Production Specialist

At the University of Waterloo, we create and promote a culture where everyone can reach their full potential. As an employee, you get support & opportunities that empower you to advance your career. Explore how we can bring big ideas to life, together. The University is a welcoming workplace for those of all abilities, interests, and expertise. As part of our workforce, you can do what you do best, every day.

Learn more about our recruitment process.

Job Requisition ID:

2026-03351

Time Type:

Full time

Employee Group:

Staff

Job Category:

Career and Employment

Employment Type:

Temporary

Department:

Co-operative and Experiential Education - Employment Processing

Hiring Range:

$61,954.88 - $77,443.60

Posting Information:
This posting is for an existing vacancy.

Term - 16 Months

Internal posting expires October 29th at 11:59 PM

This is a Career Path position. The final level will be determined based on demonstrated skills and experience.

Anticipated hiring ranges:

• USG 6: $56,494 - $70,617

• USG 7: $61,954 - $77,443

Job Description:

Primary Purpose

The Production Specialist is a key member of the Strategic Enablement Team, responsible for managing all logistical aspects of CEE’s direct fill employment processes and ensuring seamless coordination among employers, students, and Cooperative and Experiential Education (CEE) staff. Central to this role is the proactive management of relationships—serving as a key contact for new and existing employers, supporting their engagement with co-op and experiential education programs, and collaborating closely with Employer Experience Managers, Co-op Advisors, and other university stakeholders. The Production Specialist also provides comprehensive support for core employment processes, term calendar activities, and production systems administration, while maintaining the integrity of student and employer records. Staff will typically have one of the two areas noted as an area of focus, but will be expected to seamlessly transition back and forth between both major functions in order to ensure operational continuity and the achievement of critical deadlines. Success in this role requires strong communication, meticulous attention to detail, and the ability to balance high-volume, high-impact work with the need to foster positive, productive relationships not only with employers and students, but also across the CEE portfolio and the broader university community.

Key Accountabilities

Employment Processing & Records Management

• Act as the primary contact for employers hiring students through avenues such as AOJ, ESD, and Employer Initiated Hires, proactively building and maintaining positive relationships to support employers as they navigate these direct employment processes.

• Act as the initial point of contact for new employers, building positive relationships from the outset by reviewing and approving registration requests, providing timely follow-up and guidance, and thoroughly vetting each employer for risk and compliance with CEWIL accreditation standards. This proactive engagement helps foster trust and ensures a smooth onboarding experience for employers.

• Review and approve/decline the content and quality of student work terms, following up with students as necessary, according to program specifications.

• Maintain and manage high-volume student and employer records, ensuring accuracy and timely updates in WaterlooWorks as the information is critical to the student’s overall UW academic record

• Accurately reconcile a high volume of plan modification and sequence changes ensuring students have appropriate system access and plans accurately reflected in WaterlooWorks.

• Facilitate all steps within unpaid and international employment processes, ensuring compliance with university and government policies and minimizing risk to the university, students and employers.

Coordination of Term Calendar Activities

• Daily Review and Execution: Each day, the Production Specialist reviews the scheduled items on the term calendar and ensures their successful completion

• Bulk Messaging: Sends bulk communications to potentially thousands of students or employers. This requires meticulous attention to both message content and the accuracy of recipient lists to ensure correct and effective delivery.

• Task Generation for Service Teams: Creates and assigns detailed tasks to service team staff, providing clear direction on the work that needs to be completed to support operational goals and deadlines.

• Health Checks and Follow-Up: Performs daily health checks on student and employer records to identify issues requiring follow-up. When necessary, updates records directly, generates tasks for staff to complete required follow-up actions or contacts the appropriate CEE manager, to help ensure data integrity and compliance.

• Milestone Management: Executes start-of-term setup, system configuration, and manages key milestones, ensuring high-impact activities are completed on time and stakeholders are kept informed of status and issues.

• Continuous Improvement: Incorporates feedback and process improvements into term calendar activities, adapting to fluctuating work volumes and critical points in the term to maintain operational continuity.

Data Integrity & Audit

• Identify, generate, and execute daily, weekly, and monthly data health checks.

• Ensure ongoing data audit processes and recommend improvements.

• Investigate, analyze, and update employer and student records as appropriate.

Policy Management & Compliance

• Ensure records are managed in accordance with UW data retention guidelines (Policy 46).

• Prepare for and attend Policy 70 cases as a subject matter expert.

• Manage employer “do not solicit” lists and adhere to CASL regulations.

• Escalate policy-related issues to appropriate managers as needed.

Production Systems Administration

• Analyze, recommend, and apply permissions across all CEE applications as required.

• Provide tier 2 support for CEE systems and processes (e.g., WaterlooWorks, SharePoint).

• Respond to inquiries regarding system errors, problems, or administration questions.

• Participate in user acceptance testing and rollout of production releases.

Continuous Improvement, Training & Mentorship

• Maintain updated knowledge of employment exceptions and specifics.

• Collaborate with team members to develop and improve processes.

• Mentor and support co-workers, participate in onboarding and training of new staff and co-op students.

• Contribute to special projects and initiatives for process improvement.

General Process Support & Knowledge Expertise

• Communicate effectively with students, employers, and internal teams to navigate process detours and exceptions.

• Provide subject matter expertise on direct hiring and records management processes.

• Support mass communications and develop recipient lists for messaging.

Required Qualifications

Education

• University degree, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience

• Minimum two years of current/previous employment at a university, preferably in a co-op environment, Registrar’s Office, or faculty undergraduate office.

• Experience in records management and documentation retention is an asset.

• Experience dealing directly with students or employers is an asset.

• Experience with customer relationship management or administration systems (e.g., Quest, WaterlooWorks) strongly preferred.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Capacity to multi-task, prioritize, and handle high volumes of work with attention to detail and accuracy is critical.

• Familiarity with co-operative education policies/procedures and core employment processes.

• Continuous improvement mindset and exceptional customer service focus.

• Strong interpersonal, organizational, analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.

• Ability to work independently and as a team member in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

• Proficiency with SharePoint, Teams, and Microsoft Office, including intermediate/advanced experience with Excel and Power BI preferred

• Experience with WaterlooWorks and Quest preferred

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.