Elections Administrator

The Alma Mater Society (AMS) is the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) student society, and works to improve the academic, social and personal lives of the 56,000 UBC students at its Vancouver campus. The AMS also runs nine food and beverage outlets, a catering and conference operation, and the AMS Student Nest, providing on-campus employment opportunities and generating revenue that goes directly back into supporting the students at UBC.

Position title:                 Elections Administrator

Reports to:                     AMS Council

Supervises:                    Elections Committee members and Poll Clerks

Employee status:          Term, Appointed

Length of term:              May 1, 2025 – April 30, 2026  

Hours per week:            May 1 - Aug 31, 5 hours/week; Sept 1 - Dec 31, 10 hours/week; Jan 1 - Apr 30, 30 hours/ week

Compensation:              $23.00 per hour

Position Purpose

The AMS Elections Administrator chairs the Elections Committee and is responsible for ensuring that Executive elections, Society referenda, elections for student representatives on the Vancouver Senate and Board of Governors and constituency elections are run smoothly, fairly, and in accordance with the AMS Code and Bylaws. This is a very complex position involving team management, liaising with university and AMS staff, accounting, marketing, and records management.
  

This position requires a major time commitment from September to April, but the busiest period are late September/early October (during Constituency fall elections period) and February- April (AMS General Election, Constituency Spring elections, and the Indigenous Councilor election).

Duties and Responsibilities

• Set the dates of the election (within limits imposed by AMS rules)
• Organize the instructional meeting for candidates on the eve of the campaign period
• Organize debates among the candidates
• Prepare the candidates’ handbook of election rules
• Establish spending and reimbursement limits for candidates
• Advertise the election and encourage voter engagement and turnout
• Approve candidates’ campaign material as well as third party material
• Prepare the ballots
• Handle private student data confidentially
• Liaise with UBC Enrolment Services for the running of electronic voting
• Hire, train and coordinate staff
• Rule on complaints filed against the candidates
• Submit explanation of rulings in case of appeals
• Report election results to Student Council
• Must be in the office/on duty every day during the campaign period (one to two weeks) and must be reachable when out of the office
• Works with the AMS mission statement and values to operate a successful department
• Train and Assist Constituencies’ Elections Officials in running their elections
• Develop and implement strategies to encourage more diverse candidates to run including through creating AMS elections materials that summarize elections code in an accessible and easy to read format
• Other duties as required
  

Qualifications and Experience

• Must be a currently registered student at UBC Vancouver or one of its affiliated colleges
• Must not hold any other elected, staff, or appointed position in the Society, including positions within constituencies; must not have been a member of the Executive Committee during the year before being appointed
• Organized, efficient and committed
• Ability to engage and energize team members and students at large
• Good managerial skills
• Objective and impartial
• Capable of enforcing adherence to election regulations
• Calm under pressure with good conflict resolution skills
• Willingness to work irregular hours  
  

To Apply:

Please submit your resume and cover letter.

Application deadline: 11:59pm Sunday, March 23. 

At the AMS, we believe that a diverse workforce enriches our organization and we value individual life experiences, knowledge and self-expression that different people bring.  We actively seek to create an environment where all employees, regardless of their background, race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristics, feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their best. 

We warmly welcome and encourage individuals from any underrepresented group to apply for this position.  We are dedicated to maintaining fair and inclusive practices in our hiring, promotion, and professional development processes to create the necessary conditions for a rewarding career. 

Due to the large volume of resumes we receive at the AMS, we are only able to contact those we are interested in interviewing and cannot reply to email/phone/walk-in inquiries regarding application status.