Program Manager

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Posting Information:
This posting is for an existing vacancy.

This position is being offered as a Secondment or contract opportunity. Term: 6 months

The internal posting deadline for this position is May 7, 2026 at 11:59PM.

Job Description:

Primary Purpose

The Program Manager (PM) reports to the Associate Director, Academics and Student Affairs to support and manage the administration of the optometry professional program in the School of Optometry and Vision Science, and to the Administrative Officer for staff supervision and human resources related requirements. Significant aspects of this position include coordination with central university administration (e.g. registrar’s office), course, lab and clinic scheduling of the degree program, developing and maintaining administrative processes, recruitment and management of external laboratory supervisors and sessional instructors, and curriculum review and deployment.

Key Accountabilities

Provides senior level administrative support to the Doctor of Optometry (OD) program

· Provides administrative support to the Undergraduate Studies Committee including; preparing meeting agendas, recording minutes, and monitoring the implementation of all decisions.

· Provides administrative support to the Curriculum Committee including; preparing meeting agendas, recording minutes, continuous quality improvement for OD program and Advanced Standing Optometry Pre-professional program (ASOPP), and monitoring the implementation of all decisions.

· Coordinates and monitors the submission of OD course grades in accordance with University deadlines.

· Updates and provides OD program statistical data for reporting agencies, Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) annual reporting and academic accreditation as required.

· Develops, in conjunction with the ADA, data reporting on the delivery of the OD program for internal quality assurance.

· Provides instruction and advice as an Academic Advisor to Optometry students regarding their individual programs, degree requirements and strategies for completion of requirements when progression issues arise.

· Responsible for the academic progression reports and approval of eligibility for graduation for the OD program.

· Updates the Academic Advisement templates for the OD program in the Graduation Advisement Reports. Works closely with the Records team to implement the changes required.

· Responsible for all final exam administration including printing, secure storage of exams, the assignment of proctors, monitoring students missing exams and scheduling re-assessments in coordination with faculty.

· Maintains and manages all undergraduate student records and monitors student progress.

· Administers the absence request policy. Monitors submission of requests, ensures instructor have responded to determine if requests can be accommodated and what the accommodation is; seeks feedback from the Undergraduate Studies Committee meeting and ensures responses are sent to the student and instructors regarding the student’s absence request.

· Oversees ASOPP program administration including scheduling, assessments, and continuous improvement.

Admissions into the Doctor of Optometry (OD) program

· Provides senior administrative support to the School’s Admissions Officers in all matters relating to the OD program.

o Must have a detailed and strong knowledge of the criteria for admissions, course requirements, etc.

o Ability to administer admission procedures to ensure compliance to requirements and details of admission

o Prepare the documents used for the Optometry admission meeting to make admission decisions.

o Prepares all correspondence to applicants regarding the selection of applicants for interviews, offers of admission and refusals.

o Reviews all admission decisions for accuracy before sent out by Registrar’s Office. Prepares and conveys all admission decisions to the Registrar’s Office to be processed.

o Reviews transcripts to clear academic conditions as well as Criminal Records Checks conditions of the offers of admission and follows up when information hasn’t been received.

o Provides data collection and prepares statistical reports.

o Monitors and reports on the Tripartite Agreement between BC, AB, SK, MB, ON and the Maritime provinces to both the University of Waterloo and the provincial contacts.

o Organizes and executes the Admission interview day (both at UW and out of province).

o Updates and ensures the accuracy of the admissions section of the OD program website

Schedule Management

· Independently develops the school schedule for OD courses and teaching lab schedules for ADA approval. This involves accommodating requests with the Faculty following strict procedures and guidelines as dictated by the Associate Registrar for Student Records and Systems, the Assistant Registrar responsible for Optometry and the University Scheduling Officer.

· Utilize scheduling software to optimize academic and clinic scheduling.

· Prepares workload assignments for each term of the academic year for every faculty member for review and approval by ADA

· Prepares all the information required for block enrolment process to the Registrar’s Office.

· Responsible for coordinating activity with Administrative/Faculty Councils, and submitting yearly calendar updates for the Registrar’s Office.

Human Resources Administration

· Supervision of staff

o Recruitment, review, and leadership of staff direct reports

o Monitor workflow and performance of staff and provides feedback for continuous improvement

o In consultation with the Undergraduate and Graduate Officers, solicit feedback, co-write and deliver staff performance appraisals

o Develop and monitor performance improvement plans

o Provide guidance and act as the Workday liaison between staff members and co-supervisors

o Ensure that policies, procedures and guidelines relating to the supervision of staff (Policy 5, 6, 18 and 36 in particular) are interpreted and implemented correctly

o Provide support and guidance in all dispute resolution scenarios (staff-staff, staff-faculty, staff-students)

· Hiring of teaching assistants, lab supervisors, lab assessors, and sessional instructors; generating letters of engagement and complete all hiring paperwork either through Workday or processing of a Non-Faculty Appointment Form.

· Develops and maintains administrative processes to hire, track and remunerate contract staff. Provides end of term reports to ADA and School Director.

· Develops and maintains policy and procedure manuals for administration of the OD and ASOPP programs.

· Point of contact for faculty and graduate students regarding scheduling and/or course assignments with approvals signed by the ADA.

Required Qualifications

Education

· University degree or equivalent education and experience required, preferably from the University of Waterloo

· Doctor of Optometry degree preferred but not required

Experience

· Minimum of 5 years of administrative and supervisory experience and involvement with professional organizations essential, scheduling experience preferred

· Experience in the development, interpretation, application and enforcement of regulations and policies

· Extensive experience developing and maintaining senior-level relationships

· Experience building and working within collaborative environments

· Experience in personnel management

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

· Exceptional communication skills, both in an oral and written format

· Proven supervisory experience is required

· Proven ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with senior administration, faculty, staff, and students on campus and contacts external to UW

· Exceptional time management and organization skills

· Demonstrated judgment, tact and diplomacy

· Demonstrated ability to work well independently and in teams in a fast-paced environment that demands superior problem-solving capabilities

· Ability to proactively anticipate challenges and show initiative in resolving issues

· Proven strategic and creative thinker

· Ability to take initiative where minimal direction is provided

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.