Executive Assistant to the Dean

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Posting Information:
This posting is for an existing vacancy.

The internal posting deadline for this position is Thursday October 1st, 2026,at 11:59PM.

Job Description:

Primary Purpose

The Executive Assistant is responsible for maintaining the Dean’s schedule and must be fully aware of the priorities, including travel and speaking engagements, and alert the Dean to potential scheduling conflicts and urgent requests. The incumbent will provide overall administrative assistance to the Dean while maintaining the highest level of accuracy and confidentiality. This position provides support to the Indigenous Knowledge Keeper, with Indigenous initiatives and event planning, and manages a variety of administrative dues for the Faculty of Health.

Key Accountabilities

Administrative Assistance to the Dean

• Manages the Dean’s schedule and maintains the Dean’s calendar by prioritizing requested appointments and responding in a logical and timely way, while coordinating with the Dean.

• Works closely with the Dean to ensure the Dean is fully briefed and prepared in advance of all internal and external appointments, meetings and calls and is aware of priority matters.

• Organizes and prepares paperwork requiring the Dean’s signature and ensures it is accurate, complete, and has been reviewed by relevant members of the Dean’s office management team beforehand.

• Maintains the Dean’s files and utmost confidentiality concerning details of the Dean’s discussions and correspondence.

• Screens and prioritizes correspondence on behalf of the Dean.

• Drafts speaking notes, presentation materials, emails and letters of support; proofreads and composes other written materials as requested.

• Fields inquiries to the Dean’s Office and handles complex situations as they arise with speed and discretion, including changes in the Dean’s travel and other schedules, the need for urgent meetings and changes to detailed arrangements involving numerous others.

• Acts as front-line representative of the Dean with influential and senior members of the university, business and prospect community and media, from UW and externally; greets visitors to the office and callers with professional courtesy, poise and warmth; understands and employs appropriate protocol with dignitaries and international guests.

• Collaborates with the Dean’s Office Staff, UW personnel and visitors to effectively plan and implement events, ensuring that the Dean’s role is appropriately positioned.

• Tracks for the Dean committee memberships, events attended, and training received relevant to Dean’s role.

• Coordinates schedules to ensure the Dean’s calendar includes sufficient preparatory time for duties such as tenure and promotion, merit and annual budgeting.

• Tracks and assists the Dean with meeting deadlines.

• Maintains the Dean’s orientation manual and updates it annually.

Practical Placement Agreements and Other Contracts

• Ensures legal agreements for academic support units related to student practicum placements are reviewed by the Legal Services prior to obtaining the Dean’s signature.

• Works closely with the Executive Officer to ensure that Faculty complies when executing contracts and agreements with external parties.

Committee Support, Projects, and Event Planning

• Assist with large-scale events planned in the Dean’s Office; including but not limited to corresponding with attendees, setting up and monitoring online registration, coordinating venue and food services, set-up and dismantling of location and arranging for additional facility support.

• Provide administrative support for committees, including committee membership ensuring representation across Health academic units, which may include faculty, staff, graduate, and undergraduate students, and on-going and invited guests.

• Schedule and attend meetings, coordinate logistics for rooms and catering and assist with preparing of materials and take minutes.

• Update membership information on all platforms including web pages; Microsoft Teams; and Outlook calendar group list.

• Maintain records including Terms of Reference, membership dates, agenda and minutes, event planning documents and Advisory Committee reports.

• Works collaboratively with the committee as a team member to plan and implement initiatives.

• Works closely with the Faculty’s Indigenous Knowledge Keeper and Indigenous Relations office to develop, implement, promote, and evaluate current and new Faculty-wide events that support Indigenous initiatives.

• Coordinate with the Communications team to develop and implement promotional materials.

• Manages supplier relationships to ensure quality, budget and delivery objectives are met and are in line with UW financial policies and procurement requirements.

• Conducts pre-and post-event reports that document registration, attendance, metrics of success (e.g., surveys) for future reference.

• Works with the Student Relations Officer to recruit student volunteers.

Office Administration

• In the Dean’s Office, recommends and encourages process improvements to enhance the efficiency and streamline procedures; organizes, maintains and recommends updates to virtual and physical filing system for the Faculty.

• Provides critical and time sensitive support to team members to ensure excellent service for all key accountabilities of the Dean.

• Communicates information on institutional and faculty wide procedures and processes to the academic and academic support units.

• Supervises and manages the Dean’s Office Assistant on various tasks performed as part of daily routines, including room bookings.

• Responsible for recruitment, conducting performance reviews, coaching, and mentoring of reporting staff member.

• Oversees specific projects together with the Dean’s Office Assistant to ensure that space requirements and room bookings are suitable for events involving faculty, staff, student or other requests that may be external to UWaterloo.

• Serves as point of contact in the absence of Faculty of Health leadership. And provides reception support to the main office.

• All employees of the University are expected to follow University and departmental health and safety policy, procedures and work practices at all times. Employees are also responsible for the completion of all health and safety training, as assigned. Employees with staff supervision and/or management responsibilities will ensure that assigned staff abide by the above, and actively identify, assess and correct health and safety hazards, as required.

Required Qualifications

Education

• University degree required. Additional education or training in legal, business administration, communications, events management or public relations is an asset.

Experience

• 5 years of executive level administrative support required, with focus on calendar management, communications, events and special projects and records management and retention

• Demonstrated experience managing the priorities of a senior leader with competing demands, changing priorities and complicated international travel and protocol.

• Demonstrated experience coordinating events/meetings and briefing materials for a senior leader.

• Demonstrated track record of event management, including planning and project execution with attention to detail.

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and discreetly with confidential or sensitive information.

• Must possess strong client service focus and a sensitivity to diversity.

• Experience using independent judgement and handling confidential information

• Experience in interpreting University of Waterloo policies, procedures and operating requirements

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• High understanding of confidentiality and the importance of data integrity

• Exceptional organizational skills with proven ability to work on multiple projects with competing demands to meet deadlines.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills

• Demonstrated initiative, sound judgment, tact and diplomacy

• Able to work both collaboratively as well as with little to no supervision to undertake a wide range of administrative duties

• Proven ability to balance conflicting demands and prioritize tasks effectively

• Ability to deal with ambiguity and handle stressful and difficult situations with composure

• Strong ability to balance workload under short deadlines and changing priorities in a fast-paced environment

• Proficient in Microsoft Office suite of software

Equity Statement

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is coordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion.  As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

Positions are open to qualified candidates who are legally entitled to work in Canada.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.