Term: 18 months

Reporting to the Associate Director of Recruitment & Admissions, the Engineering Admissions Specialist role has a direct impact on the University's success, reputation, mandate and successful implementation of enrolment targets. The Specialist supports the Associate Director of Recruitment and Admissions in the direction and implementation of admission processes. There are multiple Specialist roles, each with their own distinct portfolios. There are several accountabilities for this role, not all are completed by both incumbents. Responsibilities extend to all undergraduate programs in the Faculty of Engineering, excluding Architecture. The incumbent is accountable for Ontario Secondary School and transfer applications, recruitment activities, admissions inquiries, scholarship assessment and offer processing. An expert communicator, the Specialist is responsible for ensuring information and admissions policies are communicated consistently across the Recruitment and Admissions Team, the Engineering Undergraduate Office, engineering academic units and to the wider University community. The Specialist must be able to multi-task and handle competing responsibilities with strong knowledge of front-line admissions operations, policies, procedures, conflict resolution and problem solving. The Specialist undertakes research and provides critical recommendations for progressive improvements in policies, regulations, and procedures necessary to make informed admission and scholarship decisions. The mission critical work done in this position has direct effect on the faculty’s ability to meet enrolment targets, and in, turn, the faculty’s budget.

Admissions

• Determines eligibility for admission consideration which includes assessment of Ontario Secondary School applications and transfer students outside of Engineering in support of the faculty’s mission with respect to enrolment priorities. Responsible for communicating both positive and negative decisions
• Determines scholarship eligibility and communicates scholarship decisions to Student Awards and Financial Aid Team
• Responsible for admission decisions which commit the faculty to a binding agreement of admission and scholarship
• Demonstrates a commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism through their operational practices
• Serves as primary contact for admission enquiries through email (enginfo), phone and in-person. Ensures accuracy and consistency in communicating admission policies and procedures to external and internal clients
• Responds to inquiries from applicants, families, influencers, guidance counsellors and campus clients regarding the application process and admission requirements, while seeking to build positive individual connections
• Assists stakeholders with understanding and interpretation of admissions requirements
• Coordinates and participates in the assessment of supporting admission documentation to determine admission eligibility
• Manages the day-to-day operations and volunteer reviewers of the Engineering online interview
• Anticipates the impact of policy driven changes and external factors for all applicants. Challenges policy, identifies and provides viable solutions for consideration
• Collects and analyzes admissions data, shares results with faculty stakeholders. Explores and addresses the unidentified, underlying and long-term stakeholder needs

Internal Transfers

• Serves as primary contact for inquiries from students wishing to transfer into Engineering from other institutions and other Waterloo faculties
• Provide initial feedback and advice to students, by email, phone or meeting
• Facilitates decision-making based on criteria approved by the leadership team
• Co-ordinates approved transfer cases with the Engineering Undergrad Office, Registrar’s Office, CEE, and others as required
• Communicates declined transfer cases and provide information and academic counselling where necessary

Recruitment

• Assists with the planning of on-campus open house and other recruitment events, which may include presentations in front of large crowds
• Represents engineering at recruitment events responding to detailed questions about admissibility and admissions requirements applied to individual, and routinely complicated cases
• Meets with visiting applicants and families to help them understand and interpret admissions requirements
• Identifies trends in inquiries and makes suggestions regarding recruitment messaging and communications
• Provides input to admissions content in recruitment publications
• Support recruitment efforts through domestic and/or international travel to select markets. This may include recruitment fairs, school visits, personal student visits

• Bachelor’s degree, or college diploma with significant university experience
• Proven track record of success in one or more areas of recruitment, admissions, student advising, or undergraduate program co-ordination
• Experience with technical tools (e.g., MS office, WCMS3, Adobe) an asset
• Ability to manage a large volume of work with accuracy, while managing conflicting priorities and deadlines. Scrutiny of details is vital to this position
• Strong working knowledge of all Faculty and University Policies that allows them to make many decisions regarding possible academic paths for students
• Excellent public speaking, oral and written communication skills
• Ability to write accessible web content, utilize Google analytics and understanding of Waterloo Writing Style Guidelines for accessibility standards
• Exceptional technical skills required, and ability to learn required tools quickly
• On occassion this role may require travelling

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 co-ordinated 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.