effectively under pressure to manage multiple priorities.

• Ability to work both independently and in a team.

• Though not frequently required must be able to travel within British Columbia and to other national and international locations.

• This position will be required to work at times in the evenings and on weekends.

• Knowledge of student development theory and best practices in equity and anti-oppression frameworks.

• Familiarity with academic and student support structures for both undergraduate and graduate students.

• Experience with community engagement including building external partnerships with Black-led organizations and alumni networks.