OUR TALENTED STAFF
“I am a Concordia grad and it really is a wonderful feeling to give back to my alma mater.”
What are some of your responsibilities at the university?
I manage the recruitment of non-academic staff for various sectors of the university, which includes the posting, screening, interviewing and offer process. I also manage the different pre-employment tests that candidates can undergo throughout the process and I work on special projects such as Project UNITY.
What has been your biggest challenge during your time here?
My biggest challenge was and will continue to be meeting the growing needs of my clients. The university is growing and that means that we need more qualified staff to help departments achieve their mission, which in turns means a very high volume of demands on the employment team.
What is the most rewarding part of the job?
I like to think I have one of the best jobs in the world: helping shape the Concordia community by hiring bright, enthusiastic and motivated candidates and by helping current employees achieve their career aspirations at the university. I am a Concordia grad and it really is a wonderful feeling to give back to my alma mater.
Has your job changed you?
My job has definitely helped me overcome my natural shyness. I am not one to go out in public and start a conversation with people, but in my job I meet so many new people during interviews and I interact with so many Concordians that I had to become — and am still working on becoming — an outgoing and confident advisor.
What is one of your favourite memories from Concordia?
I have had so many wonderful moments throughout my career at Concordia. My favourite memory is of our annual end-of-year HR potluck. We have such a wonderful team and it is the one moment where we are all able to get together and spend some time laughing and sharing our stories, just like a real family would do.
“It is so rewarding to see clients and students happy with the spaces that we design and build for them."
What are some of your responsibilities at the university?
For the year 2018-19, as manager of the Project Management Office (PMO) I was responsible for implementing Project Portfolio Management at Facilities Management. It was the first time we ever had a clear overview of all of our projects and initiatives.
We structured the portfolios by theme, prioritized all projects and attached capacity management to each so we could plan the work we will deliver over the coming years. And since a clear governance framework goes hand in hand with robust portfolio management, I also helped implement the governance framework proposed by our associate vice-president (AVP) for our portfolio of construction projects; this framework allows senior administration to select projects that are best aligned with the university’s strategic directions.
What has been your biggest challenge during your time here?
Motivated by strategic planning and best practices in project management, I took up the challenge in 2018-19 of creating Facilities Management’s very first PMO.
This strategic-level PMO aims at helping Facilities Management achieve its vision and mission statement. In addition to implementing Project Portfolio Management, the AVP and I developed, with the help of talented master’s in project managementinterns, other organizational project management tools that will be used for the foreseeable future by our department, such as operational program management that aims at maintaining our real estate in good condition.
We also developed a three-year action plan so our strategic PMO becomes a guide for Facilities Management employees, a source of advice for senior administration and clients and, possibly, a model for upcoming PMOs at the university.
What is the most rewarding part of the job?
The most satisfying part of my job is seeing projects, programs and portfolios come together at the service of our community. It is so rewarding to see clients and students happy with the spaces that we design and build for them.
Has your job changed you?
The PMO manager role gave me the chance to see Facilities Management as a whole and to better understand the entire department’s challenges and successes. I still have so much to learn at Facilities Management, and the various roles I have played so far have allowed me to look at our department from various angles and broaden my understanding.
What is one of your favourite memories from Concordia?
One of my favourite memories has been seeing the reactions of our staff, management and collaborators when the PMO presented new tools that aim at improving customer service and structuring the work we do as a team and seeing them realize how much it will help.
“Over the years I realized that training is much more than just demonstrating a new skill or knowledge.”
What are some of your responsibilities at the university?
My responsibilities as a training coordinator include designing, organizing and providing different IT training to the Concordia community. I also create, administer and manage IT training programs for information systems and technologies implemented and supported by IITS.
What has been your biggest challenge during your time here?
The biggest challenge for me was to fully understand the training needs across the different populations within Concordia, in order to provide a standardized training personalized enough to address the different learning preferences. Nevertheless, providing training in all its forms to thousands of Concordia’s members has certainly helped me gain insight.
What is the most rewarding part of the job?
The most rewarding part in my job is the ability to empower Concordia faculty, staff and students by transferring to them the knowledge and skills they can use in their day-to-day tasks.
One thing for sure: I’m enjoying my journey at Concordia.
Has your job changed you?
