Chief Administrative Officer

Job Type:

Employee

Duration in Months (for fixed-term jobs):

N/A

Job Family:

Business Operations

# of Open Positions:

1

Faculty/Service - Department:

Faculty of Law - Common Law Section

Campus:

Main Campus

Union Affiliation:

N/A

Date Posted:

July 17, 2025

Applications must be received BEFORE:

July 28, 2025

Hours per week:

35

Salary Grade:

Non-Union Grade NM4

Salary Range:

$142,833.00 - $178,542.00

About the Common Law Section of the Faculty of Law

Over the past 20 years, the Common Law Section of the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa has become a national and global leader in many fields. We are the only law school to offer a common law degree in both English and French, and our faculty is one of the most accomplished in the country. We are an engaged Faculty, and we have a strong culture of public engagement. We also have a strong bond with the legal community in Ottawa and a special relationship with the Supreme Court of Canada. We are leaders - leaders in research, leaders in the profession and leaders in our community. On any given day, members of our faculty may be seen testifying before a Parliamentary committee, providing expert commentary in the media, or contributing to public policy debates on the issues of the day. We are the most-cited law faculty in the national media. Through our dedication we have built strong experiential learning opportunities for our students where our students have unparalleled access to, and interaction with, the highest judges in the land to help foster an inclusive and high-quality student experience.

Position purpose:

Reporting to the Dean, provide strategic leadership of the faculty’s administrative operations to ensure proper and efficient management of human, financial, physical, risk management and IT resources. Collaborate with the Dean, as well as members of the Dean’s executive team on the development of faculty-wide long-term strategies. Ensure standardization and sustainable alignment of decision-making related to resources that support teaching, research and development activities.

Lead faculty-wide budget development and procurement activities to ensure alignment with University policies and with the vision of leadership. The successful candidate must have significant knowledge of change management principles and best practices in order to lead the facilitation of organizational change efforts. Develop an effective managerial structure for all functional areas of operations as they relate to finance, research, human resources, technology, physical and material resources, and risk management for a research-intensive faculty.

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

• Work closely with the departments / Schools, the Dean to develop a faculty-wide budget and implement effective controls over its management. Act as a subject matter expert for the Dean and for researchers with regard to budget development and management of major research funds.

• Direct several management-level staff members who are experts in their functional areas of operations. Oversee a managerial framework for human resources for all functional areas of operations. Lead all initiatives towards optimizing human resources, and ensure the ongoing review of roles and responsibilities in support of the evolving challenges and needs of the faculty.

• Oversee all financial processes (purchasing, revenues, accounts payable) while ensuring alignment with university policies and procedures. Act as a key resource person with external auditors. Oversee the faculty-wide implementation of any new tools related to financial or purchasing activity.

• Oversee the development of strategies and procedures related to the health and safety of stakeholders working in highly specialized laboratories and industrial environments, including Emergency Response and Business Continuity Plans.

• Provide advice and support to the Dean on establishing agreements, processes, methods or services so that the plans and activities of each section coordinate well with the Faculty’s structure and goals.

What you will bring:

• Solid theoretical and practical knowledge of financial management and human resources management acquired through a university degree

• Theoretical and practical knowledge of human resources management in the areas of organizational culture, leadership development, and equity, diversity, and inclusion

• CPA designation or MBA or equivalent education level required

• A minimum of 15 years of progressive experience managing financial, human, physical and material resources for an entire organization, or for an entire sector of a large organization

• In-depth knowledge and experience in designing and implementing procedures, policies and strategies. Practical experience in efficiency processes such as LEAN Six Sigma would be an asset

• Experience with change management

• Experience working in large, complex, research-intensive environments

• Management experience in a unionized environment

• Strong knowledge in the areas of emergency management and response as well as occupational health and safety

• Experience in long-term planning and in strategy development

• Strong ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders at various levels

• Excellent skill in writing reports for senior management and various decision-making bodies

• Demonstrated ability to motivate and lead multi-functional teams towards common objectives

• Strong interpersonal skills, with an ability to influence

• Bilingualism – French and English (spoken and written)

Key Competencies at uOttawa:
Here are the required competencies for all or our employees at uOttawa:

Planning: Organize in time a series of actions or events in order to realize an objective or a project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.
Initiative: Demonstrate creativity and initiative to suggest improvements and encourage positive results. Is proactive and self-starting. Show availability and willingness to go above and beyond whenever it is possible.
Client Service Orientation: Help or serve others to meet their needs. This implies anticipating and identifying the needs of internal and external clients and finding solutions on how to meet them.
Teamwork and Cooperation: Cooperate and work well with other members of the team to reach common goal(s). Accept and give constructive feedback. Able to adjust own behaviour to reach the goals of the team.

The University of Ottawa embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are passionate about our people and committed to employment equity. We foster a culture of respect, teamwork and inclusion, where collaboration, innovation, and creativity fuel our quest for research and teaching excellence. While all qualified persons are invited to apply, we welcome applications from qualified Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, barrier-free work environment. The University is also committed to working with applicants with disabilities requesting accommodation during the recruitment, assessment and selection processes. Applicants with disabilities may contact [email protected] to communicate the accommodation need. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Note: if this is a union position: The hiring process will be governed by the current collective agreement related to the union affiliation noted above; you can click here to find out more.

If this is a front-line position with responsibilities to interact with students, selected candidates must be rated at the Low Advanced proficiency level or higher for both oral comprehension and reading comprehension in their second official language. The rating is determined by a proficiency test designed by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute.

Prior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as defined in Policy 129 – Covid-19 Vaccination. This policy was suspended effective May 1, 2022 but may be reinstated at any point in the future depending on public health guidelines and the recommendations of experts.