Vancouver Island University (VIU) Student Residence houses over 500 students on VIU's Nanaimo campus each year. Residents come to our community from across Canada and the world, each bringing different life experiences and perspectives to VIU.
Division
Vice-President Students
Department
VIU Student Housing
Campus
Nanaimo campus *Successful candidates must be able to attend in person on campus as required.
Location
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Appointment Type
temporary full-time
Workload
37.5 hours per week: Monday to Friday, 8 am - 4 pm
Pay Level
CUPE 6: $28.96 per hour
Appointment Start Date
17-Aug-2026
Appointment End Date
30-Apr-2027
Leave Replacement
Appointment may be extended or end early, depending on return of incumbent.
Applicant Documents
CV/Resume, Name and contact information of recent supervisors willing to provide a reference
Duties:
The Residence Office Assistant is the first point of contact for students, parents, guests, and stakeholders during business hours. This position is responsible for providing excellent customer service and is pivotal to the organization and coordination of all Student Residence operations.
Primary Responsibilities
- Answer in person, phone, and email inquiries,
- Creation of standard email templates,
- Assist students in navigating online application process, fees, and maintenance portal,
- Receiving, processing, and issuing mail and parcels,
- Contacting contractors for required maintenance,
- Submission of Facilities maintenance work orders,
- Triage maintenance requests to ensure urgent issues are attended to in a timely manner,
- Processing transactions such as payments, pre-authorizations, and refunds,
- Daily reconciliation of shifts transactions,
- Execute monthly aged accounts receivable process, including communicating with students who have overdue Residence fees,
- Place financial holds on student accounts who have past due fees,
- Creating and maintaining the staffing schedule,
- Auditing incoming, outgoing, and transfer students and guests and upholding move out/check out times,
- Creating reports and communicating short-term forecasting of student and guest movement utilizing data base,
- Proactive communication with team members,
- Tracking inventory of signed out items,
- Uphold Student Residence Agreement,
- Review and edit Standard Operating Procedures to ensure accuracy,
- Participate in ongoing process improvement by documenting new/evolving Standard Operating Procedures and work with management to identify and create solutions to common challenges,
- Submission and follow up of StarRez tickets,
- De-escalation of student, parent, or guest conflict and referral to appropriate resources,
- Invoice third parties where necessary,
- Ensure Front Desk staff training guide is up to date and train new staff,
- Sanitization of the front office,
- Assist students who have locked themselves out or who have a tripped breaker, and
- Oversees room key inventory.
Additional Summer Hotel Responsibilities (May- August)
- Review daily hotel bookings through third party provider to ensure all reservations are entered into StarRez,
- Management of hotel inventory in third party provider,
- Post charges in StarRez based on third party provider rate,
- Communicate any accommodations or additional services for guests to the Housekeeping team,
- Resolve any errors prior to check-in, and
- Preparation for large group arrivals, working directly with Event Services Coordinator.
Required Qualifications:
Minimum Grade 12 plus additional course work equivalent to 6-30 college credits in Hospitality or Business Administration. One year of customer service and office administrative experience.
- Basic working knowledge of Microsoft suite.
- Excellent communication skills, including conflict and de-escalation skills.
- Experience working in a high-paced office environment with competing demands, independently and within a team.
- Must possess a valid Class 5 BC Driver's License and have a confirmed satisfactory driving record.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Previous experience working in a Post Secondary Residence setting.
- Working knowledge of StarRez.
- Experience working with diverse populations.
- Mental Health First Aid, Suicide Prevention, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity Training.
VIU is pleased to offer eligible employees a comprehensive benefit plan; ample paid holiday time; professional development opportunities and a desirable pension plan. As part of the VIU campus community, our employees work with supportive colleagues within an encouraging environment and are provided with the tools and training that promote learning and development. The perks of VIU employment are multiple, and include well-being initiatives and services, strategic discounts, and flexible work opportunities.
Note:
- Short-listed candidates must provide original transcripts, or applicable original certifications at time of interview.
- All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.
- Vancouver Island University (VIU) is collectively committed to building and sustaining a diverse and inclusive working and learning environment for faculty, staff, and students. In our journey towards greater diversity, we invite applications from members of equity-seeking communities including women, racialized and Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, persons of all gender identities and sexual orientations who bring value to the VIU community through their lived experiences. We encourage members of all equity-seeking groups to self-identify within their application cover letter. When a candidate voluntarily discloses this information in their cover letter, the information will be used only for the fulfillment of the career opportunity. Disclosure and/or self-identification with an equity-seeking group will not lead to advantageous treatment of a candidate who is not qualified.
