Application Open:
Full-Time
Job Purpose:
The Graduate Housing and Community Building Specialist leads the end-to-end administration of the University’s Visiting Student Program, serving as the single point of contact for Principal Investigators (PIs), faculty, academic/administrative departments, and visiting students. This role will manage visiting student intake and eligibility checks, approvals and agreements, onboarding/offboarding, compliance (including immigration and funding), and day-to-day program operations to deliver a compliant, efficient, and welcoming experience.
Key Responsibilities:
Recruitment Support & Eligibility
- Support faculty and visiting students throughout the Visiting Student Engagement Request workflow.
- Pre-screen requests for completeness (start/end dates, host unit, funding source, anticipated duties, location).
- Verify PI’s eligibility to host and capacity (e.g., space/supervision, funding allowability).
- Verify candidate eligibility (e.g., proof of degree or enrolment, updated CV).
Forms, Approvals & Compliance
- Own the request form; ensure accurate entry of term, funding, supervisor, work location, and access needs.
- Initiate clearance checks.
- Submit cases for Post-Award Administration Office approval when internal/external funds are used to align with approved budgets.
- Coordinate approvals with PI and Department Chair; maintain an auditable approval trail.
Agreements & Letters
- Draft and issue Visiting Student Agreements Letters using approved templates (scope, dates, stipend, benefits, IP/confidentiality, code of conduct, termination, data privacy).
- Manage amendments/renewals (date changes, funding updates, extended scope).
- Track signatures and archive fully executed documents.
Onboarding, Induction & Orientation:
- Plan and deliver a structured induction/orientation for each arriving cohort of Visiting Students, coordinating with Immigration, IT, HR, and Campus Security.
- Provide pre-arrival materials and a first-week program covering program expectations, code of conduct and research integrity/IP/data privacy, safety and emergency procedures.
- Arrange orientation (program overview, policies, reporting lines, escalation contacts).
- Distribute an orientation kit (agenda, contacts, FAQs); host a brief community welcome/social; collect feedback to improve content; and maintain an up-to-date orientation microsite and calendar.
- Trigger identity and IT provisioning (university ID, email creation, system access, door/badge access).
- Add the student to the Visiting Students email alias and relevant distribution lists.
- Coordinate health insurance enrolment or waiver verification per policy.
- Liaise with Immigration to initiate visas, collect supporting docs, and schedule check-ins.
- Publish pre-arrival information (housing resources, campus orientation dates, code of conduct, safety).
Funding, Stipends & Payroll Facilitation
- Confirm funding source (host grant, department, external sponsor, home institution-funded) and eligibility for stipends.
- For stipend-eligible cases, coordinate HR/Payroll setup (banking forms/letters).
- Ensure timely payments aligned with HR/Payroll; reconcile exceptions with Post-Award/Payroll.
Program Operations & Student Support
- Serve as front-line contact for visiting student queries; triage to specialists (immigration, HR, IT) as needed.
- Monitor end dates and send reminders to PIs for renewals/closures 90 days before expiry.
- Maintain accurate records in the case-management system and produce monthly dashboards (volume, cycle times, compliance).
Offboarding & Records
- Coordinate offboarding (email and system deprovisioning, badge return, lab/asset clearance, termination letter).
- Ensure final documents are filed (completion letter, outcome survey).
- Close out payroll/stipends, deactivate aliases.
Risk, Policy & Continuous Improvement
- Uphold compliance with the University policies (minors on campus, research integrity, IP, data privacy, health & safety).
- Partner with Legal/Immigration on complex cases; escalate risks promptly.
- Maintain and continuously improve SOPs, checklists, and templates; deliver PI/department training each term.
- Collect feedback and drive process improvements that reduce cycle time and error rates.
Other Duties
- Perform all other duties as reasonably directed by the line manager that are commensurate with these functional objectives.
Academic Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in administration, education, or related field.
- Postgraduate degree will be preferred.
Professional Experience:
Essential
- At 3–5 years of experience in higher-education administration or complex case management (e.g., visiting scholars/students, HR, or research administration).
- Demonstrated ability to coordinate multi-step approvals, draft official correspondence, and manage sensitive cases with accuracy and confidentiality.
- Working knowledge of immigration and visa processes for visiting students (jurisdiction-specific), as well as post-award compliance requirements.
- Strong stakeholder management and written communication skills, with proven ability to collaborate effectively across diverse groups.
- Proficiency with case-management and HRIS tools (e.g., ServiceNow, Salesforce, PeopleSoft, Workday), as well as e-signature and list-management platforms.
Preferred
- Experience interpreting and applying institutional policies to varied scenarios, with sound judgment in escalating complex or exceptional cases.
- Proven track record in managing processes end-to-end, ensuring compliance with service-level agreements and timely resolution of cases.
- Skilled in preparing training materials and delivering clear, professional communication to faculty, students, and stakeholders.
- Expertise in data management, including accurate record-keeping, reporting, and compliance with retention standards.
- Demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion, ensuring fair, accessible processes for diverse international cohorts.
