Graduate Scholarship Officer, Faculty of Graduate Studies

Description

The Faculty of Graduate Studies is currently seeking a Full-time Regular Graduate Scholarship Officer.

The Faculty of Graduate Studies has 7100+ graduate students in 80+ credentials across the university. In support of graduate student success and in recognition of academic excellence, the Graduate Award Office disburses $42M in scholarships and awards annually.

Reporting to the Manager, Graduate Awards with daily supervision and direction from the Team Lead, Graduate Awards; this position requires work both independently and as a member of a collaborative, student-centred team. The nature of the work is one of continuous change, shifting priorities and consecutive deadlines. There is a high impact of error, requiring the ability to organize, multi-task, prioritize duties and manage high levels of stress at peak periods. The position uses strong communication and team skills and requires the ability to exercise independent decision making in determining priorities and deadlines for the work following outlined procedures and guidelines.

The incumbent is required to represent the University and the Faculty of Graduate Studies to students, faculty, staff, and funding agencies; and has responsibility for administration of graduate award competitions and scholarship payments. The role requires in-depth knowledge of competition regulations, eligibility criteria, application process and deadlines as well as demonstrated financial experience and understanding of University of Calgary and government granting agency funding regulations.

Attention to detail is critical - decisions made will have direct consequences for financial systems and students and the impact of errors is high.

The position is multi-faceted, requiring flexibility and multi-tasking. It requires that multiple, competing deadlines throughout the year be met with satisfactory outcomes for all involved.

The role requires proficiency in MS Office, oral and written communications, and the ability to work with high standards of discretion, confidentiality, and professionalism.

This position is under the AUPE bargaining unit. While normal work hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, core hours of work may vary during peak competition periods.

Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

Leadership (25%)

• Manages major award competitions ensuring criteria, regulations and deadlines are met.
• Manages student award payments and reconciliation to funding agencies ensuring accuracy and timeliness.
• Provides direction and all information to team members/stakeholders required to complete tasks.
• Develops and builds excellent working relationships with stakeholders to achieve a common goal.
• Understands the diversity of the stakeholders, treats everyone with respect and dignity.
• Acts as a liaison between students, supervisors/program administrators, Advancement Office and funding agencies.
  
  

Exercises sound judgment and decision making, identifying potential problems and solutions Award Competitions (60%)

• In-depth knowledge of the lifecycle of a graduate award, from application, selection, payment, reconciliation and award end.
• In-depth knowledge of the policies, processes and procedures of the various graduate award competitions, funding agencies and the University.
• In-depth knowledge of the different payment schedules of the various graduate awards.
• Ensures eligibility criteria is met before offering and paying an award to meet audit requirements.
• Completes timely scholarship reconciliation and submission of necessary documentation to external funders.
• Communicates information clearly and effectively; through oral or written communication, and information sessions, instructional videos, and workshop presentations.
• Maintains accurate records/minutes documenting adjudication results, decisions, student correspondence.
• Supports other team members during competitions.
• Coordinates various scholarship committees for the purposes of ranking applications.
• Manages major award competitions ensuring criteria, regulations and deadlines are met.
• Provides direction and all information to team members/stakeholders needed to complete the required task.
• Develops and builds excellent working relationships with stakeholders to achieve a common goal.
• Understands the diversity of the stakeholders, treats everyone with respect and dignity.
• Acts as a liaison between students, supervisors/program administrators, Advancement Office and funding agencies.
  
  

Exercises sound judgment and decision making, identifying potential problems and solutions Technical Support (15%)

• Maintains a high level knowledge of the systems required to support the work; PeopleSoft, EFIN, SharePoint, PowerBI, Excel, Outlook and others as required.
• Identifies system issues, works closely with IT on solutions, and tests fixes/upgrades to current systems.
• Completes ongoing training and learning to stay current with technological changes Maintains a high-level knowledge of the various external funder portals and secure sites.
  
  

Other

• Manages own time to effectively accomplish tasks and to ensure deadlines are met.
• Exercises sound judgment and decision making following outlined procedures and guidelines.
• Ensures that immediate supervisor is kept informed of activities and progress of work.
• Ensures that the work assigned is completed, in compliance with all Faculty of Graduate Studies and University of Calgary policies and procedures.
• Other duties as required
  
  

Qualifications / Requirements:

• A Bachelors degree, preferably in a relevant discipline is required.
• 5 years of related, progressive experience in administration including working with multiple stakeholders is required.
• 3 years of experience related to managing student awards, adjudications and/or management of government grant applications and/or agreements is required.
• 5 years of related experience working in financial reconciliations and demonstrated sound understanding of financial principles is required.
• Experience with following government and University compliance requirements is required Demonstrated strength in organizational skills and attention to detail; able to deal with multiple deadlines and priorities and multi-task in a fast paced, high volume environment.
• Demonstrated ability to understand policy and process documents is required Demonstrated excellence in written and oral communication skills.
• Demonstrated technical expertise (PeopleSoft, PowerBI, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with clients/students, staff and all other stakeholders at all levels to achieve successful outcomes.
• Initiative to identify areas for improvement and possible solutions.
  
  

Application Deadline: October 30, 2026

A cover letter must be included with your application.

We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.

This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Specialist/Advisor Job Family, Phase 2.

For a listing of all management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary, view our Management and Staff Careers website.

About The University Of Calgary

UCalgary is Canada's entrepreneurial university, located in Canada's most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada's leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy ii' taa'poh'to'p committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

The university's commitment to the Indigenous Strategy is evident through the oversight of 18 Elders serving on the Circle of Advisors and the many unit-based circles working towards implementation of the strategy including the Faculty Advisory Circle and teams such as the Office of Indigenous Engagement, the Writing Symbols Lodge, and the Indigenous Research Support Team. Many Indigenous-based events and processes are impacting curriculum, programming and polices at the University of Calgary.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Institutional Commitments ([email protected]) and requests for accommodations can be sent to People & Culture ([email protected]).

Do you have most but not all the qualifications? Research show that women, racialized and visible minorities, and persons with disabilities are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At UCalgary we are committed to achieving equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible employment practices and workplaces and encourage you to apply if you believe you are right for this role.

We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.