Over the years I realized that training is much more than just demonstrating a new skill or knowledge. It is guiding, supporting and motivating the participants through change.
What is one of your favorite memories from Concordia?
I have many memories, but the one favourite memory that comes to my mind is when I delivered my first IT training session at Concordia as an IT trainer in 1998. I remember the amazing feeling of being able to contribute to Concordia by empowering the participants and helping them realize the possibilities of the technologies.
“The most rewarding part of my job is when I see positive changes in employees who were reluctant to embrace safety.”
What are some of your responsibilities at the university?
At Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), I develop, implement and oversee the following safety programs: working at heights, roof access, confined space entry, control of hazardous energy, construction safety and electrical safety.
What has been your biggest challenge during your time here?
I make sure that EHS is included in the process of project planning and management.
What is the most rewarding part of the job?
The most rewarding part of my job is when I see positive changes in employees who were reluctant to embrace safety.
Has your job changed you?
My job is essentially to identify unsafe situations and behaviours for employees and the community. It is very common that the longer an individual works in a specific field, the less likely they are to see the risks involved. Working with high achievers in a supportive and self-confident environment is a positive challenge and requires me to continually improve my approaches.
What is one of your favourite memories from Concordia?
One of my favourite memories was when the operations team received a nomination at the Safety Awards in 2018. It was recognition of the importance of teamwork in improving health and security in our daily operations.
“I am passionate about the Grey Nuns Residence, which I consider to be Concordia’s beautiful Grande Dame.”
What are some of your responsibilities at the university?
I manage Concordia’s student residences during the summer, when we open to the general public. My goal is to maximize revenue by renting out rooms. My role includes a combination of sales, marketing, operations and general management, depending on the season.
What has been your biggest challenge during your time here?
I am passionate about the Grey Nuns Residence, which I consider to be Concordia’s beautiful Grande Dame. However, managing hotel operations in a heritage building — which occupies an entire city block — means anything can happen. It definitely keeps me on my toes.
What is the most rewarding part of the job?
The most rewarding part of the job is welcoming over 6,000 guests each summer, most of whom have never interacted with the university before. We offer a window into the Concordia community, and it’s very rewarding when we hear how much they have enjoyed their stay and want to return.
Has your job changed you?
The job itself hasn’t changed me, but I’m a relatively recent immigrant to Canada and being welcomed into the Concordia community was life changing. I especially appreciate the amazing team that I get to work with.
What is one of your favourite memories from Concordia?
I love singing in a candlelight concert at Loyola Chapel each holiday period. It’s not job-related but it is so beautiful, and the chapel is my second favourite space after Grey Nuns. I feel proud to be part of Concordia and showcase its architectural assets, even outside of my role.
“I have a great team that is devoted day in day and day out to make sure the campuses remain safe spaces 24/7.”
What are some of your responsibilities at the university?
My work as investigator depends on the incident, situation and course of actions to be taken for each case reported to security. I collect evidence and document everything inherent to the case in a structured way that will allow us to take steps later or make recommendations. Investigation results may lead to filing a code complaint or initiating a student-of-concern report.
I am also part of the response team for the Sexual Assault Resource Centre and Office of Rights and Responsibilities for situations involving threatening or violent behaviour on campus. I liaise and interact with all departments at the university and, if need be, with the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal. I also am the sole instructor for Nonviolent Crisis Intervention training.
What has been your biggest challenge during your time here?
I always remind myself to turn challenges into opportunities. In the real world, it is not possible to transform every difficult situation into a great success. However, the many takeaways I get help me grow and stay focused.
What is the most rewarding part of the job?
What I like the most is knowing that my colleagues and I are all in this together in the line of duty, and that what we strive to accomplish and achieve is a celebration of our collective work. It is not a “one-person” achievement, it is the whole team’s achievement — and, hey, I am part of that team!
The feedback the whole department receives for a mission accomplished in solving a stressful incident is very rewarding.
Has your job changed you?
I cannot deny it, yes, the work I do and my commitment to it has changed me. I am engaged in my work and encouraged by the close collaboration built over the years with departments and services. I also have a great team that is devoted day in day and day out to make sure the campuses remain safe spaces 24/7.
What is one of your favourite memories from Concordia?
I have many fond memories, all of them have been created thanks to the people I met during all these years.
