Coordinator, Academic Collaborations and Pathways

Department: Faculty of Arts 

Job Type: Continuing

Full-time/Part-time: Full Time (>=1249 hrs/year) 

Campus: All locations 

Reports to: Manager, Academic Pathways and Partnerships

Employee Group: WLUSA 

Application Deadline: April 30, 2026

Requisition ID: 10739 

Wilfrid Laurier University is a leading multi-campus university that excels at educating with purpose. Through its exceptional employees, students, researchers, leaders, and educators, Laurier has built a reputation as a world-class institution known for its rich student experience, academic excellence, and global impact. With a commitment to Indigenization and commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, Laurier’s thriving community has a place for everyone.

Laurier has more than 21,000 students and 2,100 faculty and staff across campuses in Waterloo and Brantford, as well locations in Kitchener and Milton. The university is committed to providing an inclusive workplace, a flexible work policy and employing a workforce that is reflective of local and national demographics. Laurier's Waterloo, Kitchener, and Brantford campuses are located on the shared traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishnaabe, and Haudenosaunee peoples. This land is part of the Dish with One Spoon Treaty between the Haudenosaunee and Anishnaabe peoples and symbolizes the agreement to share, protect our resources, and not to engage in conflict. Laurier's Milton campus is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, and part of the Nanfan Treaty of 1701 between the British Crown and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

This job posting is for a current vacancy.

Position Summary

Reporting to, and working closely with the Manager, Academic Pathways and Partnerships, the Academic Collaborations and Pathways Coordinator (ACPC) will be the primary contact for students entering into an international pathway at Laurier with one of our partnership institutions. The incumbent will work independently to provide counseling and guidance to undergraduate students and to those who are experiencing difficulties within the academic environment. The incumbent is responsible for assisting with course registration, planning workshops focused on student success and organizing and leading pre-departure workshops for those studying abroad. This position is based in Waterloo and on occasion, and as directed by the manager, the incumbent may be required to travel to partnership institutions to connect with students and enhance partnership relationships.

Key functions will include providing academic advice/counseling to incoming students, assisting first-year students with the transition to post-secondary education; advising those interested in transferring into partnership programs from within the University, or another institution. The incumbent will work directly with Students across all year levels, and all partnerships on the pre-departure process. This includes the scheduling and hosting of pre-departure webinars and ensuring that all relevant transcripts and documentation are prepared and sent to the appropriate institution during the critical periods in pre-departure cycles.

The ACPC must have a sound understanding of the policies and regulations pertaining to the University calendar and be able to interpret student transcripts to identify and establish a plan of action to pre-emptively identify and advise students who are at risk. Additionally, the ACPC must have a sound knowledge and understanding of the University’s numerous resources such as the Teaching and Learning Centre, the Wellness Centre, the Writing Centre, Accessible Learning, Enrolment Services and Laurier International.

The ACPC will play a key role in recruitment by providing detailed information regarding all potential international pathway opportunities to prospective students.

 The successful candidate must act with sensitivity and discretion when interacting with students, parents/ guardians and faculty members, and must be able to perform his/her duties in a calm, direct and professional manner.

This position has a university-wide mandate and is based at the Waterloo Campus. In addition, the incumbent will be required to work at the Brantford campus as directed by their manager, typically 2 days per week. The incumbent provides subject matter expertise to all campuses, requiring regular interpersonal interactions and collaboration with departments at the Waterloo Campus, the Brantford Campus, and external partners such as the University of Sussex. Special attention is given to ensure equitable service delivery across all locations.

Accountabilities:

Program Administration

• Acts as a resource for students, including planning and delivering student success sessions, developing promotional material across all partnerships;
• Collects, organizes, and analyzes data on enrolment and student success;
• Coordinate events for current students with various campus partners: Career Centre, Laurier International, the Library, and all relevant partnership institutions; 
• Develop and lead pre-departure workshops for students on costs, timeline of events, and application processes for all partnership institutions;
• New--Develop and lead annual welcome sessions to formally introduce incoming and returning students to their requirements for the new academic year;
• With international partners, organize pre-departure webinars for students on housing, finances, life abroad, and arriving in a foreign country.
• Facilitate group meetings and social events across all partnerships (orientation meetings, regular check-in meetings);
• Help support Learning Clusters by meeting with the Student Cluster Leaders as needed;
• Work closely with VFS Global (Visa Facilitation Services Global) to arrange visa appointments for students in the program, duties include organizing appointments and liaising with VSF Global on behalf of the students;
• Assist all students with course registration through BANNER by pre-enrolling them in mandatory courses, and working closely with them to ensure they are on track in completing their specific degree requirements.
• Work with chair/program coordinators to ensure adequate space in courses for students in all partnerships;
• Lead the application process for students applying to various partnership institutions through their desired application system. Support students by holding workshops, assisting them in their application, approving applications, writing reference letters, and sending transcripts to their desired institution;
• Liaise with Sussex and the National Committee of Accreditation (NCA) to get official transcripts from Sussex sent to the NCA in time for students to write their NCA exams;
• Work with the Manager, BA/LLB Sussex Partnership on the development and facilitation of the Laurier Law Council, a mentorship program designed to support students moving through the Law programs at Laurier.

