Date:	December, 2012
Reports to (Job Title):	Executive Officer
Jobs Reporting (Job Titles):	None
Location:	Waterloo
Grade:	USG 9 35 hr/wk

Primary Purpose

The Student Relations Officer is responsible for improving the level and intensity of engagement of undergraduate engineering students. The Student Relations Officer must balance the needs of the students with the vision of the Faculty, ensuring that the dean’s strategic vision for student engagement is implemented.

Key Accountabilities:

1.Student engagement, including but not limited to:

Manages and implements the Faculty’s student communication plan
Evaluates student engagement and satisfaction through the development and implementation of an annual survey
Coordinates, develops and promotes programs and services aimed at enhancing the student experience
Serves as the Faculty’s staff liaison for all student experience initiatives, providing counsel and direction on the university’s policies and procedures
Maintains on-going, broad-based consultation and collaboration with students, faculty and staff to provide direction to the Faculty’s strategic plan

2.Crisis management, including but not limited to:

Manages the Faculty’s student crisis management plan, providing direction to the dean and other senior administration in the Faculty when crises occur
Guides the Faculty’s communication team with internal and external crisis communication strategies
Discerns when a student would benefit from professional support services and provides referrals to at-risk students
Coordinates student memorial services through delicate consultation with family, friends and the appropriate academic department
Works closely with Police Services when crises occur, including student deaths, pranks and engineering-specific events

3.Financial administration, including but not limited to:

Manages the operating budget for all student activities supported by the Faculty, reconciling the accounts and tracking all spending, providing an annual financial report to the Dean
Ensures that all operating accounts for student activities are soundly managed
Provides recommendations to the dean regarding student funding requests and ensures the Dean’s decisions with respect to the funds are implemented
Works closely with the Faculty Financial Officer to ensure the University policies and procedures are followed
Manages and distributes the annual Provost’s contribution to engineering student activities, providing an annual financial report to the Provost
Maintains clear, transparent communication with the student body regarding funding allocations and procedures.

4.Student orientation, including but not limited to:

Serves as the Faculty’s orientation advisor, representing Engineering on the University’s orientation planning committee
Hires and supervises six student leaders and assists with the selection of over 400 student volunteers, providing direction in the areas of training, evaluation, program management and recognition
Works in collaboration with campus partners to develop and implement successful orientation programming, including, but not limited to, interaction with the Federation of Students, the Student Success Office, other academic units, the Safety Office and the Engineering First-year Office
Evaluates the engineering orientation program annually, providing recommendations and strategic direction to the Faculty and campus partners
Works in collaboration with Faculty departments and campus partners to develop, improve and promote a cohesive orientation program for the university’s UAE campus

5.Strategic advice and support, including but not limited to:

Provides direction to the dean for all student engagement issues and opportunities
Ensures the effective implementation of the Faculty’s strategic initiative related to student engagement
Drafts correspondence and reports for the Dean as required
Serves as the Dean’s representative on various Faculty committees, including the Women in Engineering committee and the Outreach and Diversity committee
Serves as the Faculty’s representative on University-wide committees, including the Orientation Planning committee and the Alcohol and Education committee

Position Requirements

Education:

University undergraduate degree required.

Experience:

The Student Relations Officer is the primary staff position focused on student engagement in the Faculty of Engineering. Applicants must have experience working with diverse student groups in an academic setting. Demonstrated experience mentoring and providing guidance to student leaders is essential. Proven crisis management experience and familiarity with campus resources and polices related to health and safety, and ethical behaviour required.

Must demonstrate sound judgement, tact and diplomacy and demonstrate a proven ability to deal with confidential and sensitive issues. Must have outstanding verbal and written communication skills. Must be confident, organized and an accomplished problem-solver. Demonstrated ability to make independent decisions required.

Technical:

MS Word	Excel	PowerPoint	Other
Intermediate	Basic	Basic	Intermediate experience with Microsoft Office programs. Basic experience with web content management software. Current first aid certification required.

Nature and Scope

Interpersonal Skills:

Within the Faculty of Engineering, communicates with students, staff and faculty to deal with, influence and motivate. Communicates with senior administration of the Faculty, including the dean and associate deans to promote, justify and settle highly sensitive matters.

Outside of the Faculty, communicates with various student service units and senior administration to promote, justify and settle highly sensitive matters, including, but not limited to, the Provost’s Office, the Safety Office, the Student Success Office, Counselling Services, Co-operative Education and Career Action, and the Registrar’s Office.

This position also communicates on behalf of the dean and student body to deal with, influence and motivate various external organizations including, but not limited to, media, national and provincial-level engineering organizations, and other engineering schools.

Level of Responsibility:

This position has specialized work with minimal supervision and provides guidance to others, and also includes responsibility for oversight of casual or temporary staff, including student co-op positions, student leadership volunteer positions and Engineering Society permanent staff members.

Decision-Making Authority:

Provides strategic direction to the Dean and other senior administration within the Faculty on matters relating to student engagement and success initiatives impacting the engineering undergraduate population.
Manages the Faculty’s student crisis management plan, providing guidance to the Dean and other senior Faculty administration when crises occur, including, but not limited to, the death of an engineering student.
Makes decisions on budget allocation for all student activity with the Faculty and has signing authority for all student activity operating accounts.
Responsible for student orientation planning and implementation, including the hiring of six student committee members and overseeing the selection of 400 student leader positions.

Physical and Sensory Demands:

Minimal demands typical of an administrative position within an office environment.

Working Environment:

Travel: Occasional travel required.

Working Hours: Regular working hours, frequent evening/weekend work required.

Risks – physical and psychological :

Physical risks

Some exposure to physical risks

Psychological risks

Some exposure to disagreeable conditions resulting from the unpredictable behaviour of university students