Department of Human Resources
Exempt Job Description
Job Title:
Job Number:
Band:
NOC:
Department:
Supervisor Title:
Manager, Office of the Deans of Arts and Science (Humanities,
Social Science and Sciences)
X-057
6
1222
Dean of Arts and Science (Humanities, Social Science and Sciences)
Dean of Arts and Science (Humanities, Social Science and Sciences)
Last Reviewed:
April 5, 2011
Job Purpose
The Manager provides direct support to the three Deans of Arts & Science (Humanities, Social
Sciences and Science). This individual supervises the two administrative secretaries supporting
the Deans. This individual monitors the instructional budget and corrects any salary errors. This
position manages the TUFA and CUPE recommendations and the summer programming in
Peterborough and Oshawa. The Assistant requires a thorough knowledge of University policies,
procedures, faculty collective agreements; the majority of this works involves interaction with
the office of the Provost and Vice President Academic, Human Resources, Finance, Department/
Program Chairs and faculty.
Key Activities
Academic Support to three Deans:
1. Consultant/expert on three decanal advisory council meetings (each meets 5-6 times
per year), takes and types minutes/notes and provides expert advice to Deans and
Chairs. Authority on past practices. Provides significant direction to the three deans.
Attends weekly meetings with the three deans to plan and coordinate decanal and
office activities. Regular one-on-one meetings consulting on personnel/staffing and
academic matters.
Academic Departments:
1. Consultant/expert for the Department Chairs (24) and advisor for the Department
Secretaries (24).
2. Answer any and all questions relating to the academic side of the university.
3. Monitor personnel and operating budgets for academic departments (24). Ensure
departments are on budget.
4. Assign secretarial work to the Undergraduate Academic Secretaries.
5. Interpret TUFA, CUPE Unit 1 and Unit 2 collective agreements; ensure correct posting
procedures and hiring steps are followed.
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6. Approve all job postings (TUFA, CUPE 1 and CUPE 2).
7. Department Chair positions are constantly changing (terms vary from one to five years).
With changing collective agreements and changing Department Chairs, must regularly
educate/update and familiarize all chairs and secretaries about agreements.
Collective Agreement Knowledge and Applications:
1. TUFA – interpret the collective agreement for individual faculty. Ensure departments
and individuals comply with collective agreements in personnel matters (advertising,
hiring, tenure and promotion, sabbatical applications). Ensure faculty meet deadlines for
submitting sabbatical applications, merit applications, tenure and promotion
applications. Manage individual faculty personnel files and set up temporary files when
necessary. Prepare TUFA strike contingency plan.
2. CUPE Unit 1 – serve on negotiations table, involved in preparing materials for contract
negotiations. Member of CUPE Unit 1 joint committee and represent the Dean, when
requested, at grievance meetings. Direct chairs on posting procedures, hiring
procedures, right of first refusal and advise about less expensive alternative modes of
teaching. Prepare CUPE strike contingency plan.
3. CUPE Unit 2 – Direct chairs and secretaries on posting procedures and hiring
procedures, explaining the different positions. Advise students about job positions.
4. OPSEU – Prepare OPSEU strike contingency plan.
Management of all Budgets:
1. Within the Dean of Arts & Science portfolio: Instructional budget for TUFA, CUPE and
OPSEU ($45 million), Professional Expenses ($400K), TUFA Start-Up ($75K), Part time
Travel ($65K), Teaching Support fund ($200K), Summer Instructional budget ($1.5
million), Decanal Discretionary Fund ($30K), Dean of Arts & Science operating budget
($800K).
2. Includes detailed tracking of budgets (inflow/outflow) and advising Deans on budgetary
matters.
3. Approve budget requests for TUFA marking and CUPE travel and accommodation.
4. Preparation of financial reports.
Management of two Office Staff:
1. Including hiring, training, disciplining, supervision and performance appraisal of staff.
2. Responsible for setting formal and informal office policies and procedures, ensuring
tasks are completed within timelines/deadlines.
3. Help maintain positive office morale under stressful and heavy workload conditions.
Management of Databases (Microsoft Access):
1. These databases are only kept in the Office of the Dean of Arts and Science, and are
used to generate numerous reports for a variety of university offices;
 Personnel – Normal Retirement Dates, Pay Grid, Cross Appointments.
 Earned Years of Service (EYS) for determination of sabbatical leaves.
 Report maternity leaves, general unpaid leaves, academic unpaid leaves and
sabbaticals.
 Generate data on faculty/teaching ratios, faculty retirements, staffing tables, as
needed by Deans and other offices.
