Program Assistant at University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC

Job description

Job Title Program Assistant Job Category CUPE 2950 Job Profile CUPE 2950 Salaried - Sr Program Asst-Gen (Gr8) Job Family Group Staff - Union Department Operations | Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre Compensation Range $5,027.00 - $5,413.00 CAD Monthly Job End Date Ongoing Posting End Date November 6, 2026 Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date. Please attach a cover letter to your application. 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 Summary The IRSHDC Program Assistant is responsible for coordinating and executing a comprehensive range of event, program, project, and office logistics for the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (IRSHDC or “Centre”). The position is the primary reception contact, who greets Centre users and community members, communicates information and arrangements on behalf of event and meeting attendees and stakeholders, and makes arrangements with vendors, service providers and contractors. The Program Assistant works closely with the Operations and Special Projects Manager to maintain smooth building and office operations, executing logistics and support for repairs and maintenance, access, supplies, and purchasing. As a member of the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre team, the Program Assistant requires knowledge and cultural awareness of residential schools and their colonial impacts on Indigenous peoples. This position provides front-line contact as a source of welcoming, greeting, and triaging support for the general public, visitors, and users of the Centre including residential school Survivors, Intergenerational Survivors, community members, and Indigenous Elders, making the ability to work effectively and respectfully with Indigenous people a requirement Organizational Status This position reports to the Operations and Special Projects Manager, under broad strategic direction of IRSHDC Director and Academic Director. The Program Assistant works closely as a member of the IRSHDC Operations Team, and with staff and project teams across all functional areas of the IRSHDC. It is expected that this position will coordinate procedures, processes, and workflows around complex in-person, virtual, and hybrid events and will routinely interact with individuals internal and external to UBC. This position works primarily on-site at the Centre, and provides reception and administrative support for off‑site events on an as‑needed basis, which may include schedule adjustments and occasional travel in accordance with operational and business needs. The position regularly engages with UBC stakeholders (e.g. Building Operations, UBC IT, Campus and Community Planning, etc.) and external vendors, suppliers, and Center users from all walks of life including academic researchers, educators and students from diverse backgrounds, and community members. An important function of this position is to interact in a professional, confidential, and culturally appropriate manner with the general public and with community stakeholders, including residential school Survivors, Intergenerational Survivors, Indigenous community members, and Elders. Work Performed Event Coordination and Project Support Coordinates complex processes, procedures, and workflows for Centre events in collaboration with Centre staff, including (but not limited to) meetings, retreats, colloquia, dialogues, exhibitions, and symposia. Provides orientation and support for staff and student employees on event processes and procedures. Effectively organizes pre-planning logistics associated with in-person, virtual, and hybrid events, such as