Executive Assistant, Public & University Affairs

TITLE: Executive Assistant, Public & University Affairs
TERM LENGTH: October 2023 to April 2024
COMPENSATION: $18.00/hour
HOURS OF WORK:  10-25 hours / week 

ABOUT US

The University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) is the official student government for more than 38,000 students at the University of Toronto’s St. George Campus, in the heart of downtown Toronto. We lead on service-provision, program development, advocacy, and the development and support of student-leaders. The UTSU is a competitive employer that aims to foster a culture of belonging, community, and shared-leadership within the St. George campus community.

THE ROLE:

The Executive Assistant, Public & University Affairs (EA PUA) supports the Vice-President, Public & University Affairs in their advocacy and research. Specifically, they are responsible for conducting research, collecting and distributing data, writing reports, and developing proposal/draft legislation. 

This is an hourly, part-time, 7-month contract position, from October 2023 to April 2024. This position is expected to work between 10 to 25 hours per week, though hours are flexible per the demands of the position. The EA, PUA reports to the Vice-President Public & University Affairs, and works closely with the broader Executive Assistant team. 

The Executive Assistant, PUA will have a commitment to and awareness of equity, diversity and inclusion, access to services, anti-racism and anti-oppression, gender-justice, truth and reconciliation, and anti-poverty, as such principles relate to the student environment.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The key responsibilities outlined below are interpreted as being descriptive in nature and are not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all possible job responsibilities, tasks, and duties. 

• Producing, editing, and publishing materials such as reports, surveys, and other research relevant to the various initiatives of the UTSU.
• Supporting the dissemination of research to the UTSU’s various teams to inform evidence-based approaches to campaigns and services.
• Identify opportunities to expand our public/university relations and online presence to engage more students in the work of the UTSU and to provide better outcomes for the membership.
• Facilitating and supporting the initiatives of the VP PUA and the Executive Team, including campaigns, advocacy efforts, services, and other such projects falling under the purview of the President.
• Providing support to the Board of Directors and members seeking to better understand the UTSU’s work through research and knowledge-sharing.
• Administrative duties as assigned, particularly: correspondence management, calendar management, minute-taking, and other administrative responsibilities that may occur from time to time.
• Attending the UTSU’s Campaigns and Outreach Committee as needed.
• Developing various outreach initiatives for the UTSU in conjunction with the VP PUA, President, and the UTSU’s Outreach & Engagement team.

KEY QUALIFICATIONS

• You are a part-time or full-time student at the University of Toronto St. George Campus.
• You have a deep foundation of knowledge in Public and/or University affairs to advocate for students.
• You are passionate about student leadership, student advocacy, and improving the lives of students.
• You have excellent written and verbal communication skills, particularly for public consumption.
• You possess strong interpersonal skills, and demonstrate an ability to communicate your needs and opinions effectively and respectfully within a workplace context.
• You exhibit an awareness of the constraints of advocacy work, acknowledging policy/procedural roadblocks in a constructive way and identifying realistic yet ambitious areas for collaboration.
• Offer the capacity to represent students across multiple constituencies and areas of policy need/interest, acknowledging the diversity of the 40,000+ strong membership of the UTSU.
• You have experience and/or skills in editing/copy-editing documents for public distribution.
• You know how to distill complex information into straightforward and easily understood materials.
• You possess administrative, organizational, and time-management skills, with a capacity to proactively define, prioritize, and execute executive tasks and objectives.
• You have a strong degree of personal integrity and professionalism. You understand the importance of exercising discretion and confidentiality with sensitive information.
• You take accountability for things when they go wrong, and proactively take on responsibility in order to resolve challenging situations.
• You are interested in working in a collaborative environment, where multiple people come together to work towards shared goals.
• You exemplify superior capacity to problem solve, and distill complex information in tumultuous environments.
• You are politically aware, and feel comfortable navigating politicized environments.
• An existing familiarity with the UTSU’s governance and organizational decision-making processes is considered an asset.
• A strong track record of engagement and compromise among a variety of political organizations/profiles is considered an asset.

OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

The general operational requirements of the position are as follows

• 10-25 hours per week, though hours are flexible and may go beyond 25 hours depending on the availability of the candidate and the needs of the position.
• General availability during the corehours of operations (9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday). Hours are flexible, and meetings are likely to shift in the fall semester to include evenings and weekends to accommodate for class schedules. 
• Work is mainly completed seated, at a desk, using a computer. 
• The UTSU operates in a hybrid model, with a requirement to occasionally work in-person at the Student Commons at 230 College Street (or attend events/ initiatives offsite as applicable), as well as work remotely.

This is an hourly position, compensated at $18/hour. 

Term length: October 2023 to April 2024 (7 months)

Please note that the UTSU is an independent non-profit organization operating within the University of Toronto community; this is not a University of Toronto position.

HOW TO APPLY

Submit an application using the application form linked here. In your application form, please be prepared to attach an up-to-date resume. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. The position will remain open until filled.

We thank all candidates in advance for their interest. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted. 

EQUITY & ACCESSIBILITY

The University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) is committed to fulfilling its mission in an environment that embraces and actively works towards equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging. The UTSU seeks to be proactive in attracting candidates who are members of equity-seeking groups, including but not limited to: women, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, racialized people, and people with diverse sexual orientations or gender identities/expressions. 

In order for us to assess all applications in a fair and equitable manner, please indicate to apply@utsu.ca at the time of your application of any requirement for accommodation, or if you would like someone to contact you about individualized application support.