Graduate Funding and Awards Administrator

Department: Faculty of Grad and Postdoc Studies 

Job Type: Limited Term

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

Campus: Waterloo 

Reports to: Senior Administrative Officer, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies 

Employee Group: WLUSA 

Application Deadline: November 27, 2025

Requisition ID: 10342 

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

The Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office provides academic support services in response to the university’s commitment to excellence and growth in graduate programs, graduate student enrolment, and the effective training of postdoctoral fellows. In support of the 40+ graduate diplomas, master’s and doctoral degree programs and more than 2400 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, the services include marketing and recruitment, graduate admissions, enrolment, internal and external scholarship, award competitions, student financial (including employment) assistance, appointment of Graduate Teaching Assistants, publications and communications, academic programming and approval, academic records including theses, grade reporting, petitions, graduation, exit surveys, program appraisals, submissions to the provincial government for funding, professional development support for all graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and appointments of faculty members to the Graduate Faculty. Services of the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office are utilized by all faculties and across multiple campuses and Martin Luther University College, a federated college of WLU, by undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty members, internal administrators and external agencies.

Under the direction of the Graduate Financial Aid and Awards Officer, the incumbent supports the graduate student funding processes of the university. Working in a high volume environment while providing excellent student service, the incumbent has significant impact on the financial well-being of graduate students. Using good judgement, demonstrated attention to detail, coupled with advanced knowledge of Banner and Microsoft Office Suite (especially Excel), they assist with the effective maintenance of graduate funding records, support the appointments of Graduate Teaching Assistants and tracking of responsibilities as required in the GTA Collective Agreement, review and enter funding at time of admission,  and support the annual internal and external scholarship competitions. The incumbent interprets complex rules and regulations for both internal and external scholarship applications including eligibility requirements, assessment mechanisms (which may include statistical formulae) and award payments. They must have a sound knowledge of university, provincial and federal policies and procedures related to awards, and be familiar with Laurier’s online tools to manage applications and their assessment (e.g., My Learning Space). The incumbent is familiar with and has knowledge of the GTA Collective Agreement. Demonstrating clear and accurate communication skills, the incumbent speaks and corresponds regularly with students, staff and faculty, and must be able to accurately and effectively communicate policies and requirements which have significant and lasting impact on the academic achievements of students. Primary contacts in this position will include graduate students, faculty and staff in academic units who are involved in the delivery of Laurier’s graduate programs, Student Awards, Enrolment Services, Payroll, Development and Alumni Relations, the Registrar’s Office, Office of Research Services, Human Resources and Service Laurier.

This position has a university-wide mandate and is based at the Waterloo Campus.  The incumbent provides subject matter expertise to all campuses, requiring regular interpersonal interactions and collaboration with departments at all campuses and locations, and including Martin Luther University College, and with external partners. Special attention is given to ensure equitable service delivery across all locations.

Accountabilities

Internal Funding

Working in a high-volume, time-sensitive environment, the incumbent supports the communication requirements with students, their programs, Student Awards, the Research Finance Office, Payroll and Human Resources, as well as data entry requirements for a broad variety of internal funding sources. The incumbent is also the first point of contact on matters related to appointment processes of GTAs under the new Collective Agreement, and consults regularly with Payroll as well as departments and students on requirements related to Study Permits, SINs, cancellation of GTAships, etc.  The incumbent works closely with departments in tracking the appointment of GTAs, ensuring the timely completion and submission of GTA Job Responsibilities Forms, and submitting the appointment of GTAs to Payroll. The incumbent is responsible for the maintenance of the GTA Job Responsibilities form, ensuring functionality and accuracy as well as maintaining an updated user guide. As the internal funding is principally operating grant support, accuracy and responsiveness is critical, as is the retention of records needed by the Financial Analyst for budget reconciliation for each Faculty (based on the costs to support their students) and for internal/external audits.