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Payroll Relations:
1. TUFA annual calculation of the pay for every faculty member and senior administrator
(i.e. University President, Vice President Academic, Deans). Establish each individual
faculty member’s location on the grid, notify payroll of faculty salary and account
number. Merit increases – annual review, once Board of Governors approves, have
responsibility to notify payroll of the new level – tight timelines. CUPE – calculate pay,
notify payroll that an individual is now an employee and the rate of pay (must be careful
of salary amounts and again, strict payroll timelines).
Other Projects:
1. Monitor course enrolments (Peterborough, Durham, Summer and UOIT) and direct
Dean(s) on course cancellations. (Approximately 700 courses offered during the
Fall/Winter session by Durham and Peterborough campus).
2. Prepare and submit Survey of full time teaching staff (UCASS) to Statistics Canada.
3. Ongoing review of Decanal policies and procedures (currently there are 25).
4. Coordinate new Chair Orientation and New Faculty Orientation sessions each Fall.
Involves assembly of documents, coordinating of speakers and invitations.
5. Manage the Dean of Arts & Science website.
Analytical Reasoning
Hiring TUFA members – when hiring new faculty, evaluate their curricula vitae to establish
appropriate grid placement, prepare recommendation for the Deans’ approval on salary grid
placement. Typically, meet with the appropriate Dean to discuss and confer on final pay grid
location. Appointment letter goes to TUFA member, Human Resources and TUFA office.
Typically 1/3 of new faculty will not accept the first offer and will negotiate a new grid
placement, going back and forth several times before resolved. I am involved in the negotiation
process due to my budget, collective agreement and knowledge of other faculty. Once the
faculty member accepts, I register the individual in Colleague and notify payroll that a new
individual is hired and what their pay will be. Other factors that come into play when hiring
new TUFA members are “start up” funds and “relocation” funds, this adds to the complexity of
the appointment (all have budgetary implications). Timelines are also a factor as these
individuals are being pursued by other universities and we do not want to lose the best
candidate.
Another example is TUFA members going forward for consideration of Promotion or Tenure. I
advise the faculty member on the collective agreement and their department tenure criteria,
timelines to be followed, etc. Before sending any required package to externals, I must analyze
the package for completeness and check if there is information missing, follow up with the chair
for the missing components, if information included and it should not be, I must make the
decision to take it out. Requires broad knowledge of variations’ in “culture” in each discipline –
each application is different (i.e., Humanities, Social Sciences and Sciences), each department
has different tenure criteria, which are regularly revised, always adapting.
Budget reductions – When Deans are told to cut their budgets, I must prepare costing for Deans
to create their staffing plan which includes data concerning class sizes for all classroom
deliveries.
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Decision Making
Direct Department Chairs on Collective Agreement issues (i.e. sick leave, parental leave, unpaid
leave and sabbatical leave replacement and budget implications).
Direct Deans on cancelling courses (oversee Peterborough and Oshawa Fall/Winter, Summer
and Headstart course enrolments). This decision has an impact on student retention and
enrolment as well as relations with departments and instructors. This impacts the university
revenues and finances.
Faculty placement on salary grid and notification of Payroll Department and individual.
Decisions need to be made quickly but with confidence and accuracy as there are time
constraints. Workload is heavy with no down time and a constant, three term, academic cycle.
All these decisions have very significant implications for the University budget.
Impact
If advises the Department Chair incorrectly re specific hiring rules and regulations (i.e. a posted
CUPE 1 job, department hires a CUPE unit 2 (student) over a CUPE 1 (non student), it may result
in a grievance which costs the university both time and money. Once a grievance is filed must
coordinate with the chair to keep records of who has applied, how an individual is deemed not
qualified, until the grievance is resolved. Grievances harm the reputation of the department for
future hiring, affect morale for individual who wanted the job, and damages reputation of our
office and the relationship with the union.
If job postings are delayed and there is no instructor for a course, this affects student retention
and can impact university finances.
Provide proper guidance, education and advice to department chairs unfamiliar with the OPSEU,
CUPE Unit 1 and 2, and TUFA Collective Agreements, which saves money for the university on a
daily basis. Similarly, provide department chairs with advice about less expensive, alternative
modes of teaching (i.e. workshop leaders vs. tutorial leaders; saving the University from
unnecessary extra labour costs), again saving money. When departments are hiring CUPE
personnel it is important to watch for the maximum (1.5 courses) they are allowed to teach
during the academic year since they can be hired in Peterborough or Oshawa and in any of the
24 academic departments.
