Primary Purpose: The primary purpose of this position is to provide comprehensive clerical and administrative assistance to support the effective and efficient operations of the Department of Food and Bioproduct Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources. The position is responsible for providing a wide-range of financial and administrative services for faculty and staff in the department.
Nature of Work: Reporting to the department head, this position works independently and can complete all aspects of assigned duties, exercising judgement within established guidelines. It also collaborates effectively with administrative staff across the College to support shared goals. This position will operate in a diverse, complex, and often highly active office environment with multiple, competing demands and very strict deadlines. Continuous change, shifting priorities, and frequent interruptions are the norm. The Operations Assistant collaborates and communicates with both internal and external stakeholders, primarily with faculty, staff, students and other departments in the college and university, with an emphasis on customer service.
Impact of error is high as the position is responsible to ensure day-to-day work is completed with the highest degree of accuracy. Prompt, complete, and accurate work is extremely important to mitigate risks associated with accreditation, safety, finance, and overall reputation. This position is expected to adapt and modify known practices to solve problems and achieve goals. The Operations Assistant must demonstrate a high degree of confidentiality.
This position supports other academic departments in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, providing coverage and relief as required and assigned by the Department Head and Dean as appropriate.
Typical Duties or Accountabilities:
Provides high quality, accurate and timely clerical assistance to the department head, and other department leadership as applicable, through activities such as:
- Managing the department head’s calendar using a high degree of confidentiality, judgement, and decision-making.
- Preparing correspondence and documents; field incoming and initiate outgoing communications through telephone calls, emails and in-person visitors.
- Preparing for meetings, including set-up, electronic equipment set up, preparing and distributing agenda, taking minutes, booking venues and making reservations for administrative, research, and teaching activities.
- Assisting in preparation of new course proposals and program modifications.
- Ensuring the various office physical spaces present a positive impression of the department.
- Accurate and timely preparation of travel itineraries and arrangements, letters and list management.
Responsible for coordinating and supporting the Faculty Relations and collegial processes including, but not limited to:
- Assisting department head with collegial processes, including preparing candidate case files, renewal of probation, tenure, promotion, and salary review.
- Coordinating the CV update process.
Responsible for supporting all members of the department through the provision of effective and efficient general administrative services including, but not limited to the following:
- Providing effective and professional reception including but not limited to in-person, email, and telephone communication and administrating both incoming and outgoing mail.
- Preparing correspondence.
- Providing support and coordination for various department meeting and events including but not limited to scheduling, distributing documents, taking minutes, invitations, and other various meeting and event needs.
- Ordering office supplies and maintaining other department inventory.
- Ensuring office machines are functional.
- Maintaining bulletin boards/notices as required.
- Maintaining internal databases, lists, and filing systems, including historical and current records.
- Assisting with physical resource including requesting work initiations and arranging for Media Production support.
- Providing administrative support to faculty including assistance with forms, UniFi, course preparation, membership renewals, and others as required.
- Providing employment onboarding and offboarding support to the department for department head, faculty, graduate students, sessionals and visiting scholars.
- Assisting with the coordination of faculty recruitment and hiring.
- Collecting and preparing information and data for annual department reports.
- Providing administrative assistance to the graduate programs office as required.
- Supporting position advertising and TA allocation and time tracking.
Education: Successful completion of grade 12 and relevant post-secondary education is required.
Experience: A minimum of 3 to 5 years of relevant experience is expected. Prior experience processing financial and payroll transactions in the University environment would be considered an asset. A combination of education and experience may be considered.
Skills:
- Exercises sound judgment in decision‐making and problem‐solving to ensure priorities and deadlines are met;
- Takes initiative to move beyond completion of assigned tasks to plan for future requirements;
- Develops and maintains collaborative, professional working relationships with other administrative units, both within and external to the college, to exchange accurate information, initiate planning, coordinate projects and resolve crises;
- Shares knowledge appropriately to allow fully informed decision making by colleagues and senior members of the department and college;
Department: Food & Bioproduct Sciences
Status: Permanent
Employment Group: CUPE 1975
Shift: 8:30 - 4:30
Full Time Equivalent (FTE): 1.0
Salary: The salary range, based on 1.0 FTE, is $23.35 - 30.61 per hour. The starting salary will be commensurate with education and experience.
Salary Family (if applicable): Operational Services
Salary Phase/Band: Phase 4
Posted Date: 8/11/2025
Closing Date: 8/24/2025 at 6:00 pm CST
Number of Openings: 1
Work Location: On Campus
The University is committed to employment equity, diversity, and inclusion, and are proud to support career opportunities for Indigenous peoples to reflect the community we serve. We are dedicated to recruiting individuals who will enrich our work and learning environments. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, in accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority. We are committed to providing accommodations to those with a disability or medical necessity. If you require an accommodation to participate in the recruitment process, please notify us and we will work together on the accommodation request. We continue to grow our partnerships with Indigenous communities across the province, nationally, and internationally and value the unique perspective that Indigenous employees provide to strengthen these relationships. Verification of Indigenous Membership/Citizenship at the University of Saskatchewan is led and determined by the deybwewin | taapwaywin | tapwewin: Indigenous Truth policy and Standing Committee in accordance with the processes developed to enact the policy. Successful candidates that assert Indigenous membership/citizenship will be asked to complete the verification process of Indigenous membership/citizenship with documentation. The University of Saskatchewan’s main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis. We pay our respects to the First Nations and Métis ancestors of this place and reaffirm our relationship with one another. Together, we are uplifting Indigenization to a place of prominence at the University of Saskatchewan. 