• Administers program-specific travel funding payments for graduate students on behalf of graduate programs and for Cold Regions Research Centre;
• Processes Graduate Student Support forms (for Research Assistantships and Studentships); ensures student eligibility, undertakes verification of funds with the Research Office, updates student account and communicates with Payroll (as applicable); maintains files for audit; updates/maintains detailed files for monthly transfers by financial analyst;
• Reviews and enters funding packages into Banner Student Aid at time of admission, verifying student eligibility and ensuring funding packages comply with funding allocations and availability across faculties and programs;
• Enters funding amendments after offers of admission have been sent out; ensures that the student has an active offer and meets eligibility requirements; communicates the updated funding to the students with attention to detail to ensure that the funding is clearly linked to specific offers
• Provides students with the Graduate Student Guaranteed Funding forms; tracks receipt and follows up as appropriate when forms are outstanding;
• Provides clarification and answers inquiries regarding admissions funding from staff, faculty and students;
• Initiates the GTA appointment process each term by sharing compiled lists of expected GTAs with unit heads for review;
• Ensures that Banner Student Aid accurately reflects the appointment (term, hours and remuneration) or cancellation of GTAs;
• Identifies GTAs required to complete mandatory training requirements (approximately 300-350 each year); corresponds with unit heads to ensure completion of mandatory training; initiates payment to GTAs for training time;
• Provides support and fields inquiries regarding GTA appointments in adherence with the Collective Agreement;
• Maintains a fillable Excel version of the GTA Job Responsibilities form, updating the form as required by the Collective Agreement; making adjustments for usability and functionality as per feedback from academic units and staff; regularly updates detailed documentation about the GTA Job Responsibilities Form for clarity and ease of completion;
• Creates and communicates timelines/schedules with unit heads for the GTA process each term as per the Collective Agreement;
• Tracks and follows up with departments, faculty members, and students for outstanding information;
• Provides a list of all eligible GTA appointments to Payroll within a set timeline to ensure that GTA payments are not delayed;
• Receives and verifies GTA job postings; working within tight timelines, ensures that the job postings are published in a timely way;
• Ensures that information required under the Collective Agreement is shared with PSAC Local 902 in the manner and within the deadlines as required;

• Serves as the primary point of contact for students and faculty members for matters concerning student payments (RAships and GTAships) administered by Payroll; through a variety of communication channels, facilitates the submission of documentation required to process employment earnings (e.g., Social Insurance Number, Study/Work Permits, Direct Deposit set up, Registration), advises Payroll of any cancellations or adjustments to RA and GTA employment; Tracks Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs) by term; using good judgement and with a customer service focus, receives, tracks and verifies GTA Job Responsibility Forms, reviewing for accurate completion and timely submission, tracking all required data, and confirming eligibility for payment to the Payroll Office

• Working with the Financial Analyst, supports the reconciliation of all GTA payments each semester; provides updates each term to Faculty SAOs for budget management purposes;
• Annually, promotes opportunities through endowed or annual awards (as applicable), assesses eligibility for, and manages the selection process (with the Graduate Awards Committee) of applicants; communicates results to Student Awards.

External Funding

Supporting the work of the Graduate Financial Aid and Awards Officer, the incumbent participates in the annual external scholarship competitions (8 competitions). Working with hundreds of graduate students, their programs, and the Graduate Financial Aid and Awards Officer to meet fixed deadlines, the incumbent must be knowledgeable about eligibility requirements for each competition, be competent in calculating GPAs (which requires knowledge of domestic as well as international transcript practices/comparators), and ensures that multi-year awards are entered in Banner Student Aid. Accuracy is critical as that information forms the foundation of the work of the Graduate Financial Aid and Awards Officer and the Graduate Admissions Coordinator in developing multi-year funding packages for graduate students in research programs.

• Serves as the primary FGPS contact for students seeking verification of eligibility for provincial scholarship competitions; experience calculating GPAs (including across multiple institutions) is expected;
• Supports the administration of the federal and provincial scholarship competitions (Tri-Agency, Ontario Graduate Scholarship, Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship for Science and Technology, Council of Ontario Universities, Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada, W.L. Mackenzie King Memorial Scholarships); with broad knowledge of the web-based application system, trouble-shoots for applicants and their referees, retrieves and consolidates all applications (300+/year), and prepares departmental records and ranking forms;
• Coordinates the review and ranking of applicants to the W.L. Mackenzie King Memorial Scholarships, Autism Awards Scholars, and Ontario Women’s Health Scholars by the Graduate Awards Committee; schedules selection review meetings of the applicants and submits the nominees to the external scholarship contacts in advance of the submission deadlines
• From all successful applicants, solicits, verifies and updates awarded (including multi-year) scholarships in Banner Student Aid.

