About this role
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Job Requisition ID: 2026-02997
Time Type: Full time Employee Group: Staff Job Category: Operations Employment Type: Permanent Department: Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association - Student Life Centre Operations Hiring Range: $56,494.16 - $70,617.70 Posting Information: This posting is for an existing vacancy. The internal posting deadline for this position is October 16, 2026 at 11:59PM
There is a qualified internal in the role
Job Description: Primary Purpose The Manager of Desk Operations manages the front-line staff of the WUSA (Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association) responsible for running our service desks and operations across campus. These desks run at various hubs around campus and service buildings with 10,000+ visitors daily. The FDM handles ensuring our members have access to their essential member services 24/7/365 and that our staff have the right goods, services, and answers at the right time for our members. WUSA’s desks see upwards of 500 members daily, with $2M in retail annual sales in addition to hundreds of room and space bookings daily. Key Accountabilities Providing leadership and supporting desk operations to provide exceptional service to WUSA members:
• Accountable for ensuring core business processes within outlets are conducted accurately and efficiently, including scheduling, ordering, cash controls, merchandising and processing transactions.
• Ensuring effective retail performance across the selling of memberships, event ticketing and transit sales ($2M+ annually)
• Promoting exceptional customer service across all service channels across WUSA desks
• Ensuring members book resources including rooms, materials, and technologies with a frictionless experience
• Create materials and programs to help educate members about FAQs.
• Ensure operations are following Health & Safety laws, and WUSA’s & University of Waterloo policies, procedures, and visions. Managing employee hiring, training and development
• Hire, train, and evaluation of 25-40 part-time; supervision of staff to include: hiring, training, scheduling, evaluation, and discipline.
• Managing an annual labour budget of $400k+, preparing weekly schedules and ensuring labour budgets are met.
• Aid with the creation, development, and ongoing maintenance of Desk training program to ensure successful training of front-line staff.
• Supply daily correspondence and direction to student managers to ensure outlets and shifts are working to set standards.
• Ensure all staff are professionally trained to focus on the provision of friendly and professional service consistent with the overall operating philosophy of WUSA & UW (University of Waterloo) policies and procedures.
• Review and authorize bi-weekly payroll including reconciling schedules to labour reports and investigate any variances.
• Initiates and conducts termly performance evaluations for all employees. Resource Management
• Ensuring the safeguarding of WUSA resources such as rooms, technologies, and furniture
• Helping management with obtaining of building/space materials including chemical, maintenance, and cleaning supplies
• Providing management with insight to resource use and recommendations to ensure member needs are met.
• Establishing required maintenance and repair schedules around equipment’s and furnishings Maintaining communications and ties with internal/external partners
• Demonstrate ability to interact with and support members.
• Establish constant communication with other critical office partners and other desks on campus.
• Ensure excellence in guest services to internal/external vendors that have booked spaces/resources.
• Maintain constant communication and positive relationships with Police Services & Plant Operations
• Occasional correspondence with transit partner support/help desks
• Promotes strong partnerships and relationships within UW community as well as other postsecondary institutions and vendors to ensure members are receiving the best in what we offer.
• Ensure regular feedback and communication with members to determine product/service offerings, hours of operation and service levels.
• Meet regularly with Marketing Specialist to review upcoming notices, hours of operations, hiring campaigns, and ensuring retailed services are relevant to student trends/ demands. Financial Controls & Management
• Responsible for financial controls and cash/asset management across desk operations
• Promotes controls around routine inventory counts for inventories and assets of value.
• Ensure daily balancing and end of day controls are followed.
• Responsible for maintaining cost controls across labour, cogs and operating expenses for Desk Operations budget Required Qualifications Education
• Post-secondary degree/diploma in business or equivalent experience in managing retail/hospitality/service outlets in post-secondary experience. Experience
• 3 years supervisory experience in a post-secondary environment
• Working with students and servicing campus community Knowledge/Skills/Abilities
• Exceptional customer service skills
• Exceptional organization skills
• Strong ability to multi-task
• Ability to manage demanding situations and deescalate conflict.
• Knowledgeable about the UW campus/community
• Ability to operate/troubleshoot point-of-sale devices.
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 hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.