To provide administrative support for the PIMS scientific and educational program, and to provide general assistance and secretarial support for the PIMS office.

Organizational Status

The Program Coordinator reports directly to, and is supervised by, PIMS Manager.
Work may be assigned to the Program Coordinator by PIMS Directors, PIMS Education Coordinator or by PIMS Manager.
PIMS Manager coordinates general work flow and advises on budgets and priorities.
The Program Coordinator will interact with faculty, staff, visiting scientists and the general public.

Work Performed

PIMS has a regular cycle of events with corresponding duties (e.g. post-doctoral award committee, summer events season, scientific review panel), as well as ad hoc events and visits by researchers to be arranged.

Summer Events
To provide administrative assistance in the delivery of the PIMS summer events season, providing support to PIMS Manager and Directors, event organizers and visitors:

• As directed by event organizers or PIMS Manager - make accommodation, venue and catering bookings
• Set-up and maintain a basic webpage (following a template), on the PIMS website, for each event
• Request that PIMS Manager and PIMS Systems Administrator set-up online registration, or other web-functionality, for each event
• Respond to miscellaneous enquiries from event attendees
• Send out invitation letters to participants as directed by event organizers
• Work with PIMS Manager and event organizers to ensure that planned expenses are within the budget for the event
• Compile materials (abstracts, schedules, contact lists etc.), produce and distribute conference/event materials as required

Post-Doctoral Award Committee and Scientific Review Panel
To provide administrative assistance in the running of the post-doctoral award committee (PDF) and the scientific review panel (SRP), under the instruction of PIMS Deputy and Assistant Directors:

• Monitoring online proposals for SRP
• Monitoring online nominations of post-docs
• Arrange accommodation for committee members travelling from outside Vancouver
• Book rooms in PIMS space, and prepare all paperwork required by the committees
• Arrange for refreshments/lunch catering, make dinner bookings as required
• Prepare summary report on awards made
• Issue award letters as directed, and monitor acceptances

Year-Round Activities
To provide administrative assistance in the running of ad hoc events during the year; provide assistance in fulfilling PIMS reporting requirements:

• Same as Summer Events description above, on a smaller scale
• Monitor the calendar for PIMS room bookings - make sure speakers have the equipment they need (e.g. projectors, laptops), and know how it works, organise refreshments for seminars as required
• Organise and prepare weekly PIMS Tea, including shopping for supplies as required
• Video-recording/still photographs of occasional events
• Support the Assistant Director in the collection of statistical data for reporting purposes, and tracking information about PDFs, input data into GoogleDocs for reporting purposes
• Maintain the accuracy of information on the PIMS website; update event webpages, PIMS contacts, visitors and Post-Docs information
• Document processes and procedures for this position
• Other duties as required

Supervision Received

Works under general supervision from PIMS Manager, with direction on specific events and projects coming from PIMS Manager, PIMS Directors, faculty members and event organisers.
PIMS Manager will give guidance on budgets, priorities and overall work flow.

Supervision Given

None.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

Work is performed in accordance with broadly established procedures and practices. However, initiative and good judgement is required in adapting these procedures and practices to the unique circumstances of each event or situation. There will be a variety of duties and tasks which will require prioritization.

The image and reputation of the institute depends on its scientific presentation to the community of mathematical scientists at UBC, in Canada and around the world. On a practical level, errors made by the Program Coordinator will result in rework and/or poorly run events, with inconvenience caused to organisers and participants. At a higher level, errors by the Program Coordinator will tarnish the reputation of PIMS in the scientific community. This may make it more difficult to attract the best researchers to PIMS and may ultimately negatively affect the funding that PIMS receives for its events.

Qualifications

High School graduation and 1 year post-secondary education. University graduation. 3 years of related experience or the equivalent combination of education and experience. Experience working in the higher education sector would be an asset. Experience with event planning would be an asset. Ability to maintain accuracy and attention to detail. Ability to exercise sound judgment; ability to exercise tact and discretion. Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing. Ability to compose all required written materials using clear concise business English appropriate to the target audience. Ability to effectively use standard office software at an intermediate level. (e.g., Outlook, MS Word, MS Excel, GoogleDocs) Ability to locate required information using a variety of methods (e.g., online information sources, manuals, expert sources); ability to record and organise information. Ability to place, find and use information on the internet. Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment. Ability to prioritize and work effectively under pressure to meet deadlines.
University of British Columbia - 11 months ago