Overview
The Centre for Career Development’s (CCD) grad student/postdoc team works closely with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to help them clarify and reach their career development and employment goals. A large part of this work is organizing career-related programming, resources, and events for our audience. As such, we’re looking to add a Graduate Career Development Program Specialist to our team to support in the planning and promotion of our career programs and events from March 2024 – April 2025.
Note: this is a hybrid role with some in-person events and some virtual meetings
Qualifications
The successful applicant must meet the following minimum requirements:
- Currently enrolled in a PhD program at the University of Waterloo
- Ability to work 8-10 hours per week from March 2024 – April 2025
Required skills and experience:
- Strong knowledge of/interest in career development concerns related to graduate students and postdocs
- Understanding of and experience with program/event implementation is required
- Ability to work quickly, accurately, and independently in a fast-paced environment, adapt to shifting work priorities and manage tasks as assigned
- Strong communication and relationship building skills with the ability to network and connect with employers, faculty members, and campus partners
- Self-motivation with a strong ability to work independently often with minimal supervision
- Effective written communication skills, with the ability to perspective-take and write communications with specific audiences in mind
- Experience with webinar software (i.e., Zoom, Teams), in addition to proficiency in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint required
- Understanding of trauma-informed programming and event practices considered an asset
- Knowledge of program evaluation is considered an asset
This position reports directly to Kira Bruschke, Graduate Career Advisor at the CCD and the successful applicant will work closely with CCD’s communications team and the grad student/postdoc career advising team.
Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities for this role can be divided into communications support, event planning, program support and resource creation:
Communications support:
- Promote CCD’s graduate student and postdoc programming and events through relevant administrative/student association channels and Instagram
- Stay up-to-date on relevant graduate student professional development/career- related topics
- Carry out communications plans for CCD’s grad programs (Job Search Club, Job Shadow Program, Academic Career Conference, career panels etc.)
- Contribute to content for promotional materials for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows (i.e., newsletters, emails to listservs and graduate coordinators)
- Liaise with the CCD Communications Specialist to ensure alignment in messaging and adherence to brand guidelines and for social media approvals
- Develop and distribute promotional materials for events (as described below)
- Contribute to other communications-related projects and development of career resource materials (handouts, videos, documents etc.) as assigned
- Participate in outreach efforts with grad student and postdoc community to gather information about programming and service needs
Event planning and program support:
- Organize and run the CCD’s annual Academic Career Conference (ACC) in October 2024
- Provide event planning and day-of-event support as required for grad/postdoc- focused events/programming throughout the year (i.e., ACC, PhD Job Shadow Program, Job Search Club, career panels etc.)
- Communicate effectively and build strong working relationships with on-campus partners (e.g., GRADventure, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, Centre for Teaching Excellence, Writing and Communication Centre) to help organize meetings and establish parameters for collaboration.
- Identify, research and recruit employers and faculty for career panels, keynotes, speaker series, webinars etc.
- Manage delivery of online content for events via CCD website and other online platforms such as LEARN.
- Evaluate event feedback and make suggestions for improving future events, programs etc.
Application Process:
To apply, please email a single pdf document with the subject line: Graduate Career Development Program Specialist to Kira Bruschke (she/her) at kbruschke@uwaterloo.ca.
Your pdf file should use a unique file name (e.g., LastName_FirstName.pdf) and should include the following documents:
- A maximum 1-page cover letter outlining why you are interested in this position and what skills/experience you bring to it
- A 1- or 2-page résumé (not an academic CV) that highlights your qualifications and experience related to this position
Applications are due Thursday, March 14 at 12 pm (noon). Late applications will not be considered. Successful applicants will be invited to a virtual interview the week of March 18. The approximate start date for this position is March 25, 2024.
Any questions about the position or application process can be emailed directly to Kira Bruschke at kbruschke@uwaterloo.ca.