Senior Boarding House Adviser (Seaton’s)

Employment Terms: There is a teaching component to this role, teaching 2 courses (3 course release and a stipend). The teaching component of the contract is permanent; the Senior House Adviser role is a 5-year term.

Start date: August 2025

End date: June 2031 (SHA)

The Seaton’s Senior Boarding House Adviser (SHA) leads the Seaton’s House Team, including the Assistant Senior House Adviser, Residential Advisers, and all specialty staff in all matters relating to the Boarding program at Upper Canada College. Key to providing a program that exemplifies best practice is the ongoing support of key stakeholders, including boarding students, guardians, and families; it is paramount for the SHA to understand the developmental needs of students living in residence. They must be prepared to work closely with colleagues while challenging students to reach their academic and co-curricular potential during a period when social-emotional challenges are expanding alongside demanding parental expectations.

The Boarding Senior House Adviser is expected to work closely as part of a team. The Boarding Senior House Adviser reports to the Director of Boarding Life, works in conjunction with the Seaton’s Boarding Senior House Adviser, and leads the Seaton’s House Team to ensure a consistent level of pastoral care throughout the boarding community and to ensure all boarding students understand and follow the student expectations outlined in the UCC Boarding Handbook and Family Handbook.

Applicants should indicate their teaching subject/s in their letter of application.

This job posting is for an existing vacancy.

Key Responsibilities and Tasks

In support of individual attention for students, the Senior House Adviser provides the vision and leadership to:

• Support the academic, co-curricular, and social-emotional development of boarding students within a boarding house, taking primary responsibility, leadership, and oversight for Seaton’s house;
• Work with students from a wide variety of cultural and socio-economic origins. Communicate regularly with the parents of the assigned boarding students that live in Seaton’s; facilitate parent-teacher meetings when required;
• Work closely with the Senior House Adviser of Seaton’s House, who is responsible for the students living in the neighbouring residence of Seaton’s House;
• Work closely with the staff member(s) creating and delivering weekend programs that connect activities to key UCC values such as service, learning, and well-being;
• Responsible for partnering with the Admission team and other SHAs in the development and delivery of the New to Blue orientation program;
• Work closely with the Director of Residential Life to facilitate Student Leadership opportunities connected to weekend programs and other student-led initiatives. This responsibility would include attending meetings with the student Prefect group.

Support of Students

• Participate in meetings designed to evaluate whether students are meeting the targets for mission-appropriate students;
• Support and supervise community activities that involve boarders, e.g. Steward’s Dance, Association Day, Music Nights, Theatre performances, Winterfest, etc;

Boarding Team Responsibilities

• Provide leadership to other boarding faculty by taking part in the planning and delivery of a wide variety of professional development opportunities;
• Work closely with the Upper School Leadership Team, Admission Team, the Wernham & West Centre for Learning team, and the UCC Health Centre team; these staff members play a major role in the academic development and care of UCC students;
• Attend regular meetings with the Seaton’s SHA and Director of Residential Life;
• Attend full team meetings;
• Participate in planning ongoing changes to the physical upgrades and changes to Seaton’s and Seaton’s Houses. Work with the Director of Residential Life in the selection process and orientation of new staff members;
• Monitor, support, and evaluate the professional growth of Residential Advisers and new faculty in their supervision and mentoring roles;
• Recommend and support professional development activities;
• Will be included in the regular weekend supervision rotation; depending on school circumstances, supervision needs could be extended to long weekends and major holidays.

Teaching

• Contributes to Upper School teaching through 2 courses (a 3 course release);
• Applicants should indicate their teaching subject/s;
• The teaching contract is permanent;
• Teachers are expected to contribute to the co-curricular life of the school.

Student Wellbeing

• Model the school/college’s shared ideals and values;
• Encourage students in their pursuit of learning;
• Be available for Emergency Care assistance; this includes accompanying students for hospital visits;
• Attend, lead, and support students in house meetings.

