HR & Admin Assistant

Job Summary

This position is a 1-year term position to support the Faculty’s transition to a Shared Service Centre.

The Faculty of Applied Science at UBC encompasses six engineering departments, the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, the School of Nursing, the School of Community and Regional Planning, four multidisciplinary programs, five major research centres, and the School of Engineering at UBC Okanagan. As UBC’s fourth-largest faculty, it operates across the Point Grey and Okanagan campuses, as well as various off-site locations, including health authority facilities.

Guided by bold and interconnected mission and vision statements—transforming ourselves and transforming the world—the Faculty is committed to reimagining its internal structures, business models, and culture to better reflect its values and strategic priorities. This internal transformation is foundational to achieving a broader societal impact. In 2025, the Faculty initiated a multi-year transformation project to shift from a decentralized service delivery model to a centralized, collaborative approach. While we undertake this important work we are seeking additional administrative support for our units during this time of transition.

HR and Administrative Assistant is responsible for coordinating all human resources administrative activities, including onboarding new staff, reappointments, salary progression and processing for faculty, staff, and students appointments in Workday and provides ad-hoc HR and administrative support across the Faculty, including providing comprehensive HR information, including limited interpretation of collective agreements, and responding to other general administrative queries.. The position ensures smooth operations while balancing out competing priorities and deadlines by responding to inquiries, coordinating and maintaining documentation and information, supporting unit staff with a variety of administrative responsibilities during peak periods or absences.

Organizational Status
This position will support operations across the Faculty as we transition core operations to a shared service model. This position will have a dual report to the HR Manager (APSC) and the Senior Manager, Faculty Affairs and will take direction from the lead administrators in the departments and schools, and team leaders in the Dean’s Office.

Work Performed

Human Resources & Administrative Support:

• Provides confidential and comprehensive coordination and administrative support of a complex nature related to recruitment, employee lifecycle actions, and onboarding/offboarding.
• Provides comprehensive HR information regarding hiring processes, salary scales, vacation and sick leave entitlements, leave of absence, salary increases, benefits) and ensures queries are responded to in a timely manner or escalated to the appropriate individual.
• Supports all appointment/reappointments for staff and term faculty, ensuring documentation aligns with UBC and APSC policies, procedures and guidelines, including drafting term faculty offer letters.
• Provides ad-hoc day-to-day administrative support for the six engineering departments and three schools including, producing clear and accurate written communications, monitoring and triaging unit inboxes, coordinating general office duties, tracking financial transactions and maintaining logs for reconciliation, supporting the coordination, tracking, and processing of expense reimbursements and purchase order requests, scheduling and coordinating meetings and events, and other related duties
• Provides information and general advice, including limited interpretations of collective agreements and handbooks, on topics including, but not limited to, salary increases, hiring processes, attendance, vacation and sick leave benefits. Escalates more complex staff-related cases to HR Manager and faculty-related cases to Snr Manager, Faculty Affairs
• Maintains a proactive system for staff and term faculty appointments/reappointments, term end dates, promotions, leave of absences, working notices, probation, salary increases, vacation tracking, statutory holiday pay for part-time staff and more.
• Prepares and review reports from Workday on a regular basis, including monitoring vacation and sick leave balances, following up on action items as needed.
• Supports drafting, posting, and tracking staff and term faculty job postings, ensuring compliance with UBC policies, employment standards, and applicable collective bargaining agreements.
• Submits offer of employment in the IRCC portal for postdoctoral fellows and visiting faculty and compile, complete and submit the required documentation for LMIA and LMIA exemptions applications for other foreign faculty hires to Faculty Relations.
• Assist with staff and faculty recruitment, including administrative leadership searches, which may include arranging interviews, and coordinating with Hiring Solutions.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of current human resources policies, guidelines, and procedures for staff appointments.
• Develops and maintains relationships with client departments, providing excellent proactive customer service
• Assists on special projects within the portfolio. Including supporting the creation of SOPs as it related to processing for the new Shared Service Centre, updating the intranet, etc.
• Performs other duties as required.

Workday Business Processes:

• Initiates all Workday business processes supporting full-cycle HR including tasks related to recruitments, appointments, salary and costing allocation changes, promotions, transfers, leaves, resignations, retirement, etc., for staff using Workday.
• Coordinates and processes faculty appointments, reappointments, salary and costing allocation changes, leaves, terminations within the Dean’s Office and provides coverage to units as required, working closely with the Snr Manager, Faculty Affairs to ensure processes are consistent and aligned with University and Faculty practice and policy.
• Processes sessional appointments in both the Integrated Information Sessional Information System and Workday.
• Collects and organizes documentation for new hires and departing employees, including employment information and resignation letters; assist supervisors with onboarding and offboarding processes.
• Maintains data integrity in Workday by inputting and updating employee demographics, salary information, and other related matters.
• Prepares and review reports from Workday on a monthly (or other appropriate interval) basis; follow up on action items as needed.
• Resolves complex issues related to Workday troubleshooting, payroll, appointment data, employee classifications, and other related matters.
• Participates in training for Workday, develops expertise in Workday HR business processes and provides recommendations on changes to internal BP’s.
• Provides training and troubleshooting on Workday business processes and administrative functions to clients.

Consequence of Error/Judgement
Exercises diplomacy, sound judgement, and discretion while maintaining a high level of attention to detail, particularly when handling sensitive and confidential information. Accountable for the accuracy and timeliness of work, procedures, and systems. Errors may result in significant consequences, including incorrect or delayed payment, financial loss, and inaccurate records that inform decision making. Such errors could negatively impact the Faculty’s reputation and lead to inappropriate HR, financial, or policy decisions.

Exercises initiative and judgement in managing non-routine matters that require interpretation and application of University and departmental policies, procedures, and guidelines. May develop improved methods and procedures to address workload challenges and contributes to decision-making related to the goals and policies of the work unit.

Supervision Received
Reports directly to the HR Manager, APSC and Senior Manager, Faculty Affairs. Work is performed in accordance with established procedures and accepted practices.

Supervision Given
None

Minimum Qualifications
High School graduation, plus two year post secondary diploma, 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

Preferred Qualifications

• Human resources experience preferably in a complex, unionized environment.
• Knowledge of faculty appointments and related University policies and guidelines an asset. Knowledge of provincial and federal legislation governing employers' Human Resources practices. Experience with Workday an asset.
• Ability to maintain accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
• Ability to determine the nature and urgency of inquiries and issues, and triage appropriately.
• Ability to interpret and apply collective agreements in a complex, unionized environment.
• Ability to develop and maintain cooperative and productive working relationships.
• Ability to exercise tact and discretion when working with information of a confidential or sensitive nature. Ability to work effectively independently and in a team environment.
• Ability to deal with a diversity of people in a calm, courteous, and effective manner.
• Ability to analyze problems, identify key information and issues, and effectively resolve