Job Title: Student Support and Advising Peer Lead
Position Type: Leadership, Engagement and Ambassadorship Program (LEAP)
Positions Available:
Summer – May 2024 to August 2024 – 20-25 hours/week
Fall/Winter – September 2024 to April 2025 – 10-12 hours/week
Number of Positions: 1 for each term
Pay Rate: $17.00/hour
Year Level: Year 2+
Eligibility:
Students must be Work-Study/LEAP eligible
Domestic Students: https://sfs.yorku.ca/work-study-programs/domestic
International Students: https://sfs.yorku.ca/work-study-programs/international
Location: Shared space of Bennett Center, Welcome Desk (on-campus/in-person position)
How to Apply: Submit the application form with your resume and cover letter by April 30th. Creative assignment (see on the bottom) will be required if you are selected for an interview.
Description:
If you are a dynamic and creative leader with the desire to help your fellow peers, this is the opportunity for you! We are looking for self-starters who wish to make a positive impact on the York community. Student Support and Advising Peers program is based on a peer-to-peer support model where upper year students are equipped with the tools to develop their own leadership skill while helping other student through mentorship conversations and presentations.
Student Support and Advising (SSA) peer team will actively listen to the students’ inquiries and concerns, share accurate information, and make effective referrals across campus with the aim of assisting students in obtaining the best and timely resolutions.
Job Summary – Student Support and Advising Peer Lead
The Student Support and Advising Peer Lead will lead the SSA Peer Team by providing administrative and logistical support to improve SSA peer operations and optimize the efficiency of team’s service. The successful candidate will lead by example and will demonstrate exceptional organizational and time management skills. They must be able to problem solve matters with empathy, sensitivity and diligence and delegate duties fairly and effectively. The SSA Peer Lead will understand and research best practices in response to student needs and will help to shape the SSA Peer Team based on this understanding.
The SSA Peer team will provide assistance in three main areas: financial aid inquiries, admissions inquiries, and registrarial support. This position will report to the Manager, SSA and will work closely with other student and full-time staff members to ensure smooth operation of all services. The ideal candidate will be a current student with strong communication skills, a passion for excellent customer service, and an ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
Responsibilities:
In addition to the general responsibilities of SSA peers, major tasks for the lead position include, but are not limited to
- Assist the Manager, SSA in development of the SSA Peer Team program by helping with training, team building, scheduling, and motivation throughout the course of the position.
- Assist with the development of training materials, including assistance with the preparation of materials, and learning outcomes for both summer and fall/winter terms and teams.
- Assist with scheduling of shifts, troubleshooting absences and scheduling conflicts.
- Assist in project management of SSA Peer Team by helping to implement effective assessment plans to capture updates and feedback for improvement.
- Coordinate all SSA Peer Team related meetings and events by creating workflow charts, action plans, delegating tasks and leading/assisting with information sessions and workshops.
- Attend weekly meetings with the Manager, SSA to discuss feedback, direction, strategy and to communicate the Peer Team’s needs.
- Facilitate weekly SSA Peer Team meetings
- Connect and liaison with other student peer teams across the Division of Students (i.e. SCLD, Career Development, York International) and broader university (i.e. Faculties) as main representative of SSA Peer Team.
- Support the SSA team in developing specialized projects and pilot programs to better serve the needs of our students.
- Assist with trouble shooting SSA Peer team daily operational issues and activities.
- Responsible for assisting with all tasks associated with coordinating SSA Peer team’s smooth functioning (informational research, materials distribution, presentations, helping with content creation for social media, participating with live chats, answering emails etc.)
- Preparing weekly updates and collecting metrics on the Bennett Centre Welcome Desk and informing the Manager, SSA.
Qualifications:
Applicants must be current York undergraduate students. Preference will be given to applicants with a proven track record of demonstrated leadership, as well as a genuine interest in working in a team-environment to deliver services towards York students’ needs.
- Must be highly organized, energetic & able to make a positive contribution to all tasks related to the smooth functioning of International Student Success programming at LA&PS.
- Demonstrated skills in event planning, facilitation and management.
- Excellent communication skills, inclusive of written, oral & the ability & willingness to speak in front of groups.
- Demonstrated excellence in prioritizing tasks with superior attention to detail.
- Demonstrated ability to work flexibly with competing deadlines.
- Superior customer service and interpersonal skills, while presenting a professional image of themselves, the SSA department, RO and the University at all times.
- Well versed in social media networking and community building strategies and tactics.
- Relevant multimedia content curation with creativity and “out of the box” thinking.
- Excellent computer skills (word processing, email, database management, spreadsheets)
- Demonstrates reliability, punctuality and eagerness towards new experiences and learning.
- Ability to accurately complete tasks diligently and on time.
- Ability and willingness to work both independently and as part of a team with students, volunteers, and staff.
- Students who are a good fit for this position are approachable, knowledgeable, and open to learning about themselves and others. They will show high levels of emotional intelligence combined with excellent adaptability and organizational skills.
Mandatory Training:
Summer Team: May 13-17, 2024
Fall-Winter Team: August 26-30, 2024
As part of your experience, you will be required to participate in Becoming YU, a program designed to support students in:
- Creating meaningful goals and objectives;
- Recognizing the value of their personal, academic and professional experiences;
- Identifying their competencies and skills; and
- Articulating their skills and experiences with confidence.
Becoming YU includes regular meetings with your student employment supervisor/coach for reflecting on your progress and getting valuable feedback.
Scheduling:
The Bennett Centre Welcome Desk operates between 10am to 4pm on Mondays to Fridays, with some evening times during peak periods (September). Shifts are flexible and will arrange around students’ academic schedule.
Creative Assignment Presentation (10 mins) – if selected for interview:
If you were to be the successful candidate, please present what is your vision for the SSA Peer Team? What are the unmet needs of students and how do you envision meeting those needs through this role? What unique skills and qualifications render you capable to lead the SSA peer team to achieve your vision? What metrics would you use to determine that the SSA peer team is successful in achieving its vision and/or resonates with students? Lastly, how is your vision connected to your own personal goals?