President

Job Description

Timeline:

  • Call for applications - early December via social media, website, and email (word of mouth as well)

  • Review of applications and decision/discussion on who to interview - week of January 9th

  • 1st interviews (small group) - week of January 16th

  • 2nd interview with short list (presentation to full board) - week of January 30th

  • Decision and offer - before Reading Week

  • Training - basic training from the Monday after Reading Week until end of March (10 hours per week)

  • Onboarding - up to 20 hours per week from April 1st - April 30th

Remuneration and Contract Details:

  • 2-year contract May 1st, 2023 - April 30th, 2025 (with the potential for a third year renewal)

  • Starting at $37.50/hour for 35 hours per week (board to review each year)

  • 20 vacation days per year (plus the University closure at Winter Break)

  • Gold parking permit provided

  • Extended health and dental benefits offered

Position Overview:

The President & CEO strives to cultivate a strong and transparent working relationship with the elected Board of Directors. They ensure open communication about the measurement of financial, programmatic, and impact performance against stated milestones derived from the Board’s strategic plan. They provide leadership, supervision, and direction to the Operations Team to reach those stated milestones. They manage all external relationships, and serve as ambassador of the organization. This is an in-person position based at the Waterloo Campus.

Report: Responsible to the Board of Directors

Summary:

  • Chair of the Operations Team

  • Ex-officio member of the Board of Directors

  • Hires Operations Team student leaders

  • Supervises the Executive Director and all student leaders

  • Leads the creation of an annual plan derived from the Strategic Plan for Board review and approval

  • Manages all external relationships and serves as ambassador of the corporation

Responsibilities:

  • Oversees the implementation of the corporation’s projects

  • Serves as Chairperson for the Operations Team (sets meeting agendas)

  • Facilitates cross-departmental collaboration to strengthen internal communications within the Operations Team

  • Manages the Human Resources of the organization including but not limited to: oversight of contracts, ensuring payroll requirements are met and disciplinary measures are taken if necessary, through the supervision of the Executive Director

  • Manages and evaluates impact, performance and effectiveness of the Operations Team

  • Ensures that the hiring of Operations Team aligns with corporate hiring policies

  • Creates and promotes a positive, diverse work environment that supports consistency throughout the organization’s strategy and operational methods

  • Ensures representation of graduate student interests and concerns on institutional committees

  • Provides advocacy for student issues with internal and external stakeholders through in person and hybrid meetings, the creation of white papers and other research documents and projects, and serving on committees

  • Serves as a spokesperson for the corporation

  • Prepares monthly accountability reports for the Board of Directors as dictated in the Monitoring Schedule – Executive Limitations

  • Delivers a yearly report at the Annual General Meeting of the Association

  • Prepares a transition report for the in-coming President

  • Serves as signatory on financial accounts

  • Negotiates and signs all contracts and agreements with external parties

  • Oversees the administration of the Association’s grants, funds, and loan programs in association with the Executive Director

Committee participation (commitments may change as required):

  • Operations Team - Chair

  • Board of Directors - Ex-officio

  • All Board Committees - Ex-officio

  • Operational Committees - Resource

  • Student Services Advisory Committee

  • Non-tuition Fee Protocol Committee

  • Laurier Senate - Ex-officio

  • Laurier Board of Governors - Ex-officio

  • Laurier Graduate Faculty Council - Ex-officio

  • Other committee vacancies and hiring panels as needed


Desired Skills and Experience

  • Working knowledge of corporate documents

  • Ability to exercise sound judgment

  • Ability to maintain a high level of professionalism, transparency, and accountability

  • Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression, and AntiDiscrimination (AR/AO/AD) best practices and have or must be willing to receive training in these areas

  • Ability to effectively chair meetings

  • Knowledge of government policies related to education and its impact on members

  • Knowledge of not-for-profit corporations act (ONCA)

  • Knowledge of GSA policies and procedures

  • Interpersonal skills required to effectively interact with staff, volunteers, members, and the University Community

  • Supervisory skills required to effectively recruit, train, and discipline staff and volunteers

  • Past participation with the GSA or within a student association is an asset

  • Experience as a graduate student is an asset

  • Experience working in a University environment is an asset

  • Experience managing volunteers and staff is an asset

Training:

  • Participate in Operations Team and Board training

  • Participate in sensitivity training

  • Complete AODA training

  • Complete Health and Safety training

  • Shadow President role during training period

WORK ENVIRONMENT

  • Self-directed position: flexibility in determining some working hours

  • High amount of unexpected work and time demands

  • Must be able to cope with the multitude of demands required of the position

  • Work is sometimes required during weekends and evenings

  • Work will take place primarily in a controlled office environment, but also in a variety of

  • event locations both on and off campus

  • Efficient use of Google Suite (docs, slides, sheets, forms, etc.), email (Gmail) and social media (Facebook, Twitter) required to fulfill many communication functions

  • Use of general office equipment

Please send a statement of interest in addition to your resume to generalinfo@wlugsa.ca with “President Application” in the subject line. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, January 10th at 12pm (Noon) EST.