The Academic Support Senior Specialist is responsible for overseeing and enhancing the operational, administrative, and analytical functions of Graduate Studies to ensure efficient program delivery, regulatory compliance, and data-informed decision-making. The role supports leadership by supervising graduate academic operations, scholarship progression, digital and knowledge systems, and cross-functional coordination, while delivering high-quality service to faculty, students, sponsors, and internal stakeholders.
Key Roles & Responsibilities:
- Administer and oversee operational processes related to graduate programs to ensure efficiency, compliance with university policies, and service excellence.
- Coordinate Teaching Assistant (TA) assignments, workload distribution, contracts, and stipends in collaboration with academic departments and the Registration Office.
- Liaise with academic departments and the Registration Office to ensure accurate student status updates, registration compliance, graduation clearance, and monitoring of academic progression.
- Support and continuously enhance thesis and dissertation processes from proposal stage through final submission and archiving.
- Coordinate graduate student petitions and financial appeal cases submitted to the Graduate Financial Appeal Committee (GFAC) and Graduate Studies Council (GSC), including documentation, case preparation, communication of decisions, and follow-up actions.
- Develop, maintain, and manage comprehensive graduate studies data, including enrollment trends, progression rates, thesis milestones, TA allocations, and other key records related to graduate students.
- Design and produce dashboards, analytical reports, and data visualizations to support evidence-based decision-making and prepare periodic and ad-hoc reports for management and accreditation purposes.
- Support accreditation activities and ensure the availability and accuracy of required graduate program documentation and data.
- Monitor student performance and academic risk indicators and provide insights to support timely interventions.
- Maintain records of graduate student participation in conferences, professional activities, and research leave.
- Coordinate the preparation and update of Graduate Studies communication materials, including the GSO webpage, brochures, and promotional content in collaboration with the Communications Department.
- Manage and maintain a centralized digital repository for graduate studies documentation, including academic program records and updates to the University Catalogue.
- Support graduate recruitment and program awareness initiatives through accurate information, content preparation, and data provision.
- Serve as a key point of contact for graduate student and faculty inquiries, ensuring timely and professional support.
- Monitor and manage the academic progression of scholarship students to ensure compliance with university policies and regulations, while maintaining accurate records of scholarship status, duration, and progression outcomes.
- Facilitate communication between sponsored students and their sponsors to ensure alignment with program requirements, and coordinate with internal departments and sponsors regarding student performance, reporting requirements, and academic updates.
- Contribute to process improvement initiatives and identify opportunities for automation to enhance operational efficiency and student experience.
- Perform any other duties as assigned by the line manager.
