Opportunity: Centre’s Coordinator, Centre for Law, Technology and Society

Job classification: NR4 – Research Coordinator
Duration: One-year contract, renewable
Hours: Full-time
Start date: Flexible, as soon as possible
Annual base salary range: $57,652–$72,065, plus benefits (commensurate with qualifications and experience)
Unit: University of Ottawa Centre for Law Technology and Society
Reports to: Prof. Florian Martin-Bariteau, Director, Centre for Law, Technology and Society

The Coordinator will primarily be responsible for supporting the Director in the ongoing management, progress evaluation, and knowledge dissemination activities of the Centre.

The Coordinator will also coordinate the Centre’s core programs, projects and support teams, as well as monitor budgets and cash flow in order to assist in strategic financial planning and accurate reporting. They will also track our activities and engagement, and lead the drafting of strategic communications, narratives and reports to our funders and stakeholders. Ensuring effective communications among the Centre’s members, and with general and specialized external audiences, are essential aspects of the position.

Reporting to the Centre’s Director, the Coordinator will be a key actor in the management and leadership team of the Centre. Working both in French and English, they will act as a liaison between the leadership team and internal stakeholders, as well as between the Centre and external stakeholders.

Performing all duties autonomously and proactively, the Coordinator will join the growing team and dynamic community of the University of Ottawa’s Centre for Law, Technology and Society, Canada’s leading research group in technology law, ethics and policy.

This position is eligible to the University of Ottawa’s hybrid working conditions policy.

The University of Ottawa Centre for Law, Technology and Society is Canada’s premier research group on technology law, ethics and policy and a global leader advancing research and policy in an interdisciplinary setting for the benefit of Canadians and the world.

We gather, in an interdisciplinary setting, 23 Faculty members from the Faculties of Arts, Engineering, Law, and Social Sciences, 15 Associate members and more than 150 fellows, researchers and students.

Since its inception, the Centre has conducted cutting-edge research at the intersection of technology, law, public policy and society. Formally founded in 2009, the Centre builds on the law and technology research group established by trailblazers Michael Geist and Ian R. Kerr in the late 1990’s. For 20 years, our group has been leading global conversations on the impact of technology on society and civil liberties in efforts to shape policy for a better future in the digital context. Beyond Canada, we have taken important steps to build a global community and advance our role to the global stage.

Our mission is to research, analyze and shed light on the complex and interdependent relationships between law, policy, technology and society; and support research and training excellence to study innovation and emerging technologies from socio-ethical, legal and policy perspectives. We think in an interdisciplinary setting about the impact of technology on individuals and society: researching and assessing policy gaps and the need for regulation. We advocate evidence-based policy to build a more inclusive society, develop more inclusive and ethical technologies, and defend human rights in the digital context: engaging with policy-makers; informing the public; and intervening in courts. We bridge people and fields of expertise: connecting academia, government, civil society and industry; promoting knowledge exchange; and developing technology and digital rights literacy.

Our mission is guided by principles of equity, access to justice, international development, democracy, human rights and civil liberties. We encourage multi- and transdisciplinary inquiries, allowing for different—sometimes complementary and sometimes discordant—perspectives on the same topic to inform analysis and debate on an issue, thereby providing the richest and most comprehensive approach to research and policy-making.

Our members are hugely involved in policy making in Canada and across the globe. They have presented and published their research to a diverse range of audiences in Canada and all over the world. They appear in local, national and international news outlets almost every day to ensure better dissemination of academic research and a greater impact for society.

Management and administration

• Carries out general project administration and communication duties as required by the Centre’s activities and program.
• Assists with welcoming, training, guiding, and supervising students and research staff.
• Develops, implements and maintains physical and electronic filing systems, especially for data management.
• Plans and arranges meetings, teleconferences and other research activities with stakeholders; takes and prepares minutes.
• Prepares financial claims, human resources requests; tracks expenses, maintains financial records, and provides accounting updates.
• Tracks operational supplies, requesting or acquiring necessary equipment or supplies.
• Assists in the procurement of goods and services for the Centre’s activities, including preparing purchase orders for approval, and entering information into purchasing databases.
• Assists with any other duties required by the research projects or for the management of the Centre.
• Ensures compliance with the University, and funders regulations.
• Ensures compliance with ethics approvals.
• Processes, organizes and summarizes data, and reports experiment results using a variety of scientific, word processing, spreadsheet or statistical software applications or program platforms.
• Prepares detailed documentation files.

Knowledge mobilization, communications and events

• Leads strategic communications with identified partner organizations and individuals.
• Conducts research to identify relevant stakeholders and individuals in the fields identified.
• Assists in the organization and implementation of research dissemination events (conferences, seminars, workshops, etc.) including: contacting relevant and interested stakeholders; drafting strategic event communications; conducting research on the topic of the event; developing materials.
• Collects and organizes material for research papers, manuscripts, interim progress or final reports, articles or other documents for publication, presentations or submissions to funding agencies, steering groups.
• Assists investigators and project staff with authoring relevant sections of manuscripts, and facilitates the submission of study results, conference abstracts and preparation of posters, oral presentations, and journal articles for publications.
• Attends and contributes to relevant research and research dissemination meetings.
• Prepares tables, graphs, fact sheets, and written reports summarizing research results.
• Develops online digital resources, including databases and corpuses.
• Assists with the preparation, writing, translation (English and French), of key documents including grant applications, ethics applications, project reports, manuscripts for publication, abstracts, scientific posters and presentations by providing technical content in support of such documents.

Knowledge, skills, education and experience

• Undergraduate degree in administration or in a discipline related to the Centre’s activities; a graduate degree (notably in a field related to our research focus) is an asset.
• One to two years’ experience in coordination or research positions (or related involvement in advocacy or research activities).
• Strong computer proficiency using Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, To Do), Google Apps, Slack, and electronic scheduling software.
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks, work under pressure, effectively manage overlapping duties, and meet deadlines.
• Ability to pay attention to detail and display resourcefulness.
• Strong organizational, time management, coordination and facilitation skills.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills as well as the ability to work in a team environment.
• Advanced written and verbal skills in English and French. Bilingualism, spoken and written, is preferred.

Additionally, our ideal candidate would have:

• Demonstrated commitment to and belief in equity, inclusion, diversity, and decolonization.
• A global perspective, with experience living or working internationally; or experience with a multidisciplinary, multicultural or international team.
• Cross-cultural communication skills, sensitivity and awareness, excellent interpersonal and networking skills among diverse stakeholder groups.

Please submit a cover letter and a résumé on our application portal.

The selection committee will start to review applications on August 1, 2024. Applications will be considered until a successful candidate is found.

The cover letter must indicate the level of proficiency in both English and French.

We thank all applicants for their interest. While we are committed to ensuring the best possible experience for all applicants, only those under consideration for the role will be contacted.

The University of Ottawa is an equal opportunity employer. The University of Ottawa Centre for Law, Technology and Society is strongly committed to fostering diversity within our community. We strongly encourage applications from women, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities, as well as members of the LGBTQ2S+ community.

In keeping with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada requirements, all qualified persons are invited to apply but priority will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. The cover letter should confirm the immigration status of the candidate.

In keeping with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, the University of Ottawa will provide accommodations upon request during the recruitment, selection and assessment process for candidates with a disability.

Please be advised that, due to changes in our funding, management or organizational needs, we reserve the right to pause or stop a job competition at any stage in the process. Applicants will be notified in a timely manner.