International Agreements Officer

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Job Requisition ID:

2026-03894

Time Type:

Full time

Employee Group:

Staff

Job Category:

Business Development

Employment Type:

Permanent

Department:

Global Engagement Office

Hiring Range:

$87,620.25 - $109,525.32

Posting Information:
This posting is for an existing vacancy.

The internal posting deadline for this position is Thursday, November 19, 2026, at 11:59PM.

Job Description:

Primary Purpose

University of Waterloo is a leading global innovation hub that drives economic and social prosperity for Canada and the world. With more than 41,000 students, we are home to the world's largest co-op education talent pipeline, game-changing research and technology, and to an unmatched entrepreneurial culture. Together, these create partnerships and solutions to tackle today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.

The Global Engagement Office is Waterloo's central connector and strategic enabler for international engagement. It develops and stewards’ priority global partnerships, coordinates institutional international activity, enables academic mobility and international programs, supports senior-level global engagement, and provides the intelligence, infrastructure and governance required to advance Waterloo's international strategy.

The International Agreements Officer is the University’s institutional subject-matter expert and process owner for the development, administration, and lifecycle management of international agreements involving multiple University units. The Officer coordinates institutional consultation, agreement drafting and review, approval workflows, execution, renewal, amendment, records management, and compliance monitoring. Working with Faculties, academic support units, administrative offices, legal and risk specialists, the Officer provides specialized advice on agreement requirements and coordinates the contributions needed to develop clear, consistent, and operationally viable agreements.

Key Accountabilities

International Agreement Development and Coordination

• Responsible for the development, review, renewal, amendment, and closure of institutional international agreements involving partner universities, government agencies, businesses, non-profit organizations, etc. worldwide for student exchange and mobility, employee mobility, training programs and other initiatives.
• Leads the coordination and tracking of international agreements across University units and collaborates on the development and implementation of strategies for student exchange, joint academic programs, articulation/pathway agreements, and mobility agreements.
• Advises University stakeholders on agreement structures, required documentation, internal consultations, approval processes, timelines, and implementation considerations.
• Coordinates with the Office of Research where broader institutional partnership agreements intersect with or support research-related arrangements.
• Ensures and applies best practices regarding international agreements in higher education.
• Undertakes special projects and participates in university and external committees and working groups related to international agreements as assigned.

Agreement Approval, Execution, and Compliance

• Manages the institutional workflow for international agreement drafting and reviewing, approval, execution, renewal, amendment, and closure within a culture of continuous improvement.
• Works closely with campus partners with respect to student agreements; leads in agreement architecture during development and review; receives strategic input from other colleagues in the Global Engagement Office, operational feedback and priorities from campus partners.
• Identifies required institutional consultations and coordinates the appropriate academic, administrative, legal, risk, privacy, financial, and governance review of the agreement text.
• Reviews agreement documentation for completeness, consistency, accuracy, and alignment with established institutional requirements.
• Verifies that proposed agreements have received the required reviews and approvals before being submitted to the appropriate University signing authority.
• Develops metrics and monitors agreements, ensuring accurate data collection and reporting related to agreement tracking and outcomes.
• Applies evidence-based decision making as a critical part of new agreement development, agreement renewal assessment, and continuous improvement efforts.

Process Governance and Continuous Improvement

• Establishes, documents, and maintains consistent end-to-end processes for international agreement development, review, approval, execution, monitoring, renewal, and closure.
• Develops and maintains templates, procedures, checklists, workflow maps, service standards, guidance materials, and internal controls.
• Recommends and implements approved process improvements that strengthen service delivery, consistency, institutional oversight, and risk management.
• Works with relevant University units to clarify roles, responsibilities, hand-offs, escalation points, and decision-making authorities within agreement workflows.
• Maintains awareness of emerging practices and developments in international agreement administration in higher education and recommends appropriate changes.
• Participates in University committees, working groups, and special projects where specialized international agreement expertise is required.

Required Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in international relations, political science, public relations or event management, or equivalent experience preferred.

Experience:

• 4 – 6 Years experience in higher education, government, international relations or complex event delivery.
• Experience interpreting and applying institutional policies, procedures, approval requirements, and governance processes.
• Significant experience coordinating the development, review, negotiation, administration, or lifecycle management of complex agreements.
• Experience working across cultures and with senior internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience developing or improving administrative processes, workflows, templates, controls, and service standards.

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities:

• Demonstrated knowledge of agreement lifecycle management, including development, consultation, review, approval, execution, monitoring, renewal, amendment, and closure.
• Sound judgment and the ability to recognize legal, operational, compliance, reputational, privacy, or institutional risks requiring escalation.
• Strong process-management and continuous-improvement skills.
• Excellent written communication, drafting, editing, and document-management skills.
• Strong verbal communication, consultation, and facilitation skills.
• Proven ability to build effective working relationships and coordinate contributions across academic and administrative units.
• Strong organizational, project-management, and time-management skills, with the ability to manage a high volume of concurrent files, priorities, and deadlines.
• Exceptional attention to detail, accuracy, records integrity, and document control.
• Ability to develop and maintain databases, analyze agreement and workflow information, and prepare clear reports and metrics.
• Intercultural competence and the ability to communicate effectively with international and institutional stakeholders.
• Additional language skills are an asset.

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 [email protected] or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.