Governance & Policy Administrator

Started in 1963, the Society of Graduate Students (SOGS) was initially a social club that hosted a weekly pub night in the attic of Somerville House at Western University. Today, SOGS is so much more; it is a student government, an advocacy organization, and a student union that serves over 6,000 students across more than 60 graduate programs. As a not-for-profit organization, SOGS negotiates and operates core services, such as the graduate student health & dental plan and bus pass program. It also engages in advocacy initiatives in order to ensure the best #GradLifeWesternU experience possible. Historically, SOGS has always been an advocate, representing graduate student interests on- and off- campus, working with municipal, government, and university officials. 

The Governance & Policy Administrator is responsible for supporting consistent, reliable, and cohesive governance across the Society. The central focus of this position is the responsible administration of democratic Council structure, including: attendance, minutes, agendas, meetings, communications, and parliamentary procedure. Given the Society’s relationships with Western University and campus partners, the Governance & Policy Administrator will also assist in the research and review of campus, local, provincial/federal policies that impact the Society’s operations. 

The Governance & Policy Administrator is a paid, full-time, 35-hour per week one-year contract, and includes employee health benefits. The starting salary is $45,000 per year, with the ability to renegotiate salary should the position become permanent. The Governance & Policy Administrator position will start on Monday, August 2, 2021.

The Governance & Policy Administrator’s duties involves four core areas:

  • Internal governance (40%): This includes maintaining records for SOGS Council as Recording Secretary, supporting the Speaker in overseeing Council, supporting the Ombudsperson, and generally confirming that operations are running smoothly according to SOGS policies.

  • Committee support (25%): This includes assisting with research, team onboarding and orientation, coordinating member feedback, and generally supporting SOGS Committees to realize their initiatives.

  • Policy development and support (25%): This includes preparing professional documentation, reviewing activities from community partners, and generally collaborating to identify possible implications of ongoing projects.

  • Service and support (10%): This includes providing some membership service and administrative staffing support.

The detailed job description will be provided as part of the interview process.

SOGS is committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcomes applications from women, members of racialized groups/visible minorities, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation, and persons of any gender identity or gender expression.

Accommodations are available throughout the recruitment process.  Please be in touch if any specific accommodations would support you through your application process.

Applications are due by 11:59pm EST on Sunday, July 4.

To apply, submit a cover letter and resume to [email protected].

*Note: Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.