Administrative Assistant (FoS Canada Research Chairs)

Wilfrid Laurier University•Waterloo, ON

8d•Onsite

About The Position

At Laurier, we are a community. It’s what brings our students here and what keeps our people here. As an educational institution, we inspire lives of leadership and purpose in our student community. As an employer, we seek, foster and value the same qualities of leadership and purpose in our employee community. We currently have an opportunity for you to join the Laurier community as an Administrative Assistant in support of the Faculty of Science Canada Research Chairs (CRC). As a team member of the Dean’s Office, the incumbent will contribute to the service orientation and efficient operation of the unit, and more specifically contribute to the success of research endeavours of faculty members. Reporting to the Senior Administrative Officer, and under the daily guidance of the Research Support Coordinator, the Administrative Assistant will provides dedicated assistance and support to CRC researchers in the Faculty of Science. The incumbent supports the reconciliation and submission of expense and travel claims, as well as acting as the subject matter expert for interpretation of University policies and procedures as they pertain to the completion of expense claims, expense reports, budget reconciliation, and research payroll request forms. They will provide key administrative and records management support for contractual travel funds and Professional Expense reimbursement claims as they apply to the WLUFA collective agreement and the Faculty of Science internal policies on use of these funds. The Administrative Assistant will work both independently and co-operatively with other staff within the Faculty of Science and its departments, the Research Finance Office, Accounts Payable, the Procurement Office, other University departments as well as external vendors and suppliers, using judgement and discretion in the performance of duties in working with confidential information.

Requirements

Completion of 2-3 year college diploma in office administration
2 years of previous experience in an administrative assistant position
Demonstrated experience with Microsoft Office Suite of products including Word, and Excel
Strong verbal skills, including interpersonal, intercultural, intergenerational, and persuasive skills to explain information to a variety of individuals
Strong writing skills, including correspondence through email
Experience working independently, and the ability to self-start and be self-motivated
Experience working within a team and the ability to build strong relationships with colleagues and partners both internal and external to the Faculty of Science
Experience using time management tools to organize one’s work to meet deadlines
Experience working under pressure towards tight timelines where priorities and tasks may regularly change
Experience analyzing and executing tasks with a high degree of accuracy

Nice To Haves

Experience in the Canadian higher education system
A strong understanding of Laurier's policies and procedures as they pertain to financial operations such as: Expense claim processing, University compliance policies, Working with external vendors
Experience in Laurier’s financial management platforms (Banner, Millennium, ShopLaurier, Chromeriver)
Experience working within a research environment
Familiarity with Human Resources job posting requirements
Understanding of Millennium FAST would be considered an asset
Intermediate Qualtrics skills to be able to create reports and develop time management tools for research related activities

Responsibilities

Provides research administrative support to the Faculty of Science Canadian Research Chairs
Reconciles research expense claims, invoices, and Purchase Card submissions, ensuring compliance with the University Expense Reimbursement Handbook, the Research Finance Office and when applicable Tri-Agency compliance framework
Ensures all claims are reconciled and appropriately coded for submission to Accounts Payable, Chromeriver and/or ShopLaurier in a timely manner according to University deadline requirements. Contacting the appropriate faculty member if necessary to confirm information and clarify expense claims
Updates the Research Support Administrative Assistant with information pertaining to CRC eligible claims for Professional Expense Reimbursements and Contractual Travel, co-ordinating the reconciliation of expenses to ensure compliance with university and research policies
Provides administrative assistance for the posting of research assistant positions, ensuring positions are filled in an appropriate time frame for Faculty of Science Canadian Research Chairs
Interacts with Accounts Payable, Office of Research Service, Procurement, and Research Finance to ensure efficient processing of expense claims through the University’s finance management systems
Updates Canada Research Chair web page information as necessary
Ensures that all researchers meet requirements for approval to operate University owned vehicles for insurance purposes
Provides guidance to CRC’s and their staff on matters pertaining to university-wide administrative processes; which may include interactions with the offices of Information and Communication Technologies, Facilities and Asset Management, And Distribution Services
Processes and provides support for CRC, students and community members expense claims (cheque requisition, out of pocket and travel expense claim forms), reviewing for multi-level financial policy compliance
Acts as Chrome River delegate and submits claims when required for CRCs and their purchase card-holding staff
Monitors purchase card delinquency and negotiates extensions when needed to ensure all cardholders’ accounts remain in good standing
Requests temporary limit increases for all users’ cards prior to making large purchases
Contacts external vendors for missing receipts or clarification on charges to purchase cards on behalf of CRCs and their card-holding staff
Reports technical issues with purchase cards and Chrome River to Procurement on behalf of cardholders
Reviews and processes all incoming invoices via Accounts Payable and Shop Laurier
Enters journal vouchers in Millennium to transfer and recover costs
Requests and/or generates invoices for external users of CRCs’ facilities and equipment, liaising with internal finance to ensure invoices are paid and deposited into research indexes
Sets up new-to-Laurier vendors and individuals for direct deposit
Generates reports on grants’ indexes in Millennium upon request
Gathers, interprets, and provides data on the usage of CRCs’ research facilities
Assists Research Finance and the Office of Research Services with research grant spend-downs and allocation of resources
Initiates requests for extensions of research grants
Coordinate purchases (including equipment) while ensuring compliance with internal (Expense Handbook) and applicable external financial policies (BOBIA, US Procurement Restriction Policy, TAGFA, CRA guidelines)
Liaise with Insurance/Risk Management to set up insurance for new vehicle/equipment purchases and for all new drivers of Laurier-owned vehicles
Communicate any delays or modifications of orders to the relevant CRC or lab staff member
Books rooms and catering for events and in-person meetings
Processes expenses related to events hosted or jointly held by CRCs
Contacts vendors to arrange for large reservations and direct billing where agreements exist (e.g. hotel blocs)
Supports Wilfrid Laurier University’s values, vision, mission, and strategy
Collaborates and maintains professional relationships with appropriate departments in support of research ventures within the Faculty of Science
Maintains confidentiality around programs, reports, and budgets
Stays current on the most recent and relevant legislation, policies, best practices, literature, and software, related to the accountabilities and qualifications of the position
Ensures that the supervisor is kept up-to-date on all important items related to the position through electronic or in-person communication and seek advice when necessary
Assists other team members within the Faculty of Science research support portfolio during periods of accelerated activities and during non-peak periods