Program assistant Jobs in Richmond, BC

Job Summary

As a member of the administrative team in the English Language Institute (ELI), this position provides essential administrative and student support for the ELI’s academic programs. This position supports all academic administrative activities in the unit by organizing, prioritizing, coordinating, problem-solving, communicating, and ensuring follow-through across academic programs. The role serves as a key point of contact for students, instructors, staff, and internal and external stakeholders, providing timely information and assistance to support the effective delivery of academic programs. This position also contributes to maintaining efficient processes, coordinating program activities, and ensuring that administrative needs are addressed accurately and effectively.

Organizational Status

This position is part of the ELI Administrative team and reports to the ELI Associate Director, Instruction and Learning. This role will work closely with various ELI teams and support the Academic Programs team and the Student Services team.

The position will be based at the Continuing Studies Building at the UBC Point Grey Campus in Vancouver. 100% on-campus.

Work Performed

Cross-Functional Academic Program Support (50%)

• Works closely with the Academic Coordinator to develop a robust Socio-Cultural program that integrates with and enhances the academic curriculum. Provides leadership and oversight for the planning, implementation, and continuous improvement of socio-cultural initiatives. Ensures high-quality program delivery and participant engagement. Works within an established budget, ensuring that resources are properly utilized and approves expenses. Monitors and evaluates program effectiveness, using data and participant feedback to inform decision-making and enhance outcomes. Establishes program goals, policies, and performance measures to ensure alignment with institutional objectives and student development outcomes.

• Supervises and trains Cultural Assistants. Provide a workplace orientation, necessary safety briefings, and job-specific technical training. Guides, mentors, and manages student employees to ensure a meaningful, professional work experience. Addresses performance issues. Completes required checkpoints, including a mid-point performance evaluation and an end-of-term reflection.

• Provides comprehensive administrative support for the Socio-Cultural Program. Provides guidance to student support staff on expected duties and tasks associated with the SC program and troubleshoots as necessary. Ensures that all SC program area policies, procedures, documents and training materials are reviewed and updated regularly. Holds final responsibility for establishing timelines, priorities and work processes in the SC program area.

• Serves as the primary liaison with West Trek, fostering a collaborative partnership to ensure the delivery high-quality day and overnight excursion programs for students. Coordinates communications to ensure students receive accurate and timely information regarding excursion opportunities and registration requirements. Leads ongoing communication and coordination between West Trek, academic teams, student services staff, and other internal stakeholders to ensure effective planning, including scheduling, promotion, and logistics for information sessions and registrations. Assesses operational needs and makes staffing decisions for West Trek registrations, including determining appropriate CA support during peak periods. Establishes efficient registration processes and clear communication protocols for excursion sign-ups and participant inquiries.

• Creates, prepares and updates Academic program area and/or Socio-Cultural documents, such as forms, calendars, academic policy documents, and digital resources.

• Ensures that Academic, Programmatic and General Information on the ELI website is current and up-to-date. Establishes procedures and coordinates content updates across ELI and FoE teams. Updates content via the WordPress platform using basic HTML.

• Develops program assessment tools including designing survey questionnaires. Administers post-program surveys among participants and administrators, compiles and analyses survey data, writes reports, and makes recommendations to the ELI Director on process improvements.

• Supports Program Start Up and Wrap up academic administration and support tasks under the direction of the Programs & Special Projects Administrator and the Academic Team, including tasks such as: course section creation, grades and attendance records, LMS tasks. Manages communications with instructors and staff regarding timelines, deadlines, and program requirements; provides timely reminders and follow-up to keep activities on track; maintains appropriate documentation; and proactively identifies and communicates potential issues while making recommendations to support successful program delivery.

• Manages all Instructor on- and off-boarding activities. Establishes timelines, policies and procedures for Instructor on- and off-boarding activities. Coordinates with the Director and HR and ensures all information is received and documented in a timely manner. Maintains the instructor laptop inventory, acting as the primary point of contact with UBC IT for the deployment and return of hardware for incoming and outgoing salaried instructors.

• Acts as LLIS program and academic operational back-up for the Programs & Special Projects Administrator for absences and peak periods. Duties will include LLIS program and academic operational tasks, such as: course section creation review and approval, course section student enrollment, grade and attendance management, troubleshooting student CWL creation issues, and enrolling substitute instructors.

• Manages the ELI's Canvas environment by creating, copying, and archiving course shells; maintaining course templates and organizational standards; and managing user enrollments, roles, and permissions. Provides first-level support and troubleshooting for Canvas and LLIS integrations, assisting instructors, students, and teaching assistants with LMS-related issues. Liaises with instructors, program coordinators, and administrative staff to coordinate course setup, scheduling, and learning management system requirements. Provides recommendations to the Associate Director, Instruction & Learning on new tools or features to implement.

• Provides ad hoc project support for the Academic Programs team as needed, such as: project management; report writing; market research; researching and evaluating new technologies, tools, and processes to improve academic administration, learning management systems, and operational efficiency; providing recommendations on and supporting the implementation of approved solutions to enhance workflows, user experience, and service delivery.

EXPLORE Program Administration (10%)

• Manages the registration, communications, liability management, program contract, government reporting and student data management processes for the EXPLORE summer program. Establishes timelines, priorities and work processes for the management of the EXPLORE program, including registration policies and procedures, financial reporting and academic issues management.

