Associate Director, Academic Systems and Enrolment

University of British Columbia•Vancouver, BC

About The Position

Applied Science Central Student Services is a shared service unit across the Faculty of Applied Science (APSC), including Engineering, the School of Community and Regional Planning, the School of Biomedical Engineering, and the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. The unit is dedicated to being an efficient and consistent source of academic, career, and professional development services and support for students throughout their academic journey in APSC. The APSC Central Student Services unit has four teams: the APSC Co-op, Experiential Learning and Professional Development team, the Undergraduate Academic Advising Team, the Graduate Academic Programs and Advising Team, and the Academic Systems Team — all under the leadership of the Director, APSC Student Services. The Associate Director, Academic Systems, Enrolment, and Registration provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for key academic services within Applied Science Student Services, supporting approximately 5,500 undergraduate students and 400 professional graduate students across 14 programs in six departments and three schools within the Faculty of Applied Science. The Associate Director leads the development of innovative business solutions and service models, provides technical and strategic oversight on cross-functional projects, and fosters collaboration across academic and administrative units within the Faculty and the University, with a key focus on championing service excellence and shaping an inclusive, developmental advising culture. As a senior member of the APSC Central Student Services team, the Associate Director is responsible for the planning, implementation, and continuous improvement of student services, including admissions, appeals, scholarships, enrolment, registration, transfer credit, international experience, course scheduling, and academic systems such as the Academic Progress Report and Workday Student. The role ensures that services are integrated, student-centred, and aligned with Faculty and institutional priorities. Working closely with the Director and other senior leaders, this role contributes to the strategic direction of Applied Science Student Services by guiding policy development, program design, and service delivery that enhance the academic, personal, and professional success of Applied Science students.

Requirements

Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline.
Minimum of five to six years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Nice To Haves

Experience in university or college student development, academic advising, admissions, or enrolment services work.
Demonstrated managerial experience and proven ability to lead, coach, and motivate staff, preferably within academic or student services of a post-secondary environment.
Experience working with academic policy, or in a policy-driven environment preferred.
Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, communications, and organizational development.
Ability to lead, influence, and support organizational and cultural change.
Excellent interpersonal skills with the proven ability to use an inclusive approach to develop and cultivate relationships with students, faculty, staff, and key stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly, effectively, and professionally across all levels of the University.
Ability to think conceptually, i.e., use creative, conceptual, or inductive reasoning or thought processes to identify patterns in complex data, and identify key or underlying issues in complex situations.
Considerable knowledge and experience in systems development, implementation, evaluation, and relevant research.
Demonstrated ability to translate policy and technical systems issues to non-subject matter experts.
Experience applying technology to improve student and/or client services.
Considerable knowledge and experience in program development, implementation, evaluation, and relevant research.
Expertise in managing policy development and implementation processes in a post-secondary setting.
Ability and aptitude for progressive, creative, and innovative thinking.
Must be able to independently exercise superior judgment to make important decisions on complex matters which may fall outside the scope of established priorities.
Experience in enrolment/student services policies, procedures, and systems preferred.
Proven experience with data analysis to inform decisions leading to enhanced efficiencies and alignment with organizational goals is required.

Responsibilities

Plays a key role on the APSC Student Services leadership team in shaping and advancing Applied Science Student Services.
Works with the Director and Associate Directors to develop, deliver, and evaluate student and academic services while fostering an organizational culture aligned with strategic priorities.
Leads service enhancement initiatives and develops action plans to support service excellence, providing leadership in the strategic development and delivery of consultative services across the Faculty.
Develops a robust and agile approach to engaging with partners to ensure solutions and services align with strategic goals.
Analyzes and reports on program and course enrolments to identify and negotiate for critical instructional resources, such as securing sufficient seats in foundational courses, to sustain program delivery and student progression.
Leads special projects assigned by senior leadership and represents Applied Science by participating in University and departmental committees as required.
Provides oversight and expertise in overall business process definition, analysis, and design, functional design, implementation, facilitation, and documentation to deliver advising, scheduling, and registration solutions.
Leads the team responsible for identifying, implementing, and maintaining academic-related systems and solutions; establishes and directs cross-functional project teams and designs solutions to business processes.
Collaborates with University partners, including Enrolment Services and UBC IT Services, to update, implement, and integrate Faculty policies into student systems such as scheduling and Academic Progress Report programming.
Evaluates the impact of systems changes on the student experience.
Identifies, analyzes, and leads continuous improvement initiatives to enhance the student, faculty, and departmental advising experience, and identifies tools and software to support advising services.
Responsible for ensuring that the diverse and complex scheduling and registration needs of all APSC programs (excluding Nursing, Biomedical Engineering, Engineering Physics, and Geological Engineering) are met through a deep understanding of program requirements and effective leadership with the Academic Systems team and units.
Works with the Associate Dean, Academic, to provide recommendations on curricular initiatives, such as reviewing transfer program requirements and making recommendations for admission policy.
Advises senior leaders on the development of new academic programs and international partnerships, with a focus on curriculum alignment and systems integration, particularly in relation to exchange programs and degree requirements.
Works closely with the Director to support broader UBC advising initiatives, such as the development of cross-campus advising policies, streamlining processes, and developing policies and procedures to support student enrolment and degree progression.
Provides advice and makes recommendations to other units (e.g., Enrolment Services, International Student Initiative, International Student Development) regarding the impact of policy, process, and programming issues for Applied Science students.
Provides expert advisory guidance to Undergraduate Admission evaluators on complex or non-standard applications, offering direction and advice in cases that fall outside routine evaluation parameters.
Reviews, determines admissibility, and responds to appeals for UBC Senate’s consideration from applicants denied admission, or whose offers of admission were revoked, on behalf of the Faculty.
Determines Dean’s Discretion offers of admission based on established Faculty guidelines and policies.
Analyzes trends in student academic performance post-admission and throughout degree progression, providing data-informed recommendations to the Associate Dean, Academic and Director to inform continuous improvement or redevelopment of admissions policy and/or procedural changes.
Provides oversight and recommends recipients for Engineering entrance awards and scholarships.
Identifies and develops opportunities to connect and foster collaborative partnerships with key stakeholders, including Enrolment Services, Undergraduate Admissions, Go Global, Scheduling Services, other faculties and departments (particularly the Faculty of Science with respect to negotiating seats for first-year courses, and the Engineering departments regarding best practice in scheduling and registration).
Responsible for the development, implementation, and evaluation of policies related to Go Global and CIE partnerships.
Recruits, trains, evaluates, develops, and when required, disciplines and terminates staff; builds and motivates an effective team of management and administrative staff.
Leads and coaches the team towards performance and service excellence.
Fosters an inclusive, collaborative, and respectful team environment.
Identifies and manages opportunities for staff to share knowledge and work cross-functionally.
Identifies and develops both team-based and individual learning and development plans to support staff, and identifies opportunities for continual growth and development.
Actively cultivates and fosters partnerships with departments, advising offices in other faculties, student groups, and academic and student affairs professionals at the University.
Performs other duties as required.