Administrative Officer

Department:	Civil Engineering	Effective Date:
Grade:	USG 6	Reports to:

General Accountability

Under the direction of the Chairholder and senior researchers in the group, this individual plays a key role within the Chair structure and is the first point of contact for Chair partners and other individuals and organizations approaching the NSERC Chair. The primary function of the position is to assist the Chairholder and other senior members of the team with the management and coordination of a complex research agenda consisting of a number of specific projects involving multiple funding organizations and partners, staff, and students.

Nature and Scope

The NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Water Treatment is a multi-disciplinary undertaking directly involving several distinct major research foci, the direct participation of professional and technical staff and students, and requiring close liaison with the industrial partners.

In order for the Chair to function effectively and make a leading edge contribution, the incumbent must be able to participate actively in a variety of Chair activities and represent the Chair in a professional manner. The position requires a high level of maturity of judgement in order to respond appropriately in a large array of potentially complex situations and to act proactively as appropriate. To perform with maximum effectiveness, the incumbent would need to develop some understanding of the technical issues the Chair must address. The incumbent should have prior administrative/management experience preferably in a research environment and must possess exceptional oral and written communication skills, and be able to pay attention to detail. At times responsibilities are provided in detail, while at other times it is required the incumbent work independently with very little supervision. From time to time duties may include the supervision of junior administrative staff.

Statistical Data

In addition to NSERC, the Chair currently has 16 industrial research partners including large municipalities such as the cities of Toronto, Ottawa, Brantford, Guelph, and the Region of Waterloo, as well as consulting firms and product suppliers. In addition to the Chairholder, the research group consists of 3 senior researchers, 1 or 2 post-doctoral fellows, 10 to 16 graduate students, 1 to 3 co-op and exchange students, and 1 or 2 technicians. The Chair typically has a dozen or more research projects underway simultaneously including (but not limited to) those funded by NSERC (Industrial Research Chair, Discovery Grant, Research Tools and Facilities Grant), the Canadian Water Network, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Health Canada, and the American Water Works Association. Total funding for the NSERC Chair program for the current five year grant period is in the range of $2,000,000. The total annual budget for the Chair group from all sources varies but is approximately $650,000.

The incumbent has signing authority on all accounts and is responsible for a variety of administrative aspects relating to staff and students (e.g. paperwork/forms, purchasing, shipping, travel/expense claims, cheque requisitions, etc.).

Specific Accountabilities

The following list provides examples of typical recurring key responsibilities. Special assignments may occur from time to time as required. The incumbent will:

support the Chairholder and senior team members with the delivery of research development. Due to the size and level of activity of the research group, this position is an important link in a chain that ensures uninterrupted progress and information flow between members of the Chair group and external contacts. The incumbent will need to be able to assess the level of importance of the contact and distinguish between what should be immediately redirected and what can be appropriately dealt with without further involvement of group members.
co-ordinate the day-to-day activities of the Chair by facilitating the various aspects associated with the conduct of frequent internal project meetings, site visits by funding agencies and partners, and committee meetings. In part, this and other listed accountabilities are achieved by the tracking of project schedules and other deadlines and, in conjunction with the Chairholder, ensuring that these are met.
be responsible for event planning and organization. This includes assuming substantial responsibility for planning and ensuring the success of workshops and symposiums, and larger conferences that may be local, national, or international in scope.
be instrumental in all organizational aspects related to the Chair’s Annual Information Day. This one-day conference showcases the Chair’s achievements to its funding partners and invited guests representing provincial and federal regulatory agencies. It is an integral component with respect to retaining existing, and attracting new funding sources.
keep Chair partners informed, and in so doing, connected to what is occurring at the Chair. This is accomplished in part by assuming a major role in the creation of the Chair’s quarterly newsletter (from initial conceptualization to writing, editing, and distribution). This is also accomplished by the timely dissemination of Chair publications in response to requests.
manage all elements of the Chair website, from design to maintenance, as well as ensure that content on external internet databases is kept up-to-date.
make scientific and technical contributions. This includes contributing to the editing of research proposals, reports, and papers, and scientific proofreading. The incumbent will assist with the preparation of large complex proposals and reports involving the integration and harmonization of contributions from co-investigators and, when appropriate, work actively with the Office of Research on the submission of these documents. The incumbent will develop research strategies for conducting library searches to identify key references for retrieval.
provide general assistance to graduate students including assisting with the preparation of paperwork, presentations, proofreading documents, identification of resources, and issues related to the acquisition of materials and supplies. The incumbent will also be expected to conduct primary screening of unsolicited applications from graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and job seekers.
on occasion, supervise junior administrative staff.