• Offers clear, comprehensive responses to day-to-day and complex case inquiries. Resolves non-routine issues and answers non-routine questions from students, parents and other stakeholders independently. Consistently applies a professional, customer-focused approach when interacting with prospective and current students.

• Oversees full student lifecycle, including student registration and advising functions, ensuring the accurate interpretation and application of EXPLORE program policies, including admissions, cancellations, refunds, and enrollment procedures, while promoting a high-quality student experience. Assists students with completing their registration process. Advises prospective and current EXPLORE students on program offerings and policies, including cancellations and refunds.

• During peak periods, assists with processing student payments (cash, cheques, credit/debit card payments), reconciliations, receipts, and ensures daily balances are maintained in compliance with Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards.

• Updates key documents and templates, including but not limited to letters of acceptance, registration confirmations, email templates, receipts, pre-departure handbooks, and internal manuals or instructions.

• Maintains familiarity with other university departments, such as Enrolment Services and Access and Diversity, to effectively redirect routine inquiries regarding additional UBC services.

• Sorts, files, and updates student records. Performs accurate data entry for all student registration aspects, including creating student information forms for new students and matching incoming payments and forms to existing files.

• Generates student record forms, letters of acceptance, transcripts, tax forms, and receipts during peak periods.

General Administrative Support (40%)

• Provides support for ELI meetings, including scheduling, room setup, catering arrangements, and post-event cleanup.

• Supports meeting coordination by distributing agendas, taking minutes, and following up on action items.

• Organizes ELI-wide events by handling room bookings, catering arrangements, and assisting with setup and teardown.

• Coordinates bookings and oversees ELI events for the Socio-Cultural Program and other ELI areas as needed. Responsibilities include identifying and booking suitable venues, managing logistics and event layouts, determining catering needs, booking necessary equipment, and tracking event expenses.

• Ensures the cleanliness and organization of resource rooms, classrooms, and meeting spaces, submitting custodial requests as needed.

• Organizes, maintains and tracks instructor desk assignments and lockers on the 3rd floor.

• Submits service tickets to UBC AV Services for classroom AV technology issues. Manages minor AV projects or classroom facilities projects, working with central UBC teams, coordinating with stakeholders, and managing project scheduling. Supports major AV projects or classroom facilities projects.

• Maintains ELI office and classroom supplies and class-sets, including inventory management, proactive ordering, and handling last-minute supply requests.

• Oversees the maintenance of printers and photocopiers, troubleshooting issues and contacting Xerox as necessary.

• Offers clear, comprehensive responses to general inquiries from students, instructors, staff and clients relating to program administration, ensuring that more complex issues are escalated to the appropriate person.

• May oversee work of other student staff, WorkLearn or Canada Summer Jobs employees, tasked with supporting above listed ‘General Administrative Support’ items during peak periods.

• Performs other related duties as assigned or as required.

Consequence of Error/Judgement
The requirement to provide support is essential to the smooth running of ELI operations, learner retention and teaching quality. A nonprofessional demeanor, poor level of service or misinformation may damage the UBC reputation and may results in fewer applicants to our programs. Errors and missed deadlines directly impact program quality, instructor efficiency, curriculum delivery, and user satisfaction with both ELI and UBC. This may result in loss of revenue, loss of reputation, and tension within a team.

Involvement in special projects will also require tact and accuracy to ensure effective delivery. Consequence of error is high, and poor decisions, judgment, or errors would adversely impact learners and external stakeholders.

Supervision Received
Works independently under the general supervision of the ELI Associate Director, Instruction and Learning.

May also receive instructions from other unit managers when involved in special projects. Work is performed in accordance with established procedures and accepted practices involving freedom to select which methods are applicable in any given situation.

Supervision Given
None

Minimum Qualifications

- High School graduation, plus one year of post-secondary education, plus three years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

- Effective oral and written communication in English, interpersonal, analytical and organizational skills.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience with computer systems

- Knowledge of Windows desktop computer operating system.
- Experience with Microsoft Office at an intermediate level required, including Outlook, Word, Excel, SharePoint, and M365 environment.

- Proficiency with the WordPress content management system (CMS). Basic understanding of HTML and CSS to make minor formatting or styling adjustments.

- Experience creating, editing, and publishing web content and professional reports.

- Experience with scheduling events, bookings and meetings.

- Experience with record management

- Excellent professional communication skills, including demonstrated experience with verbal and written correspondence, report writing, meeting minutes, and internal documentation.
- Ability to communicate effectively colleagues, clients and with learners of varied nationalities whose first language is not English.
- Ability to explain and document administrative and academic processes in a clear and concise manner.
- Ability to work both independently and within a team environment.
- Ability to multi-tasks, to prioritize and to work effectively under pressure to meet deadlines.
- Ability to maintain accuracy and attention to detail.

- Ability to show initiative and good judgement.

- Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to lead and/or work on multiple projects simultaneously while achieving deadlines.

- Consistently applies a professional, customer-focused approach when interacting with prospective and current students.

- Experience and interest in working with culturally diverse communities and second language learners

- Demonstrated ability to keep abreast of technology developments and trends in relevant areas and a commitment to continuously adding to their knowledge base and skills

Personal attributes of an ideal ELI Team Member: high level of honesty and integrity, robust work ethic and accountability, demonstrated initiative, adaptability in a rapidly changing landscape, a creative and curious problem-solver, commitment to engendering a harmonious work environment and strong emotional intelligence.