Job description
Overview
The New Student Transition Specialist (Graduate Students) will work closely with the Graduate Transition Coordinator to ensure that both the needs of new students and the Student Success Office are met. There will be varying workloads throughout each term. On average, this position will work 5 hours/week and up to 10 hours/week in the first week of September. It is the responsibility of the Graduate Transition Coordinator to ensure their Supervisor and Department Coordinator (where applicable) are supportive of them working for this position.
Two positions are available:
1. Full year: February 2026 to January 2027
2. One term: May 2026 to September 2026
Nature and Scope:
One of the Student Success Office’s (SSO) main goals is to provide and facilitate strategic student support for academic and personal success. Each term, SSO offers a wide variety of resources, support, and services for new graduate students, including but not limited to the Grad Ready program. The Graduate Transition Coordinator will work closely with the New Student Transition Specialist (Graduate Students) to support the transition of new graduate students to the University.
General Accountability:
The Graduate Transition Coordinator is passionate about supporting student success at the graduate level. The Graduate Transition Coordinator is also interested in developing their own skills while gaining hands-on experience through a variety of collaborative leadership opportunities, both internal and external to SSO.
In this role, the Graduate Transition Coordinator will use their knowledge and experiences as a current graduate student to assist in the maintenance and execution of the Grad Ready program. The Graduate Transition Coordinator will interact with incoming graduate students one-on-one and as a facilitator for webinars and large orientation events.
Key Accountabilities:
- Act as the first point of contact for the Grad Ready Program and respond to students’ inquiries via online and offline channels in a professional and relatable manner
- Facilitate Grad Ready Program content delivery including webinars, online LEARN course and other peer-to-peer initiatives
- Provide on-demand support for the in-person Grad Orientation, such as event planning and execution, volunteer management and additional tasks assigned by the supervisor
- Participate in and contribute to regular meetings regarding event planning and program development
- Assist with creating standardized workflows and documentation, such as centralized information wiki, announcement pipeline and other similar documents
- Contribute to new Grad Ready content creation and/or programming as needed
- Keep well-informed on university services, academic policies, and regulations (i.e. Policy 71 regarding academic offences)
- Other administrative tasks as assigned
Required Qualifications
Education:
- Master/PhD in progress, preferably in the first or second year of study
Experience:
- Demonstrates ability to contribute to and thrive in a collaborative environment and work well as part of a team
- Demonstrates a commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism and accessibility through their experiences and practices
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to offer peer support and build community.
- Knowledgeable of campus services and resources specific to graduate student needs
- Demonstrated experience with Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and MS Teams.
Mandatory Dates
The successful candidates must be available for all programming dates including virtual programming (webinars, speed friending) that take place throughout each term and all in-person socials and orientation programming (typically falls on the first Friday of the term for winter and spring, and on the first Tuesday of September for fall term).
Candidates who are unable to commit to all the mandatory dates will not be eligible for this role.
How to Apply
Interested applicants can submit a resume and cover letter to gradready@uwaterloo.ca by January 25, 2026, 11:59 p.m. EDT