Academic Advising

• One-on-one meetings to provide counsel with students regarding available options based on progression requirements, particularly those who have issues following their direct program plan.
• Complete progression checks each term to ensure students have the correct courses and GPA requirements. Invite students in for meetings if they are not meeting GPA requirements;
• Liaise with department chairs/coordinators with respect to department specific student issues;
• Provides day-to-day guidance and information to current and incoming students, including degree requirements, and relevant regulations and procedures in relation to students’ academic success;
• Assists students with class scheduling (adds, drops, overrides and withdraws) and provides guidance with enrollment related issues (pre-requisites, holds, restrictions, etc.);
• Provides proactive engagement through student success campaigns to students in the programs;
• Assists with progression checks including, calculating GPA, making recommendations regarding special accommodations, and proposing solutions.
• Develop and distribute monthly “what you need to know” communications for students in all programs to keep them informed on upcoming events, dates, and deadlines.

Recruitment

• Recruits prospective students into all partnership programs though participation in on- and off-campus recruitment initiatives, including open houses, webinars, and Ontario Universities Fair (OUF);
• Coordinate prospective student events when international program representatives are visiting campus including booking rooms, co-ordinating campus tours with the Welcome Centre, inviting prospective students, tracking RSVP’s and responding to any inquires about the program;
• Write content for, and recruit alumni to participate in the alumni letter campaign to be sent to prospective students each recruitment cycle;
• Participate in the development and creation of our yearly recruitment strategy for all partnership programs;
• As part of the recruitment strategy, develop a social media campaign, including the planning, filming, and development of social media content;
• Plan for, and facilitate program specific recruitment events such as “high-flyer receptions” as an opportunity to acknowledge the success of program applicants;

Communication

• Write content to ensure that program information on prospective student site is up to date. Content includes pathway information, statistics and student testimonials;
• Social media takeovers to promote existing partnerships and pathways;
• Write content and work with Creative Services for design of promotional material such as brochures, department specific handouts and conversion emails to prospective students;
• Stay connected with students studying abroad to check-in, provide Laurier updates and keep them apprised of any job prospects;
• Regular communication with all partnership institutions and the International Recruitment Office at Sussex regarding prospective student numbers, updates about Laurier, identify ways to strengthen the program, and student issues with those abroad.

Alumni Engagement

• Establish strong and reliable relationships with alumni across all partnerships to collaborate on recruitment initiatives and current student information sessions;
• Collaborate on the organization of a variety of alumni initiatives such as graduation parties, program milestone celebrations, and alumni events (law networking receptions, etc).
• Assist current students with professional networking and career development through the continued development of alumni programming.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary education and two years related experience preferred.
• A minimum of 2-4 years of experience providing academic advising to students
• Excellent administrative and organizational skills.
• Proven ability to work independently in organizing and prioritizing work.
• Well-developed understanding and strong familiarity with the Faculty of Arts, FHSS, FLA, and Science program requirements.
• Familiarity with the accreditation process for those who have obtained a law degree outside of Canada.
• Proven ability to handle deal unexpected issues and crisis situations with tact, diplomacy, discretion and professionalism.
• Proven ability to interact with wide range of university and external personnel is essential.
• Excellent problem-solving skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including the ability to handle a wide range of queries and problems with discretion, compassion and firmness as required.
• Strong organizational skills including the ability to manage shifting priorities, implement strategic planning and the ability to manage new initiatives.
• Excellent time management skills and ability to prioritize multiple tasks.
• Detail-oriented and a high degree of accuracy in the performance of all tasks.
• Excellent technical skills including knowledge of Word, Excel, Banner and Cognos.
• Demonstrated skill in providing academic advice and effective advising skills.
• Experience delivering effective presentations to internal and external audiences.

This position has been deemed eligible for educational equivalencies. 

Hours of Work: This position is a Full-Time, Continuing opportunity.The normal hours of work are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday. Flexibility in hours will be required, including evening and/or weekend work due to events that occur during non-typical business hours. When possible, the manager will adjust the work schedule so that no more than 35 hours are worked in a week. This position is eligible for a flexible work arrangement, as per Policy 8.14 (Flexible Work Policy). All arrangement must be approved by the direct manager. In-person attendance for events, as required to meet operational needs, is expected. On occasion, this schedule may need to be adjusted to meet operational requirements. 

Compensation:

Level: E

Rate of Pay: $42.83 to $45.28 per hour with an annual step progression on anniversary date up to $48.95 per hour.  Considerations for new hire step placements include, qualifications and length/depth of required experience, relevant market rates for similar jobs, internal equity, and estimated learning curve in starting the job. 

Wilfrid Laurier University endeavors to fill positions with qualified candidates who have a combination of education, experience, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position while demonstrating Laurier's Employee Success Factors.

Equity, diversity and creating a culture of inclusion are part of Laurier’s core values and central to the Laurier Strategy. Laurier is committed to increasing the diversity of faculty and staff and welcomes applications from candidates who identify as Indigenous, racialized, having disabilities, and from persons of any minority sexual and gender identities. Indigenous candidates who would like to learn more about equity and inclusive programing at Laurier are welcomed to contact the Office of Indigenous Initiatives. Candidates from other equity deserving groups who would like to learn more about equity and inclusive programing at Laurier are welcomed to contact Equity & Accessibility. We have strived to make our application process accessible, however if you require any assistance applying for a position or would like this job posting in an alternative format, please contact Human Resources. Contact information can be found at careers.wlu.ca/content/How-to-apply/

Should you be interested in learning more about this opportunity, please visit www.wlu.ca/careers for additional information and the online application system. All applications must be submitted online. Please note, a resume and cover letter will be required in electronic form.

Please note, when pre-screening questions are used as part of the application process, AI is utilized to score responses. All other aspects of the hiring process are reviewed by our Talent Acquisition team.