Who We Are
At BCIT, we champion diversity of experiences, ideas, cultures and perspectives, to foster a community in which equality and inclusivity are embedded in everything we do. We embrace endless innovation, ignited by imagination and creativity, to improve our approaches, opportunities and outcomes. We strive to achieve excellence in everything we do, to accomplish real, measurable results. We believe in the power of collaboration to amplify our efforts and begin every interaction with a foundation of respect for others’ expertise, insights and inherent worth. Our overall vision is to empower people, shape BC, and inspire global progress. If this resonates with you, come join our team as we continue to provide practical education for a complex world.
Position Summary
BCIT’s School of Construction & The Environment is seeking a regular, full-time (1.0 FTE) Associate Dean, Natural Resources & Environment. As a senior member of the Management Team of BCIT, you will be joining BCIT at an exciting time. The School of Construction and the Environment is recognized as a provincial leader by our industry partners and has a proven track record building relationships within the industry sector. The school provides education and industry-recognized credentials to approximately 6700 students with a focus on the future through innovative concepts that incorporate sustainability and the latest technology.
As the educational manager, the regular, full-time Associate Dean is responsible for leading the departments in a collegial fashion providing support for faculty, staff and students, and facilitating operations to ensure student success. The portfolio of programs for this position includes certificates, diplomas, bachelor and master degrees that lead students into careers in Fish, Wildlife and Recreation, Forest and Natural Areas Management, Ecological Restoration and Environmental Engineering and related areas. This individual will be in charge of spearheading the implementation of school-level educational strategies and objectives.
In addition, this individual is responsible for executing a broad range of initiatives impacting the daily and longer-term strategic issues important to the institute. For this reason, the Associate Dean recognizes opportunities for change, engages faculty in the process, and provides proactive leadership in new program development to meet changing workforce needs. If you are a collaborative leader with experience in an academic and unionized environment this could be a career defining opportunity for you.
Based at BCIT’s Burnaby campus, this is an exciting opportunity to be part of one of Canada’s largest, most innovative postsecondary institutes in beautiful BC. This position offers a generous total compensation package and competitive pension plan. The successful candidate will have a graduate degree at the master’s level, with eight to ten years of relevant leadership experience in business, industry and academic programming, or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience. A relevant Canadian professional designation or eligibility to register for a relevant Canadian professional designation (R.P.Bio., R.P.F., P.Eng., P.Ag., or P.Chem., etc.) is desirable.
The successful candidate will have experience and understanding of the BC natural resource and environmental sector, and experience working with Indigenous communities is a bonus.
Duties & Responsibilities
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
Leadership:
- Represents the Institute, School and Department at relevant Industry, community and sector functions.
- Responsible for full time, part time, Industry Services and International courses.
- Participates in the development and implementation of strategic plans, organizational structures, systems, and processes.
- Represents the educational department for internal activities.
- Establishes and maintains an effective liaison with relevant industries, professional groups and associations, government agencies, joint boards, BCIT support groups,
etc. - Establishes a working liaison with other institutes, schools, colleges and universities and participates in inter-institutional planning and articulation committees as
appropriate. - Identifies and leads the development of new educational and business opportunities for the Institute.
- Attends Program Advisory Committee meetings.
- Works with the Foundation and encourages Industry to support BCIT via scholarships, donations, awards and Gifts in Kind.
- Ensures compliance with relevant provincial and federal legislation.
Educational Administration:
- Fosters an organizational environment that will encourage personal productivity, job satisfaction and the professional growth of both support and academic staff.
- Identifies and facilitates instructor, professional/management and support staff training initiatives and opportunities.
- Ensures provision of approved training and learning opportunities to students, in accordance with established priorities.
- Promotes and maintains positive working relationships with other teaching and non-teaching departments and services.
- Ensures academic integrity for all program courses.
- Supports and enhances the educational experiences of students enrolled in the
department’s programs. - Represents the department’s and/or School’s interests at various Institute committees, hearings and stakeholder meetings.
- Identifies and contributes to the marketing efforts required to build or sustain the Department’s programs.
Programming:
- Consults broadly with external groups to determine present and future educational training needs, and enrolment levels.
- Develops program and department objectives in consultation with internal and external stakeholders.
- Directs the design, development and implementation of new programs and courses.
- Establishes curriculum development strategies consistent with Institute standards and oversees the process.