In all the payroll cases, the responsibility for the pay level is mine not payroll. If overpay the
faculty member, must contact that individual to correct the situation and notify payroll to make
appropriate pay adjustments. It is a complicated system – antiquated. It is a month before see
the Payroll General Ledger for review, which means timelines/deadlines are tight for
corrections.
Education Required
Honours University Degree (4 year).
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Experience Required
1. 6 to 10 years related experience.
2. Specific knowledge of the Trent academic culture, as each academic department is
different and each academic secretary’s job is different (includes VP Academic and
Oshawa).
3. Specific knowledge of academic policies and collective agreements (TUFA, CUPE,
OPSEU).
4. Specific knowledge of payroll system, Registrar’s Office and Human Resources.
5. Specific knowledge of Immigration Laws.
6. Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and Datatel.
Responsibility for the Work of Others
Direct Responsibility for the Work of Others:
 2 full time administrative secretaries;
 Train, assign and monitor work, hire, discipline, complete performance appraisals.
 Coordinate weekly staff meetings.
 Maintain workload balance for administrative secretaries
 Track and approve vacation time and maintain records of absenteeism.
Indirect Responsibility for the Work of Others:
Communication
All communication requires tact and diplomacy. Must be aware of FIPPA, AODA, Workplace
Violence and Harassment and Employment Equity policies. Communication is both verbal and
written. Must be able to interpret the Collective Agreement languages for an everyday user.
Internal:
 Chairs (24 individuals always changing) – direct them to, and interpret, policies, hiring
procedures, collective agreements.
 TUFA Faculty (235 members) – direct, interpret and advise on collective agreement re:
promotion, tenure, sabbaticals.
 CUPE Faculty (190 members) – direct, interpret and advise on collective agreement, fill
out T2200 forms.
 OPSEU Academic Secretaries (24) – allocate secretarial work, coordinate semi-annual
meetings, direct, interpret and advise on policies and procedures.
 Associate Vice President Human Resources - requesting clarification, providing
information.
 Vice President Research Office – direct the office on budget transfers.
 Vice President Academic Office – sharing information.
 Vice President Administration – explaining the $100K salary before disclosure to media.
 Payroll – TUFA and CUPE pay, providing direction for pay, monitor and reconcile
accounts, provide guidance on salary adjustments (merit and retroactive pay after
negotiations).
 IT – establish/register of faculty members in Colleague, review expired accounts, and
approve non-staff email accounts.
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Registrar’s Office – liaise with the Registrar’s Office, coordinate summer course and
reading course approvals, timetable, and exam schedule.
Associate Dean Trent in Oshawa Office – share information regarding off campus
offerings, notify faculty of teaching assignments.
Associate Dean Undergraduate Studies – responsible for completing and submitting the
calendar copy.
Students – explain policy and procedures, answer questions, and help with problems or
refer them to an individual who can help, advise on pre-requisites and eligibility for
courses (situations can escalate at this point).
External:
 Federal Government;
 Human Resources Development Canada – hiring practices
 Citizenship and Immigration Canada – permanent resident and work permits
 Statistics Canada with respect to reporting faculty salaries for parity formula
 Provincial Government – collecting and preparing data and responding to inquiries.
 AUCC – University Affairs advertising of all new TUFA appointments.
 Parents – answer questions, direct to proper department (keeping them calm, ensuring
that situations don’t escalate at this point).
 General Public – provide information as needed.
 Media (i.e. CHEX TV) – before they speak to the Dean, investigate and clarify exactly
what the interview concerns.
Motor/ Sensory Skills
Indicate the level of proficiency or precision in motor or sensory skills required by the job. Examples
include but are not limited to: small/large movement to operate machinery; coordinated movement;
equilibrium to maintain balance; dexterity to grasp, move, assemble objects or operate equipment;
hearing, sight, touch, smell, taste. Provide a brief description of tasks performed that require
motor/sensory skills.
Effort
Indicate the physical and/or mental demands of the position in the ordinary course of performing the role.
Examples include but are not limited to: lifting, moving, carrying, pushing/pulling, reaching, kneeling,
remaining motionless, sustained concentration or focus. Provide a brief description of the tasks performed
that are physically and/or mentally demanding.
Mental:
Physical:
Working Conditions
Indicate any physical and psychological conditions of the position that make the job unpleasant,
disagreeable and/or hazardous to health and well-being. Describe the nature, frequency and duration of
exposure.
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Physical:
Psychological:
Job Description Approved by Human Resources
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Signatures - indicating that the job description has been read and understood:
Incumbent
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Immediate Supervisor:
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Department Head/ Dean:
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Job Number: X-057
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