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Job Type:

Employee

Duration in Months (for fixed-term jobs):

N/A

Job Family:

Event Management

# of Open Positions:

1

Faculty/Service - Department:

Registrar, Operations

Campus:

Main Campus

Union Affiliation:

SSUO

Date Posted:

October 10, 2024

Applications must be received BEFORE:

October 20, 2024

Hours per week:

35

Salary Grade:

SSUO Grade 11

Salary Range:

$87,272.00 - $110,239.00

About Student Affairs :

Student Affairs is at the very heart of the student experience at the University of Ottawa. We recruit the very best future students, support them throughout their university years and leave them well-prepared for fulfilling careers and future studies. Our team of more than 600 dedicated staff provides the services that keep students happy, well and thriving as they pursue their ambitions. We help them apply and enrol for courses, we oversee 11 residences and an award-winning Dining Hall, we organize fun events and varsity sports activities, we run an innovative career development and experiential learning program and much more!

There’s nothing more rewarding than helping future generations reach their full potential at a world-class university. With our wide variety of career opportunities and professional development pathways, we’re sure that you’ll enjoy the experience as much as our students do.

Position purpose:

The Senior Specialist, Convocation, is responsible for the development and implementation of sophisticated, meaningful and impactful convocation ceremonies that are critical to projecting the university’s brand presence and help to support university highest priorities around developing and sustaining the long-term relationships with our stakeholders (academic, researchers, business and community leaders, industry partners, elected officials, alumni and donors, the diplomatic corps, and volunteers) increasing engagement and philanthropic support of the university.

The Senior Specialist, Convocation, is responsible for establishing event quality standards protocols and consistently delivering impressive events as expected of a world-class academic institution. They ensure strategic leadership to ensure the optimization of all processes related to convocation.

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

• Strategic Planning: Provides leadership in the development and implementation of the service’s strategic direction concerning institutional convocation ceremonies by setting objectives, adopting various tactics and methods, and establishing performance indicators. Analyzes event management technology, as well as strong knowledge of event logistics: staging, audio visual, catering, travel, registration tools, stakeholder databases, virtual event platforms, etc.

• Communications: In conjunction with the Communications Directorate, develops, coordinates, and manages various communications strategies and key initiatives led by the sector. Implements marketing and communications strategies to promote the convocation ceremonies.

• Operational management: Defines work priorities and deadlines to the sector based on the issues involved. Develops an operational schedule and determines the resources needed to meet deadlines. Develops and implements internal processes, procedures, and regulations to improve the operational effectiveness of the sector.

• Budget management: Designs, manages, and monitors the budget allocated to convocation while complying with related policies, regulations, and procedures.

• Advice and consulting: Provides strategic advice to senior leadership and management on the strategic development and the conceptualization of high-profile convocation events. Provides expert-level support, consulting services and instruction to clients and stakeholders across the university.

• Protocols: Advises, researches, and develops policies and procedures for the institution on the requirements, standards, traditions, and expectations in relation to institutional, academic, political, and diplomatic protocol. Ensure that these policies and procedures are understood, incorporated, and reflected in events and official visits hosted by the University.

• Networking: Creates and maintains a network of peers consisting of managers from the academic sectors of various faculties and services, of academic staff and Student Affairs staff in order to promote mutual support and the sharing of expertise and best practices.

• Event management: Leads the organization of the convocation ceremonies.

• Public relations: Develops and maintains a network of public and private sector partners, including media, with a view to increasing the visibility of the service.

• Trend analysis: Conducts market studies, analyses internal and external trends to set priorities and issue recommendations to senior managers.

• External Providers negotiations: Negotiates with external providers. Clearly communicates expectations and needs, to achieve a well-run convocation, and follows-up in the event of problems. Actively participate and evaluate requests for proposals in collaboration with procurement.

What will you bring:

• Undergraduate degree in the field of communications, marketing, event management, or in a related field or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

• A minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in the management of high-profile events.

• Experience in employee supervision

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 realize 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 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 qualified 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.

If this is a front-line position with responsibilities to interact with students, selected 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.

Prior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as defined in Policy 129 – Covid-19 Vaccination. This policy was suspended effective May 1, 2022 but may be reinstated at any point in the future depending on public health guidelines and the recommendations of experts.