Administrative Coordinator, Office Dean

The Faculty of Science and Technology is made up of ten academic departments:
Biology, Chemistry, Computing Science, Earth Science, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Forestry, Geography, Mathematics, Physic/Engineering/Astronomy, and Resource Management and Protection. The Faculty offers bachelor's degrees in Science, Natural Resource Protection, and Fisheries & Aquaculture, as well as a number of diplomas and certificates. The Faculty is also home to the Applied Environmental Research Lab. The Faculty employs around a hundred faculty and staff, and has a well-deserved reputation for quality undergraduate education and research.

The Administrative Coordinator, Office of the Dean reports directly to the Dean, Faculty of Science and Technology and manages the daily operations of the Dean’s office ensuring that work is handled in a confidential manner, effectively and efficiently. The incumbent provides direct support to the Dean including managing the Dean’s office support staff, supporting strategic planning, human resources, financial planning, administrative duties, and related confidential matters of the office.

Support for the Dean – the Administrative Coordinator is expected to independently work with discretion providing senior-level confidential support and advice to the Dean, Faculty of Science and Technology, and Associate Dean, as needed. This position works closely with the Dean, providing advice and responding to a wide array of questions, concerns, and requests from faculty, staff and students. This position also acts as primary point of contact within the faculty providing advice and guidance on a variety of issues that may arise, some of which are ambiguous and require business acumen and sensitivity in decision making.

• Screen guests and calls on behalf of the Office with tact, diplomacy, and sensitivity; determining the urgency of the matter, if the call/meeting should be addressed by the Dean or delegated elsewhere, and whether an issue needs further investigation. Inquiries may come from a range of stakeholders that include students and parents, faculty, management, and the executive.
• Manage the support staff in the Faculty. This includes departmental workforce planning, assigning work priorities, overseeing, and finding improvements to office administrative functions, workflow, hiring, training, and performance management of support staff. This includes managing the workloads for the following:
  • coordinating meetings, planning and drafting agendas, taking minutes; and providing follow-up on matters arising from meetings
  • gathers, enters, and/or updates data to maintain departmental records and databases, as appropriate; establishes and maintains files and records for the office
• Liaise with internal stakeholders such as VIU employees (senior management, faculty, staff and administrators), students, internal committee and societies of VIU, as well as with external partners such as government agencies, other post-secondary institutions, community leaders, Indigenous groups, business, and industry.

• Participating in development of the Faculty’s Labour Plan, ensuring labour budgets are up-to-date and covered through internal transfers or requests for enhancements, in consultation with the Dean.
• Preparing and managing correspondence and records, which will include HR related issues (absenteeism, complaints, hiring and discipline) and confidential labour relations files (grievances, collective bargaining).
• Monitoring absenteeism and participating in discussions with employees concerning absences from work and planning coverage in relation to employee leaves.
• Providing the Dean with relevant information regarding absences, staffing issues and complaints.
• Responsible for creating contracts and appointments for all regular, temporary, and casual employees within the Faculty, including appointment change forms for any seasonal breaks in employment, all part-time and full-time leaves, resignations, and retirements. Calculating sick leave coverage appointments and other tasks relating to employment contracts.
• Advise the Chairs of any seniority rights…