Graduate Recruitment Officer

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Learn more about our recruitment process.

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Posting Information:
This posting is for an existing vacancy.

The internal posting deadline for this position is October 8, 2026 at 11:59PM
This position is being offered as a Secondment or contract opportunity.

Term: 18 months

Job Description:

Primary Purpose 

The Graduate Recruitment Officer is responsible for strategic marketing and communications to attract and retain the best students who will succeed in our distinctive programs and to help ensure the faculty meets annual graduate enrollment targets. The incumbent conducts research and analysis to inform Faculty strategy and program-specific tactics that will distinguish and clearly position Waterloo Science graduate studies. In addition, the incumbent is responsible for content creation for various channels and do serve various communications and marketing objectives. Working in close consultation with the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies, Science graduate program officers, and communications/recruitment colleagues, the role is also responsible for engaging and facilitating faculty, staff, students, and alumni in their roles relevant to graduate recruitment. 

Key Accountabilities 

Marketing planning and strategy  

• Develops, advises on, and implements the Faculty graduate recruitment strategy, with particular attention to customized tactics for individual programs. 

• Researches and identifies the most effective digital media channels to reach prospective students for our various programs, including social media engagement and advertising. 

• Ensures alignment of recruitment marketing with Science and University branding, in collaboration with communications and recruitment colleagues in the Faculty and in Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs. 

Content development, creation, and implementation 

• Maintains Science faculty-level graduate webpages; ensures accuracy in program descriptions and details across all communication channels, including department webpages, and in the Graduate Studies Calendar. 

• Identifies and produces student, professor, employer, alumni and other appropriate testimonial stories in liaison with the academic units to create customized content to support a variety of research areas. 

• Produces highly engaging content for relevant websites, such as student and alumni profiles, including written stories, photography, and video. 

• Develops, coordinates and writes/edits program print materials; manages design, review, and approval and print processes. 

Knowledge, research, and consultation 

• Develops and maintains up-to-date knowledge of the Faculty of Science masters and doctoral programs across the disciplines, particularly regarding their respective competitive and distinguishing features. 

• Develops and maintains general knowledge of graduate admissions process; internal and external graduate funding sources; University policies and procedures as they relate to graduate student experience. 

• Based on research, maintains an understanding of the characteristics and motivations of current prospective graduate students, including at their needs/expectations during the stages of enrolment management. 

• Maintains awareness of evolving post-graduation career options, particularly in non-academic fields, in order to leverage examples for recruitment and marketing purposes. 

• Consults with Science graduate program constituents, including the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies, graduate programs’ associate chairs, administrative coordinators, current graduate students. 

• Reviews and coordinates best practices and University-wide branding for graduate studies with the Manager, Graduate Marketing and Recruitment in the office of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, as well as with recruitment counterparts in other faculties. 

• Attends meetings and program activities/events as appropriate to ensure currency of knowledge and to leverage events for graduate promotion content. 

• In consultation and coordination with key partners (mentioned above), develop and distribute surveys and other analytical tools. 

• Analyzes, shares, and discusses results with partners; determines recruitment strategy/tactic refinements based on data and other evidence. 

Budget planning and distribution 

• Manages graduate recruitment budget, including equitable distribution of funds for individual program initiatives based on annual prioritization agreed upon with Associate Dean, Graduate Studies. 

• Using data and other relevant measures, assess return on investment regarding recruitment tactics, particularly with regard to time- and cost-effectiveness. 

• Communications support 

• Collaborates, supports, and provides backup on various Science and University communication initiatives, either directly or indirectly related to graduate recruitment. 

Required Qualifications  

Education 

• University degree, in a field related to communications and marketing (e.g., English, communication studies, marketing, media studies); graduate degree strongly preferred. 

Experience 

• Communications and/or marketing professional with demonstrable working knowledge of digital communications tools. Previous work experience in a post-secondary institution is required; experience studying and/or working within graduate studies is a strong asset. 

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities 

• Proven excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills  

• Experience developing marketing plans based on research and data analysis 

• Strong sense of design and creative choices to support brand and messaging 

• Experience interviewing subjects, consulting with experts, research and sourcing information  

• Ability to engage professionally with diverse groups, particularly faculty members, staff, and students 

• Creative and critical thinking, as well as problem-solving skills 

• Experience working or studying within the post-secondary disciplines  

• Experience and creative abilities with photography and video production is an asset 

• Experience building and maintaining a strategic social media engagement plan  

• Knowledgeable in the design of surveys; ability to analyze and report on results 

• Experience using various digital marketing tools such as Google Analytics, Google Adwords, Facebook ads  

• Proven collaborative as well as independent work habits 

• Workflow and prioritization skills to manage multiple deadlines 

• Experience in event planning and execution  

Equity Statement
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is coordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.
The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion.  As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.
Positions are open to qualified candidates who are legally entitled to work in Canada.
The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at [email protected] or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.