Operations and Information Systems Specialist

University of Waterloo•Waterloo, ON

2d•CA$67,689 - CA$84,611•Onsite

About The Position

At the University of Waterloo, we create and promote a culture where everyone can reach their full potential. As an employee, you get support & opportunities that empower you to advance your career. Explore how we can bring big ideas to life, together. The University is a welcoming workplace for those of all abilities, interests, and expertise. As part of our workforce, you can do what you do best, every day. Learn more about our recruitment process. Primary Purpose The Operations and Information Specialist plays a critical role in ensuring the Registrar’s Office functions with efficiency, consistency, and compliance. Acting as the central hub for administrative and operational activities, this position oversees documentation governance, procedural standardization, and project coordination to support strategic objectives within the Registrar’s Office. The role is responsible for managing centralized repositories, maintaining accurate records, and ensuring adherence to institutional policies, retention schedules, permissions and access, and audit requirements. By streamlining workflows, facilitating communication, and supporting decision-making, the Operations and Information Specialist enables operational excellence across all seven units. Additionally, this position leads onboarding, resource management, and health and safety compliance, while championing process improvements that enhance service delivery and organizational effectiveness.

Requirements

Post-Secondary education and/or a suitable combination of education and work experience in post-secondary environment.
3–5 years of experience in administrative operations, and project coordination in a multi-unit organization with a proven track record in leading project and process improvement initiatives.
Experience working in an academic support unit in a post-secondary environment.
Experience in documentation management and workflow standardization.
Experience working in a deadline driven environment and proven experience and ability in managing multiple tasks that require attention to detail, with a strong focus on accuracy and consistency in documentation, compliance, and procedural execution.
Demonstrated experience effectively using multiple software applications, Microsoft suite including Excel, Word, Power Point, Visio, JIRA, MS Teams and Confluence.
Ability to work effectively in a team and independently to manage competing priorities, and to adapt to a changing environment.
Proven ability to work closely with managers and cross-functional teams, fostering trust and cooperation.
Excellent organizational, problem solving, and time management skills.
Ability to centralize, maintain, and ensure accessibility of documentation across multiple platforms.
Ability to streamline workflows, standardize procedures, and contribute to operational efficiency.
Demonstrated ability to inspire action without formal authority, which requires strong interpersonal skills, a demonstrated ability to build relationships with a variety of stakeholders, and to be able to encourage in a positive manner the ongoing progress of their work.
Proven ability to research, gather, analyze information and data to produce clear and precise outputs, reports, and recommendations.
Clear and professional written and verbal communication skills including the ability to provide and present timely and relevant updates and reporting conveying information effectively to managers, staff, and stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to apply new concepts, tools, and processes.
Attitude and aptitude for continuous improvement and change management coupled with a pragmatic and flexible approach to getting things done; independently or in a team setting.
Demonstrated experience producing high quality, error, and omission-free deliverables within tight deadlines.
Commitment to handling sensitive information with integrity and in compliance with institutional policies, and with topics and matters that are confidential and sensitive.
Capacity to identify process gaps, recommend improvements, and resolve administrative challenges proactively.
Understanding of institutional policies, regulatory requirements, and ability to ensure adherence in administrative practices.
Comfortable adjusting to changing priorities, timelines, and organizational needs.

Nice To Haves

Education in Business Administration, Operations Management, Leadership in Student Affairs or related/equivalent field a strong asset.

Responsibilities

Organize and support meetings (e.g., Sprint Planning/Retro, Cross-Functional, SIS Steering, Product Owner/Unit Meetings, Office wide meetings, audit focused meetings, and ad hoc initiatives), Own creation of agendas, tracking of outcomes, actions, work, and correspondence to ensure timely information flow.
Provide analysis and recommendations to managers on service delivery issues.
Define and standardize the end-to-end process of capturing and organizing key information for project documents; govern milestone tracking and meeting data in project management tools to maintain visibility and accountability.
Provide deadline reminders and escalate issues to managers as needed; support project closing by ensuring documentation is available for lessons learned and updating impacted processes, tools, and templates.
Manage the auditing process ensuring RO staff and project related staff have the appropriate system access and permissions.
Create, maintain, and streamline centralized documentation, ensuring accuracy, version control, and consistency across all teams and processes.
Manage and support centralized documentation repositories and communication platforms (Teams, Confluence, Jira) to ensure information is accurate, accessible, and up to date.
Own and maintain Student Systems Support and RO JSM portals; build and maintain forms, automations, and user access groups.
Create plans and gain consensus to standardize tools, processes, meeting cadence, and documentation across systems teams.
Apply a consistent approach to tracking milestones and deadlines; develop processes and systematic guidelines that improve clarity, efficiency, and consumption of outputs.
Identify and advocate for process improvements for project teams; produce clear, precise reports and updates for stakeholders.
Oversee archiving, and destruction of student and office records in compliance with Policy 46 and WatClass retention schedules.
Develop and implement standardized administrative procedures to support efficient, consistent workflows across the department.
Manage centralized repositories for documentation, ensuring staff have access to current forms, guidelines, templates, and procedural tools.
Review documentation prepared by teams to ensure compliance with procedural standards, clarity, and accuracy before finalization or dissemination.
Establish and sustain administrative procedures for document management, scanning, archival practices, file retention, distribution lists, and office-wide communications.
Lead procedural documentation; guide managers and staff on interpretation and application of university policies, guidelines, and registrarial procedures while maintaining confidentiality.
Gather and synthesize information from teams and project managers to support senior decision-making.
Serve as a resource for staff and the management group, ensuring documentation, forms, and orientation materials are accurate and available.
Provide support for core administrative functions across all Registrar’s Office units, ensuring operational efficiency and alignment.
Coordinate internal RO communications, acting as a central point of contact.
Manage central office resources and supplies, including procurement, reconciliation, and budget tracking, to support effective resource utilization.
Lead onboarding and offboarding processes for staff, ensuring a smooth transition and adherence to established protocols.
Support onboarding by preparing and maintaining orientation and training materials.
Plan and execute events and meetings on behalf of the Registrar and leadership team, including public-facing engagements; develop presentation materials and align session content with strategic objectives and key timelines.
Administer key control and security access and maintain accurate records to uphold security standards across the office.
Monitor and maintain training compliance records, ensuring staff meet institutional and regulatory requirements.
Serve as Health and Safety Coordinator, championing compliance with university standards and fostering a safe, inclusive work environment.
Provide guidance to managers and staff on the interpretation and application of departmental and institutional policies, ensuring alignment with established standards.
Identify gaps in administrative workflows and recommend enhancements to procedures, documentation practices, and communication channels.
Serve as a central contact point for distributing procedural updates, ensuring consistent communication of changes to managers and teams.