Intermediate Specialist, Co-op and Career Advising

University of Ottawa•Ottawa, ON

7d•CA$85,040 - CA$107,421•Onsite

About The Position

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, we provide extensive recreation program opportunities 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: Supports the co-op student population by providing career development and experiential learning initiatives and resources and job market information, and by teaching employability skills and essential competencies. Plays a key role in advising and guiding students through possible circumstances that could jeopardize their ongoing eligibility for co-op or their overall academic success. Promote student retention as they progress through the program. Acts as a resource person and subject matter expert to the various faculties and university partners in the field of admissions, employability and experiential learning. Facilitates and develops employability tools to prepare students for the job market, and humanizes administrative processes by guiding students through various workshops, virtual learning content, individual appointments, and email communications.

Requirements

University degree in a relevant field (human resources management, counselling, psychology, or educational and occupational information), or an acceptable equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
3 years of experience in customer service in the context of academic counselling or career development or a similar role.
Bilingualism: French and English (spoken and written), to be considered for this position, 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.
Experience in developing and delivering workshops and presentations.
Knowledge of labour market conditions, occupations, and professions, as well as education options in Ontario, Canada and abroad.
Experience in the analysis of academic files, and in interpreting and applying methods, regulations, policies and procedures
Experience in processing program admissions.
Demonstrated commitment to multicultural issues.
Skills in interacting with persons of diverse backgrounds.
Strong team and interpersonal skills with a proven ability to build and maintain positive relationships with various stakeholders (faculty and services).
Ability to deal with conflicting priorities and meet tight deadlines in a fast-paced work environment

Nice To Haves

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.

Responsibilities

Help the admissions team in reviewing the faculties’ co-op admissibility recommendations during the admission process to ensure files have been properly assessed by faculties and departments.
Review and update program regulations and raise student awareness and understanding of the regulations.
Analyze and manage irregular student circumstances or trajectories and occasionally make recommendations as to the withdrawal of a student from the co-op program with or without a failing mark, so that they can be presented at the Co-op Coordinating Committee meetings.
Monitor co-op student files to ensure they are meeting all requirements and are eligible to graduate with the co-op mention.
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of career development practices, labour market trends, and workplace issues to research, recommend, and promote tools and resources that support co-op students in securing program-related opportunities and strengthening their job search and networking strategies.
Counsel students encountering difficulties with the placement process and analyze statistics to proactively identify at-risk students that would benefit from following an action plan to help them succeed.
Provide students with some coaching and professional development advice.
Advise the CDEL clientele on career self-management including work search strategies, labour market research and the consideration and appraisal of further education options.
Assist in the development of Canadian and international job search strategies.
Design, deliver, and evaluate customized modules, workshops, and webinars that integrate established and emerging career development practices, with a strong emphasis on leveraging technology to enhance learning and engagement.
Establish and maintain relationships with faculty members in order to effectively assess academic requirements and to collaborate on career and skill development projects.
Coordinate or support career-related events and activities such as guest speaker sessions and networking events tailored to diverse student groups (e.g., international students, Indigenous students, students with disabilities).
Lead or participate in special projects or initiatives addressing emerging needs or targeted initiatives, ensuring alignment with an innovative perspective in career development for students.
On an academic term basis, may participate in the hiring process for student staff, such as students participating in the Work-Study or CO-OP programs.
May maintain work scheduling and supervise the work of the student.
In consultation and collaboration with their supervisor, responsible for training the student staff and assigning them objectives and tasks, as well as offering constructive feedback on their work performance and professional development.
Work with the marketing team to provide content for various promotional tools and actively participate in promotional events, both on and off campus, that aim to inform students and incite them to join the co-op stream at the University of Ottawa.
Engage in learning events or communities of practice to further strengthen the co-op program and promote the University’s excellence and influence