Responsibility to Boarding Community

Student Engagement

In addition to advising boarding students in Seaton’s House, the Senior House Adviser must endeavour to:

• Mentor the Head of House and the team of Prefects in their roles within the House;
• Provide encouragement, guidance, and individualized support to each student in the House, with particular emphasis on New Students;
• Uphold school standards concerning attendance, conduct, dress, and grooming.

House Management

• Nurture a strong sense of community within the House through a range of House-based student programs, activities, and events coordinated with the support of the House Advising team;
• Develop and monitor Associate House Adviser Duty Rosters;
• Communicate with the Assistant Heads about major matters of concern.

School Leadership

• As a member of the Senior House Advisers Committee (SHAC), meet bi-weekly with the Assistant Heads to review all aspects of the operation of the school and student life issues;
• Review and discuss improvement of school policies, program and event planning, and student support services;
• Deliberate and make recommendations on cases of student discipline.

What We Offer

• Housing is offered as a taxable benefit;
• Unparalleled opportunities for professional development including workshops, networking sessions, a leadership program, and visiting experts and scholars;
• Flexibility to substitute statutory holidays in recognition of diverse religious and cultural practices;
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, including health care and lifestyle spending accounts;
• Pension plan, generous vacation time, self-funded sabbaticals, parental leave top-up;
• Significant support for personal and family wellbeing and mental health, including the Employee and Family Assistance Program;
• Paid volunteer time off for involvement in the communities that matter to you;
• Social events for colleagues and their families;
• Collaborative and supportive team members and colleagues;
• Free on-campus parking.

About UCC

Upper Canada College (UCC) is focused on making the world a more just and inclusive place through dialogue and teamwork. With a commitment to equity and fairness, students learn that what makes us different as individuals makes us stronger as a community. A rigorous academic program is supported by accomplished faculty, exceptional co-curricular programming, and state-of-the-art facilities.

The UCC experience is underpinned by five core values: learning, pluralism, service, community, and well-being. Among its strategic goals is UCC’s ambition to become more diverse and inclusive. This is supported by a recognition that no learning community is whole without the inclusion and amplification of multiple voices; UCC is committed to fostering belonging, striving for justice and peace among all people, and addressing systemic and structural forms of oppression.

UCC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity, encouraging applications from all qualified individuals including women, visible minorities, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. UCC embraces pluralism – celebrating differences, cherishing similarities, and giving voice to multiple perspectives. If you are contacted regarding a UCC opportunity, please advise if you require any accommodations.

Please apply on ADP by January 15, 2025 3:00pm. We thank all candidates in advance; however, we will contact only those selected for an interview.

To learn more about UCC, please visit ucc.on.ca and https://careers.ucc.on.ca/

Job Requirements

• Experience working within a boarding environment is highly beneficial;
• Advising, coaching, student advisor experience;
• Fluency in a second language would be an asset;
• Principles and methodology of student guidance and coaching;
• Theories, principles, and issues pertaining to residential programs for boarding students in order to engage them in healthy academic, social, and cultural activities;
• Understanding of the issues and concerns of boarding students and their parents;
• Philosophy, principles, objectives, programs, and curricula of the school/college;
• Specific school/college policies and standards for boarding students;
• Principles and methodology of student guidance and coaching;
• Principles and best practices for emergency response in a student residential environment;
• Social and cultural factors and issues impacting the participation and success of boarding students, including international students;
• Principles for child and adolescent health management;
• Ability to observe, identify and deal with student issues that may require intervention (e.g. apparent learning difficulties, social problems, behaviour issues, possible health issues) and bring to the attention of the Director of Student Life;
• Ability to select and adapt methods for encouraging and supporting groups and individuals to participate fully in both academic and other school/college programs;
• Ability to create optimal conditions for boarding students and adhere to corresponding policies, procedures, and programs;
• Ability to collaborate effectively with faculty and staff to identify issues/requirements to address problem areas quickly and effectively;
• Ability to engage with student and their parents, to provide necessary information, identify and discuss problem areas, and facilitate effective solutions;
• Ability to build and maintain trusting relationships with student groups and individuals to support optimal learning and school/college participation.