Administrative Assistant to the Dean

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Posting Reason:

New Position

Job Type:

Employee

Anticipated Duration in Months (for contracts and temporary assignments):

12

Job Family:

Administrative Support

# of Open Positions:

1

Faculty/Service - Department:

Administration, Common Law Section

Campus:

Main Campus

Union Affiliation:

SSUO

Date Posted (YYYY/MM/DD):

2026/10/01

Applications must be received BEFORE (YYYY/MM/DD):

2026/10/12

Hours per week:

35

Salary Grade:

SSUO Grade 07

Salary Range:

$62 027,00 - $78 349,00

About the Common Law Section of the Faculty of Law
Over the past 20 years, the Common Law Section of the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa has become a national and global leader in many fields. We are the only law school to offer a common law degree in both English and French, and our faculty is one of the most accomplished in the country. We are an engaged Faculty, and we have a strong culture of public engagement. We also have a strong bond with the legal community in Ottawa and a special relationship with the Supreme Court of Canada. We are leaders -- leaders in research, leaders in the profession and leaders in our community. On any given day, members of our faculty may be seen testifying before a Parliamentary committee, providing expert commentary in the media, or contributing to public policy debates on the issues of the day. We are the most-cited law faculty in the national media. Through our dedication we have built strong experiential learning opportunities for our students where our students have unparalleled access to, and interaction with, the highest judges in the land to help foster an inclusive and high-quality student experience.

Position Purpose

Provides administrative support to the academic executive to ensure smooth office operations and support the implementation of projects and activities. To this end, may be required to organize meetings, coordinate correspondence and communications, manage schedules, arrange travel, prepare documents and reports, coordinate administrative and academic processes, and coordinate events and assigned projects.

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

Customer Service: Greets, informs and redirects internal and external customers on behalf of the academic executive. Receives and screens correspondence and phone calls for the academic executive, determines their relevance and urgency to ensure follow-up, and informs or involves the academic executive as necessary. Serves as a resource person for students and faculty for procedural matters relating to cases of academic fraud, grade appeals and internship failures.

Administrative Writing: Drafts and revises documents using templates, and coordinates the translation of administrative correspondence on behalf of the academic executive. Attends meetings chaired by the academic executive to take notes and prepare minutes to follow up on decisions made. Prepares presentations, brochures, publications and other related documents from handwritten notes to support the academic executive. Prepares applications for submission to the Senate or other uOttawa authorities for approval, and follows up as necessary to receive and communicate the decisions made.

Schedule and Meeting Management: Manages the academic executive’s calendar, and schedules and confirms meetings to optimize use of time. Organizes and coordinates scheduling of meetings for committees chaired by the academic executive and any other assigned meetings or special events to ensure these activities run smoothly. To this end, reserves meeting rooms, maintains updated list of members, prepares and sends out meeting invitations and agendas. Prepares and distributes any necessary documents and files, and follows up on decisions made. May be required to attend meetings in the event the academic executive is absent.

Travel Arrangements: Coordinates travel arrangements for the academic executive. Researches suppliers to obtain estimates and make the necessary reservations in compliance with uOttawa procedures and regulations. Assembles the necessary documentation, follows up and collaborates with other uOttawa sectors to finalize the payment of invoices and the reimbursement of travel expenses.

Collective Agreements: May be required to provide administrative support for activities related to faculty collective agreements, such as contract renewals, tenure requests, promotions and leaves of absence, to ensure various strict deadlines are met.

Purchasing and Inventory Control: May be required to control inventory from various suppliers, track demand and replenish stock to meet the unit’s needs.

File Management: Establishes and maintains an effective filing system to maintain the confidentiality of records and ensure the availability of complete, accurate records for future reference or audit purposes. Coordinates document archiving. Maintains a reminder system for files requiring follow-up.

Report Production: Performs analysis and research, and compiles data, statistics and other information to produce reports that further discussions, decision making, special projects and senior management activities.

Documentation: Drafts and updates documents for internal use on procedures, processes and systems related to the incumbent’s responsibilities.

What you will bring:

Essential Qualifications

- Postsecondary education in administration and office technology or an equivalent combination of education and work experience

- Minimum three (3) years of demonstrated experience in a similar role

Other Qualifications

- Experience using computer systems and applications such as Windows, word processing software, spreadsheets, databases, the internet and email

- Excellent communication, interpersonal and customer service skills

- Knowledge of the structures of uOttawa, the department and its programs of study, and the academic regulations

- Experience interpreting, explaining and applying policies and regulations

- Experience in bilingual administrative writing

- Experience producing reports

- Ability to produce high-quality work under pressure while meeting tight deadlines

- Initiative, self-reliance and good judgment

- Good organizational skills

- Bilingualism – English and French (spoken and written)

Key Competencies at uOttawa:
Here are the required competencies for all or our employees at uOttawa: 

Planning: Organize in time a series of actions or events in order to realize an objective or a project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.
Initiative: Demonstrate creativity and initiative to suggest improvements and encourage positive results. Is proactive and self-starting. Show availability and willingness to go above and beyond whenever it is possible.
Client Service Orientation: Help or serve others to meet their needs. This implies anticipating and identifying the needs of internal and external clients and finding solutions on how to meet them.
Teamwork and Cooperation: Cooperate and work well with other members of the team to reach common goal(s). Accept and give constructive feedback. Able to adjust own behaviour to reach the goals of the team.

The University of Ottawa embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are passionate about our people and committed to employment equity. We foster a culture of respect, teamwork and inclusion, where collaboration, innovation, and creativity fuel our quest for research and teaching excellence. While all qualified persons are invited to apply, we welcome applications from qualified Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, barrier-free work environment. The University is also committed to working with applicants with disabilities requesting accommodation during the recruitment, assessment and selection processes. Applicants with disabilities may contact [email protected] to communicate the accommodation need. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Note: if this is a union position: The hiring process will be governed by the current collective agreement related to the union affiliation noted above; you can click here to find out more.

If this is a front-line position with responsibilities to interact with students, selected candidates must be rated at the Low Advanced proficiency level or higher for both oral comprehension and reading comprehension in their second official language. The rating is determined by a proficiency test designed by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute.

Prior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as defined in Policy 129 – Covid-19 Vaccination. This policy was suspended effective May 1, 2022 but may be reinstated at any point in the future depending on public health guidelines and the recommendations of experts.