Graduate Awards Clerk

Staff - Union

Job Category CUPE 2950 Job Profile CUPE 2950 Salaried - Student Info Support 4 (Gr7) Job Title Graduate Awards Clerk Department Graduate Awards | Dean's Office, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Compensation Range $4,594.00 - $4,827.00 CAD Monthly Posting End Date April 14, 2025

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date Nov 7, 2025

This is a term leave replacement position with an end date of November 7, 2025.

Please provide a cover letter as part of your application as applications without a cover letter will not be considered.

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Description Summary
This is a multi-incumbent position; each Awards Clerk oversees an assigned portfolio. Responsible for complex administration processes of merit-based awards totaling approximately $50 million in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, in support of over 10,000 graduate students from over 85 graduate programs across UBC. Works in a deadline-driven environment in which setting of priorities is crucial.

Award Clerks establish strong working relationships within their assigned portfolio. These positions serve as primary information/resource contacts for Graduate Advisors (faculty members), Graduate Program staff, and graduate students. These positions respond to complex queries, describing various funding options and scenarios, and potential consequences. Positions identify potential improvements in Awards Policies and Procedures in the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, including but not limited to: evaluation of award applications (internal and external), activation and administration of award payments through the Student Information System Centre (SISC), data-keeping and reporting.

Organizational Status
Reporting to the Graduate Awards Manager, the Awards Clerks are integral members of the Awards team. This position communicates and works with students, other staff members of the Dean's Office, graduate program staff and faculty, Enrolment Services, Financial Services, external donors, and federal/provincial granting agencies.

Work Performed
Administration of Award Payments 50%
- Review award activation, recommendation forms, and SISC reports to determine student eligibility for funding, ensuring that awards meet established eligibility criteria and that departmental allocations are not exceeded; follow up with students, staff, and funding agencies in cases of discrepancies with published policies and procedures (both internal and external to UBC).
- Assign awards using SISC Manage Student Assignment screen (individual awards).
- Track and renew multi-year award assignments; review annual student progress reports as required by external funding agencies.
- Receive and review travel award claims (Graduate Travel Fund and Killam Doctoral Travel Awards) for student payment, exercising judgment in determining appropriateness of transaction in relation to University and Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies travel award policies; follow up with students, staff, and faculty to resolve cases of incomplete paperwork or ineligible expenses.
- Log travel claims data; create travel award assignments on SISC for approval.
- Respond to complex queries from students, staff, faculty, and external agencies regarding payment issues, changes in award holder status, and adjustments to funding amounts; undertake detailed review of students' academic and award records and, as necessary, liaise with relevant offices and agencies to resolve new or unusual cases; revise award assignments as necessary.
- Review SISC data and provide reports to graduate programs regarding unassigned awards; follow up to ensure all awards are assigned before fiscal year end; determine if graduate programs wish to carry forward or re-capitalize unspent endowed award funds.
- Generate graduate program and Faculty reports (Graduate Support Initiative awards and Four Year Fellowships) for review internally and to disseminate to graduate programs and Faculties.
- Assist Awards Manager with reporting to external funding agencies and University units.

Administration of Award Competitions 35%
- Respond to complex queries from faculty, staff, and students regarding eligibility, application materials and procedures, departmental review procedures, deadlines, and adjudication processes for a number of concurrent internal and external award competitions, including Tri-Agency awards, Affiliated Fellowships, Killam Postdoctoral Fellowships, and Killam Mentoring Awards.
- Determine eligibility of applications based on detailed review of application packages (application, research proposal, transcripts, letters of reference, departmental evaluations); calculate weighted GPA for domestic and international transcripts; liaise with graduate programs regarding incomplete or ineligible applications.
- Assist with file preparation and distribution; provide assistance to the Awards Manager and university-wide adjudication committees by preparing a variety of reports and spreadsheets.

General Administration 15%
- Provide information and respond to complex inquiries and requests (from UBC faculty, staff, students, prospective students, other universities, and external funding agencies) on the telephone, via mail, e-mail, and at the front counter on general information and specific complex questions regarding merit-based awards, based on established internal and external awards policies, the UBC Calendar, and the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website.
- Provide administrative support for annual Killam Celebration, including tracking invitation responses, preparing recipient packages, printing name tags, etc.
- Assist with the training of new clerical and secretarial staff (new full-time employees and temporary staff).
- Prepare Awards correspondence, announcements, and other documents, and provide general clerical support such as photocopying and bulk mailing; sort and distribute Awards mail.
- Scan and save thank-you letters sent from students to award donors that are copied to G+PS
- Maintain Awards filing systems.
- Provide clerical support to other areas of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies office as required, specifically weekly shift at reception front counter.
- Perform any other related duties.

Consequence of Error/Judgement
Position has responsibility to maintain a detailed understanding of complex awards policies and procedures, both those of UBC and those of multiple external agencies, in order to provide accurate information to UBC faculty, staff, and students and in order to make frequent evaluations regarding students' eligibility to apply for and receive award funding.

Failure to observe carefully internal and external policies and procedures and to adhere to the stated terms of awards can have significant financial impact, and may also impact the relationship of the University with donors, external funding agencies, and provincial/federal research councils. Failure to meet the conditions of an award established through a bequest could place the University in violation of the trust established by the donor's estate and error could result in the withdrawal of funding. If award assignment is not accurate and consistent with the guidelines established by the University, students, staff, and faculty may be misinformed and the award policies will be seen as unfair and inconsistent.

Supervision Received
Works independently under minimal supervision of Awards Manager. Reports to the Awards Manager for vacation scheduling, time-off, and other administrative matters. Performs routine duties independently.

Supervision Given
Assists with the training of new clerical staff (new full-time and temporary employees)

Minimum Qualifications
- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications
High School graduation and two-year post-secondary diploma and 4 years related experience or the equivalent combination of education and experience. Knowledge of UBC policies and procedures related to Awards, Scholarships, and finance (travel) preferred. Some knowledge of Scholarships and Awards adjudication process preferred. Knowledge of NSERC/SSHRC/CIHR and University Graduate Awards policies an asset. Computer experience required (Word, Excel, Access, SIS, electronic mail, and electronic calendaring applications preferred). Ability to use word processing, spreadsheet, database, internet, electronic mail, and electronic calendaring applications at an intermediate level. Ability to type 50 w.p.m. and to operate a normal range of office equipment. Ability to prioritize and work effectively under pressure to meet extremely tight and inflexible deadlines. Ability to maintain accuracy and attention to detail. Ability to exercise tact and discretion. Ability to analyze problems, identify key information and issues, and effectively resolve. Ability to work effectively independently and in a team environment. Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.