Arena Coordinator

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Internal Posting Deadline is August 21, 2025 @ 11:59pm

Job Description:

Primary Purpose
The Arena Coordinator at the Columbia Icefield (CIF) is responsible for the day-to-day operations, ice management, maintenance and leadership within the University’s athletic and recreation facility. The staff is responsible for establishing a student leadership team that operates the arena providing for high levels of customer service and oversight of the safety for programs and services within the space.

Key Accountabilities

Building Oversight

• With direction from the Senior Manager, Facilities and Events, this position ensures the Arena proper is utilized as per facility plans and within health and safety parameters for the space.
• Performs the opening and closing procedures for the building, ensuring that all equipment and facilities are in proper working order and secured appropriately at end of day. Confirms procedures and operating instructions for opening the exterior doors and clearing the building from users/activity as per facility schedules.
• Responsible for providing safe and clean environment including locker rooms that change owners’ multiple times a day.
• Completes daily walk-throughs in order to confirm working order of all spaces and equipment.
• Requests repairs, maintenance or replacement of building elements in order to uphold building and service standards.
• Works with the Coordinator, Equipment Services to manage inventories such as Intramural uniforms. Interacts with programmatic area managers and coordinators (Fitness, Conditioning, Therapy, Interuniversity) to confirm appropriate setups, takedowns and operations.
• Works with Business Operations unit to identify best practices and concerns in facility allocations and scheduling.
• Assists with the development of best practices for transitions of space to minimize ‘down-time’ for users.
• Organizes and plans preventative maintenance shutdowns and inspections with the Senior Manager, Facilities and Events.
• Interacts with Custodial staff in order to maintain healthy spaces that avoid any disease or bacteria development.
• The staff member has direct interactions with other University non-athletic staff including Plant Operations, Central Stores and Campus Police.
• • Rotates with other Facilities staff to provide coverage in other buildings as needed, including scheduled On- Call duties
• • Assists in the preparation and administration of the capital and operational budget; research and recommend budgetary items relating to the arena, and facilities requirements; assists to track and ensure compliance with the budget and expenditures.
• • Assisting in the purchasing, and inventory control of supplies and equipment for the recreation facilities.

Ice Management

• Daily responsibilities for maintaining the ice surface for programming include, operating the ice-resurfacing equipment, ice edger as well as the boards system. Work with Plant Operations to maintain appropriate ice temperatures for year-round operations. No requirement to maintain a refrigeration plant.
• Maintain ice surfaces to ensure top-quality conditions for sporting events and Interuniversity Athletics.
• Accountable for maintaining ice-resurfacer working with Plant Operations and external contractor.
• Previous knowledge of laser ice leveling system for managing and maintaining surface ice levels, measuring and maintaining depth, and condition.
• Working knowledge of glass and boards maintenance, including but not limited to; cleaning, changing, maintaining, and adjusting.
• Experience in ice preparation - working knowledge of both ice pad removal and careful reinstallation through manual flooding and thickening.

Customer Service

• Collaborates with Business Operations unit to determine best practices for student staff
• Use of customer service software (Fusion) to interact with members including support transactional services (purchases, refunds, etc.)
• Responds to customer service issues that are escalated by student staff.

Student Leadership

• Provides leadership to nurture the development of staffing teams comprised of students.
• Collaborates with other Building Coordinators on a frequent basis to hire, schedule, train, promote, and evaluate students to cover the customer service stations in all building operations.
• Comfortable training student staff in the safe operations of arena equipment and ice resurfacing machines, including proper ice resurfacing techniques and standard operating procedures.
• Develops student leader to take responsibility for elements providing for applied leadership opportunities including training and scheduling for our student staff.
• Works with student leader to populate and update scheduling software.

Health and Safety

• Trains staff on relevant health and safety standards and procedures, including the safe operations of the ice resurfacing machine, fuel usage and storage, physical guards and PPE.
• Executes and creates Emergency Action Plans including when the building is utilized in ‘day-to ’day’ or ‘large event’ modes.
• Follows up on incidents and incident reports with Associate Director, Business Operations and Senior Manager, Facilities & Events to determine necessary adjustments.

Required Qualifications
Education

• College Diploma (preferable in recreation or leisure areas) or equivalent combination of education and/or experience will be considered
• Certified Ice Technician preferred
• Ontario Driver's license class G or higher required
• Standard First Aid required

Experience

• 3-5 years of athletic and recreation facility experience working in an arena, preferably within a University environment.
• 3-5 years operating, basic trouble shooting and maintaining ice resurfacing machines such as an Olympia.
• 3-5 years experience in using edging machine to achieve a consistent even surface throughout ice pad.
• 3-5 years experience in ice-making and maintaining good quality ice.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills, including exemplary poise, tact and diplomacy
• Knowledgeable and experienced in general building maintenance and the proper use of maintenance equipment
• Knowledge of ice maintenance techniques, equipment operation, and basic facility maintenance
• Working understanding of how the ice-resurfacer works and how to properly drive an Olympia ‘H’ Hydrostatic machine, and use the associated technology; including the conditioner, auger, bin, elevator, and water systems.
• Computer proficiency, particularly in Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint as well as general scheduling software
• Ability to learn and apply new information and technical skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with demonstrated ability to juggle multiple competing tasks and demands
• Ability to work as part of a team

Equity Statement

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is coordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion. As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

Positions are open to qualified candidates who are legally entitled to work in Canada.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.