Systems and Process Support

Working as part of a team, the incumbent supports the work of Student Accounts, the Graduate Financial Aid and Awards Officer, the Registrar’s Office and academic programs in the administration of the Graduate Student Payment Plan and the deregistration process. Exercising attention to detail and flexibly pivoting between graduate programs as details for each student are confirmed, the incumbent updates the annual funding commitments for approximately 400 graduate students (doctoral students, and 2-year masters program students) (this work is time-sensitive, and generally must be completed within 4 weeks, but is highly dependent upon prompt and accurate communications from graduate program coordinators and researchers who provide financial support from research grants).

• Updates SharePoint committee access for all scholarship selection committees (departmental and institutional); consolidates and uploads all required materials (endowed, annual, provincial and national award competitions) according to deadlines;
• Compiles and consolidates the results of the General Student Profile for review by the AVP & Dean, FGPS, and the Graduate Awards Committee, respectively; schedules meetings to review the rankings and communicates final results to Student Accounts for the distribution of awards;
• Sends out calls to the departments and faculties for the Max and Lynn Blouw Scholarship Competition and CFUW K-W Margaret Dale Philp Scholarship; compiles the nominations and consolidates information for review by the Graduate Awards Committee; schedules meetings for review of nominees;
• Communicates selection committee decisions to applicants;
• Generates, verifies, and shares all reports relating to GTAs with the PSAC local as required by the terms of the Collective Agreement
• Serves as primary FGPS contact on matters related to the Graduate Student Payment Plan; in conjunction with the Student Accounts Office and Service Laurier, pre-assesses applicant eligibility for the payment plan based on funding administered through FGPS; manages late funding submissions from faculty members for graduate students who have applied for or who are enrolled in the plan;
• Participates in, and makes recommendations for, enhancements to Cognos reports related to student records and student funding.

Qualifications

• College diploma in business, accounting, or related field and a minimum of 1 year recent, related administrative experience;
• Excellent verbal and writing skills;
• Ability to work independently in a self-directed manner, organize tasks and set priorities;
• Strong time management skills and evidence of good judgement;
• Demonstrated ability to interact and communicate effectively with faculty, students and staff;
• Proven ability to gain co-operation and support from faculty, staff, students, and other stakeholders;
• Demonstrated ability to successfully meet deadlines, and to handle multiple tasks and periodic pressure;
• Experience working with Banner is recommended;
• Proven reliability to meet high standards of accuracy, attention to detail and consistency;
• Sound working knowledge of PC platforms, proficiency in Microsoft Office (intermediate proficiency with Excel required), database and presentation software, and email use;
• Diplomacy and sensitivity to needs of a diverse graduate student population;
• Ability to work in a team environment and to serve as a resource for other university representatives involved in the delivery of graduate programs;
• An ability to understand and manage confidential material from internal and external sources.

This position is eligible for Educational Equivalencies.

Hours of Work

This is a Full-time, Limited-term opportunity with an anticipated end date of January 4th 2027. The normal hours of work are 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday. Flexibility in hours may be required, including evening and/or weekend work due to periods of high volume. When possible, the manager will adjust hours to ensure no more than 35 hours are worked in a week.

This role offers limited flexibility regarding flexible work arrangements. Please see Policy 8.14 (Flexible Work Policy) for more information. All arrangement must be approved by the direct manager. On occasion, this schedule may need to be adjusted to meet operational requirements.”

As per Article 12.7.6, prior approval from a manager is required to return to a previous position after a Limited-Term Position.

Compensation

• Level: C
• Rate of Pay: $34.73 to $36.73 per hour with an annual step progression on anniversary date up to $39.71 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. 

Job Factor Scores 

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.