The University of Calgary Looking for Admissions Assistant, Master of Engineering Program, Schulich School of Engineering at Calgary, AB Full Time

Position Overview

The Master of Engineering Program in the Schulich School of Engineering is currently seeking a Full-time Limited Term Admissions Assistant for approximately 6 months.

The Admissions Assistant reports to the Supervisor, MEng Admissions and will play a critical role in meeting enrollment targets for the MEng program within SSE. In accordance with policies and standards established by the University, the MEng Admissions Assistant will provide expertise in work related to the admission of students to the Master of Engineering Program at the University of Calgary. The Admissions Assistant assesses eligibility of international and domestic applications and processes admissions for applicants who meet approved academic requirements. The Admissions Assistant has the expertise and advising ability to help applicants navigate through academic regulations and criteria to confirm their eligibility and provides support through the application process.

High standards in quality are necessary as errors directly affect applicants, students, the academic unit, and the reputation of the University of Calgary. Efficient time management is critical to ensure all deadlines are met and to ensure the efficient completion of work responsibilities related to the position. There is a very high volume of work with many interruptions, and it is imperative that the Admissions Assistant can work well in a team-based, open office environment. The position provides advising and support to applicants through frontline customer service options such as phones, email, and in-person. This will require flexibility, especially at times of high volume and demand around the start of each term and during peak periods. Strong communication skills are critical to ensure that accurate and responsive information is provided with discretion and tact to avoid misunderstandings or difficult encounters. Discretion must be exercised, and good judgment followed.

The primary purpose of the Admissions Assistant is to review, assess and evaluate applicants for admission to the MEng program. In addition, the Admissions Assistant has front-line applicant-facing responsibilities to provide accurate information and guidance to applicants with respect to procedures, policies and regulations related to graduate admissions. The Admissions Assistant is highly knowledgeable on MEng admission criteria and processes. Responsibilities include overseeing the management of a high-volume email account and responding to complex inquiries including deferral requests; providing in-person and phone advising for prospective students and applicants who may be unfamiliar with admission requirements and processes; and regularly actioning various specialized tasks that are imperative to ensuring applications are processed and evaluated correctly and in a timely manner.

Position Description

Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

Advising and Customer Service:

• Provides accurate and timely information to prospective applicants and admitted students by phone, email and in-person on admission requirements, processes, regulations, and conversion related activities.
• Assesses student email requests and responds and advises appropriately.
• Resolves situations where possible by providing applicants and students with correct information.
• Reaches out to applicants through phone or email when necessary.

Admission Assessment, Offers and Conversion:

• Gains and applies an in-depth knowledge of calendar admission criteria and degree program requirements for all MEng departments.
• Processes incoming applications for admission and determines the documentation required to enable formal evaluation and admission decision.
• Evaluates undergraduate and/or graduate qualifications presented for admission against program entrance criteria.
• Calculates GPAs in accordance with University processes.
• Performs application maintenance in PeopleSoft. Completes admission process and processes offer of admission.
• Ensures applicants receive appropriate updates on the status of their applications either by email or via the PeopleSoft student centre.
• Generates and sends admission letters.
• Works with the team to develop and implement strategies and tactics to increase conversion from admitted student to registered student. Follows up with offered applicants to encourage conversion and submission of outstanding requirements.

Tracking and Reporting:

• Supports the Supervisor with ensuring all data on inquiries and applications is tracked accurately and effectively.
• Develops and maintains status reports for multiple stakeholders.

Qualifications / Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field and/or a certificate or diploma in administration is required.
• 2-3 years of experience working in student administration and/or admissions, including answering inquiries, processing applications, transcripts, and test scores is required.
• Experience in a high-volume office environment required, preferably in the post-secondary context and including document management and data entry.
• Demonstrated understanding of University of Calgary academic policies and procedures pertaining to admissions.
• Intermediate to advanced skills in Microsoft Office, including Microsoft Excel. The ability to develop and maintain reports in Excel and analyze data is a strong asset.
• Experience with UCalgary Student Information System (PeopleSoft Campus Solutions) and Synergize Electronic Document Management System (EDMS).
• Ability to work in a confidential setting and demonstrate good judgment in dealing with sensitive and confidential situations.
• Ability to evaluate eligibility of incoming applications with respect to admissions criteria and make decisions accordingly.
• High level of organization with the ability to manage a heavy volume of work and complete tasks efficiently is required.
• Demonstrated success as a positive, collaborative, and supportive team member.
• Demonstrated excellence in written and verbal communication skills. Ability to plan and develop communications to prospective students.
• The ability to manage one’s own workload to minimize stress, maintain wellness and model desired work behavior is required.
• Must be able to manage multiple changing priorities while still maintaining and meeting deadlines.
• Ability to quickly learn new processes and procedures associated with different technologies and information systems.

Application Deadline: December 19, 2022

We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.

Additional Information

This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Specialist/Advisor Job Family, Phase 1.

To find out more about management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary and all we have to offer, view our Management and Staff Careers website. For more information visit Careers in the Schulich School of Engineering.

The University strongly recommends all faculty and staff are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

About the University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is Canada’s leading next-generation university – a living, growing and youthful institution that embraces change and opportunity with a can-do attitude. Located in the nation’s most enterprising city, the university is making tremendous progress on its Eyes High journey to be recognized as one of Canada’s top five research universities, grounded in innovative learning and teaching and fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads. The University of Calgary inspires and supports discovery, creativity and innovation across all disciplines. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy in line with the foundational goals of Eyes High, committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (equity@ucalgary.ca) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources (hrhire@ucalgary.ca).

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.