Director, University Admissions

Director, University Admissions

About Queen's University

Queen’s University is the Canadian research intensive university with a transformative student learning experience. Here the employment experience is as diverse as it is interesting. We have opportunities in multiple areas of globally recognized research, faculty administration, engineering & construction, athletics & recreation, power generation, corporate shared services, and many more.

We are committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcome applications from individuals from equity seeking groups such as women, racialized/visible minorities, Indigenous/Aboriginal peoples, persons with a disability, persons who identify in the LGBTQ+ community and others who reflect the diversity of Canadian society.

Come work with us!

Job Summary
Reporting to the Executive Director, Undergraduate Admission and Recruitment, and serving as a member of the Undergraduate Enrolment leadership team, the Director, University Admissions leads the admissions, processing, and systems teams, comprising a team of approximately 15 staff members. This role brings a forward-thinking, strategic approach to process improvement, project management, and systems.

Committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion, the Director takes a leadership role of technical infrastructure, reporting, assessment and evaluation related activities and is responsible for data integrity and dispute resolution on matters related to these areas.

Using critical thinking and deep subject-matter expertise, the Director analyzes and disseminates information to senior leadership and key stakeholders, ensuring consistent interpretation and application in support of the University’s strategic enrolment goals. The incumbent fosters and maintains close working relationships with campus stakeholders engaged in Enterprise CRM, Student Information Systems, and data reporting.

Job Description
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Subject Matter Expert in the following PeopleSoft Student functional areas: Admission, Campus Community, Recruitment, Self-Service, and Transfer Credits. Coordinates training in these areas as required.
• Subject expert in Salesforce or equivalent CRM tool.
• Responsible for identifying opportunities for process & system improvements and providing recommendations to senior management for changes, including introduction of new policies, procedures, and processes. Provides expert analysis as required.
• Manages risks effectively, anticipates challenges, investigates issues, and makes recommendations for solutions, understanding cross functional impact.
• Leads the implementation of new policies, procedures, and processes.
• Develops and leads project and operational plans ensuring alignment to strategic objectives of the department and unit goals. Promotes a culture where a diverse range of ideas and perspectives are incorporated into the decision-making process. Seek out best practices within higher education to improve outcomes.
• Directs analysis of admission cycle to update predictive yield modeling, improve decision making.
• Supports analysis of recruitment activities.
• Makes recommendations to the Executive Director, Undergraduate Admission and Recruitment, and the Directors of Undergraduate Enrolment to improve and enhance the applicant experience.
• Gathers requirements, defines and documents business processes and procedures, uses data insights, process knowledge and critical thinking skills to identify and validate process improvement opportunities and to increase productivity
• Collaborates and consults with the PeopleSoft Sustainment team members and provides technical leadership for testing and training of the system functions during upgrades and enhancements.
• Leads multiple projects simultaneously and is responsible for all supporting project plans, schedules, budgets, and deliverables including supporting change management strategies as well as developing any required training.
• Directs and supervises the Technical Resource Assistants and the Research Analyst who support the application systems, reporting and data analysis.
• Ensures data accuracy, integrity, and day-to-day operational effectiveness of the Systems, Processing, and Admission teams.
• Documents and audits current processes, identifies gaps and/or redundancies, manages risks and resolves problems.
• Advises and provides expert support on government reporting (Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (MCURES); Statistics Canada, Standard and Poor’s, etc.) and oversees annual cycle summaries.
• Gatekeeper of confidential student records in accordance with university policy and relevant Privacy legislation (FIPPA, PHIPA).
• Plans, prioritizes and manages the work of employees, providing strategic and tactical advice, guidance and coaching. Identifies the need for staff resources, participates on staffing committees, and makes effective recommendations regarding employee selection.
• Manages performance by establishing performance standards, reviewing and evaluating performance and conducting formal performance reviews on an ongoing basis.
• Assesses staff training and development needs, and ensures that employees receive training required to improve and sustain successful performance.
• Investigates, addresses and resolves employee/labour relations issues, including disciplinary matters. Makes decisions or effective recommendations on matters involving possible discipline, discharge and probationary termination. Performs key responsibilities in the absence of the Executive Director.
• Represents the portfolio by participating in discussions on various university-wide issues and policy formulation.
• Serves on committees as a representative of the Office of the V-P/Dean as required.
• Other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
• University degree in a related field.
• Several years (5 to 10 minimum) of progressively responsible experience managing administrative information systems in a university or public-sector environment.
• Experience in gathering, documenting, and analyzing business processes and policies
• Knowledge of government reporting regulations and University administrative processes, particularly registration and fee assessment.
• PeopleSoft Student experience considered an asset.
• Salesforce experience considered an asset.
• Proven leadership and team building experience.

SPECIAL SKILLS
• Strong technical acumen, ability to adapt and implement new technologies/processes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills required - incumbent must interact with a variety of individuals both within the unit, the university and from outside agencies.
• Demonstrated interpersonal, listening, and business relationship skills.
• Self-motivated, results-driven, and capable of prioritizing multiple tasks in a collaborative team environment; flexibility, initiative, and resourcefulness to work independently at a high level.
• Strong analytical, attention to detail and problem-solving skills.
• Supervisory skills and ability to motivate and create a positive work environment, sensitivity to issues affecting performance of staff.
• Exceptional organizational and planning skills, in order to coordinate the work of individuals, and support the PeopleSoft system; ability to cope with multiple demands and meet deadlines on time.
• Business and systems integration knowledge.

DECISION MAKING
• Work with Undergraduate Admission and Recruitment (UAR) and the Office of the University Registrar (OUR), along with Faculty and School coworkers to resolve issues; identify options, analyze implications, and decide on a course of action.
• Determine best practices to streamline and increase efficiency and effectiveness of administrative processes, and determine if policy, procedure, or standards should be modified; decide on how to best implement changes if necessary.
• Assess how to accurately capture, analyze, and report business requirements, test plans, and processes.
• Determine what information should be distributed, to whom, and in what format; decisions will be made based on the relevance of the information and the impact that recipients can have on the process or project outcome.
• Coordinate required training and communications for the PeopleSoft Student system for UAR staff.
• Quickly and effectively make decisions regarding day-to-day processing of applications and applicant data.
• Troubleshoot, make recommendations and fix the problem.
• When making system changes, understand the impact to all functions within the system.
• Evaluates job candidates and makes effective recommendations on suitable hires.
• Makes decisions and/or effective recommendations regarding transfers and promotions.
• Evaluates employee performance and decides on appropriate training or coaching to address lack of proficiency in carrying out responsibilities, or remedial action for staff disciplinary situations.
• Assesses investigation outcome of grievances and makes effective recommendations on appropriate course of action or next steps on grievances.
• Makes effective recommendations on level of discipline up to discharge and probationary termination.

Employment Equity and Accessibility Statement

The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Queen's is strongly committed to employment equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and encourages applications from Black, racialized persons, Indigenous people, women, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQI+ persons. In accordance with Canadian Immigration requirements, priority will be given to those who are legally eligible to work in Canada.

The University provides support in its recruitment processes to all applicants who require accommodation due to a protected ground under the Ontario Human Rights Code, including those with disabilities. Candidates requiring accommodation during the recruitment process are asked to contact Human Resources at View email address on clients.njoyn.com .