City : Hamilton

Category : Other

Industry : Education

Employer : McMaster University

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.

Academic Program Advisor

JD 0597

Unit/Project Description: The Non-Academic Requirements and Learner Immunization (NARLI) Office plays a vital role in supporting the Faculty of Health Sciences by ensuring learners meet mandatory health screening and compliance requirements prior to clinical placements. Each year, the office manages documentation for more than 3,500 learners and visiting electives, including tuberculous screening, mask fit testing, seasonal influenzas vaccinations and vulnerable sector checks.

The NARLI Office is seeking a limited-term Academic Program Advisor. This role is central to maintaining records, providing health screening & immunization information and support to learners, tracking submissions, ensuring that procedures are accurate and efficient. 

Job Summary: Responsible for providing academic advice at a program or department level which requires a thorough knowledge of program or department regulations as it pertains to course and program requirements. Also responsible for providing administrative support for a program or department.

Purpose and Key Functions:

• Identify and analyze problems with the program and prepare recommendations for review and approval.
• Collect, analyze, assess, and summarize information relevant to the decision making process and develop recommendations for final approval and implementation.
• Advise registered and prospective students of program options and requirements which requires maintaining knowledge of course and program curriculum.
• Ensure that students understand that all course and program selections adhere to established academic, prerequisite, and graduation requirements for the program.
• Assess student priority for limited registration in courses and provide suitable alternatives to meet degree requirements.
• Provide students with information regarding program policies and information about program requirements.
• Review, evaluate, and provide recommendations on applications to ensure students are eligible to transfer into, continue in, and graduate from the program.
• Investigate questions and resolve problems concerning program, curricula, and admissions.
• Act as a mediator between faculty and students when dealing with various issues such as special accommodations, scheduling conflicts, and grades.
• Gather and compile information required for a variety of documents and reports such as program accreditation, enrolment, and degree audits.
• Write a variety of documents such as correspondence, reports, and procedure manuals.
• Contribute to the development of student surveys and disseminate surveys to applicable groups.
• Review applications for a variety of scholarship competitions and ensure they contain the required information and meet the defined eligibility requirements.
• Notify applicants of the status of their application.
• Review applications and provide comments and recommendations to the selection committee for their consideration and approval.
• Monitor budgets and reconcile accounts. Complete financial forms including travel expense reports, electronic cheque requisitions, purchase orders and journal entries.
• Develop marketing and advertising brochures for a variety of purposes, functions, and events.
• Promote the program to visitors and representatives both internal and external to the University.
• Represent the program at various recruitment events.
• Create content for the program website. Update information and maintain the website.
• Plan and coordinate a variety of departmental events and activities.
• Prepare and work in consultation with faculty and staff to coordinate the program timetable.
• Ensure that there are no conflicts with student timetables and work with the Office of the Registrar to resolve course conflicts.
• Update and maintain information in a variety of databases and spreadsheets.

Supervision:

• Ensure adherence to quality standards and procedures for short-term staff and volunteers.
• Provide orientation and show procedures to others.

Qualifications:

• 3 year Community College diploma in Office Administration or related field.
• Requires 3 years of relevant experience.

Assets:

• Comprehensive knowledge of health-related compliance process, including TB screening, immunizations, mask fit testing and, vulnerable sector checks.
• Prior experience in academic, healthcare setting requiring attention to detail and confidentiality.  

Additional Information:

The successful incumbent for this role will also be able to demonstrate: 

• Experience working in an academic setting and/or a familiarity with McMaster University and its policies regarding health screening. 
• Familiarity of McMaster University privacy policies related to learner information. 
• Strong experience in the use of Mosaic or similar Enterprise Resource Planning {ERP) system {Student and financial portals). 
• Strong skills in the use of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, the Adobe software suite, website content management and social media platforms. 
• Experience in planning and coordinating events both in person and in a virtual environment. 
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills, both in-person and in a virtual environment. 
• Strong experience in the use of communication technologies including departmental listservs, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. 
• Ability to prepare and disseminate timely communications.
• Experience in organizing and maintaining of detailed records and knowledgeable of those that pertain to learners.
• Ability to problem solve, work independently, and as part of a team to support students and the administrative needs of the department.
• Ability to effectively manage multiple priorities with concurrent deadlines by effectively prioritizing competing demands with a high degree of professionalism.

This position may require you to work outside of your regular work schedule including evenings and weekends to meet operational demands.