- Establishes, maintains and operates an ongoing process of program evaluation, ensuring that programs and courses are of a high quality and are effectively and efficiently delivered in accordance with established standards.
- Oversees program accreditation processes.
- Ensures that Advisory Committees are in place for each program, that program committee membership is appropriate, and that Advisory Committees function effectively in accordance with Institute expectations and policy.
- May participate in some instructional activities.
Staff Relations:
- In consultation with others, establishes a Human Resources plan to ensure an optimum match between expertise and human resources requirements.
- Initiates and participates in the recruitment and selection of faculty, technical and support staff, and ensures appropriate recommendations on hiring.
- Participates in the selection and election of chief instructors and program heads in accordance with the collective agreements.
- Briefs Program Heads/Chief Instructors regarding administrative duties.
- Approves staffing schedules with Chief Instructors/Program Heads, ensuring that
there is an optimum utilization of staff resources. - In consultation with the program areas, sets appropriate performance expectations,
and evaluates performance based on those expectations and objectives. In
accordance with the relevant collective agreements, coordinates and signs off
faculty and support staff performance reviews. Ensures that group and individual
staff development plans are established to meet individual, program and Institute
needs. Monitors implementation of these plans. - Meets regularly with program areas and ensures appropriate communications
- Ensures that the provisions of collective agreements and Institute policies are observed. and advises staff of Institute policies as appropriate.
- Addresses complaints and concerns regarding program delivery and content, staff relations, and other issues affecting student and customer satisfaction.
- Manages the department in accordance with the appropriate collective agreement.
Student Relations:
- Is readily accessible to students; monitors and supports student activities with
reference to admissions, counseling and program advancement. - Responsible for ensuring student policy compliance.
- Counsels students when requested; promptly investigates and resolves student
complaints and proposals. - Ensures that concerns regarding student performance and conduct are appropriately
addressed. - Manages the student appeal process at the request of the Dean.
- Monitors and implements special learning accommodations recommended by the
Disability Resource Centre. - Monitors student placement and employment opportunities.
CORPORATE MANAGEMENT:
- Contributes to the overall planning and administration of the Institute through
participation on Institute committees and other consultative bodies. - Assigned responsibility may include campus management.
- Directs the administrative, budgetary, personnel and operational functions of the
assigned department.
SCHOOL MANAGEMENT:
- Contributes to the overall planning and administration of the school through
participation on school committees and other consultative bodies. - Assigned as a principal member of the school management team.
- Acting Dean where and when appropriate.
DECISION MAKING:
Makes decisions for:
- Developing, evaluating and maintaining training programs.
- Implementing administrative and budgetary control.
- Employee recruitment.
- Developing programs and procedures. Operating policies and procedures.
FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY:
- Manages complex budgets, both operational and capital, including determining
costs, allocations, and expenditures, and monitoring the processes for multiple
programs. - Budgets vary by department, typically up to $5 Million.
- Negotiates operating budget components; controls by program expenditures and is
responsible for year end performance. - Negotiates capital budget components; controls by program expenditures and is
responsible for year end performance.
STUDENT ENROLMENT:
- Varies by department, typically up to 1,000 FTE’s. The Associate Dean is responsible
for monitoring and taking appropriate corrective action if enrolment shortfalls occur.
SUPERVISON EXERCISED:
- Plans and directs activities through Chief Instructors/Program Heads; establishes
priorities, resolves problems and reviews results achieved in each program area. - Number of employees reporting directly to the position varies by department,
typically up to 30. - Total number of employees for whom the position has direct responsibility varies by
department, typically up to 100.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED:
- Works under general direction of the Dean and is required to operate autonomously. Work is reviewed periodically for achievement of objectives and quality and effectiveness of programs.
Qualifications
QUALIFICATIONS:
- University graduation at the Master’s level, or at the Doctoral level as required by
some schools or disciplines. - Eight to ten years of directly related experience in business, industry and/or training, or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
- Strong leadership skills, good organizational skills and a high degree of self motivation and business acumen.
- Demonstrated effective and positive management style for people and issues.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, which are necessary to establish and sustain relationships and rapport.
- Ability to communicate effectively with all levels of customers.
- Must be familiar with office software and state-of-the-art information and educational technology.
View the full job description here: Associate Dean, Natural Resources and Environment
