Description

Call Centre & Project Support Manager

Overview

The Call Centre & Project Support Manager is responsible for seamlessly managing a 7-workstation call centre dedicated to survey data collection, reporting directly to the Senior Manager. Overseeing a small to medium-sized team of casual staff, this role encompasses human resource administration, data collection and survey reporting management, project support coordination, and strategic collaboration with the Senior Manager to optimize resources and skilled workforce for future projects. The Call Centre & Project Support Manager also handles administrative support and efficient communication logistics.

Direct responsibilities include proficiently managing casual interviewer and supervisor staff, encompassing hiring, training, scheduling, payroll processing, job requests in Workday, performance evaluation, conflict resolution, and timely termination as needed.

The position entails overseeing call centre operations, ensuring smooth systems and equipment maintenance, acting as the main point of contact for the department with MFCF and IST, and managing the department website and social media accounts.

Furthermore, the incumbent actively collaborates in managing survey data collection, coordinating survey testing, setting up surveys, modifying properties and settings, executing survey distribution, purchasing and loading phone samples, overseeing data quality monitoring, reporting on interviewer key performance indicators, approving field documentation for data issues, and creating comprehensive data reports for clients and project managers.

This position provides extensive project support, working closely with the Senior Manager and Project Managers to drive the department's success. It serves as the primary point of contact for incoming requests to department and project-specific email accounts and handles telephone inquiries while managing administrative responsibilities.

This position is contingent on funding.

Responsibilities

Leadership and Staff Management, including but not limited to the following:

• Directly manage a team of casual staff, comprising interviewers and supervisors for the small to medium-sized call centre
• Demonstrate exemplary leadership, providing clear direction and guidance to direct reports, fostering positive working relationships, proficiently assessing, and evaluating performance, and offering constructive feedback and coaching
• Conduct comprehensive casual staff training programs, encompassing general and survey-specific training
• Employ on-site supervision and motivational team leadership to recognize and reward staff achievements
• Nurture and support supervisors, facilitating their growth and success
• Ensure seamless implementation of new policies, procedures, and best practices among casual staff
• Efficiently manage staff schedules and address scheduling issues
• Proactively assess staffing requirements to meet dynamic project and department needs, skillfully handling staff selection, on-boarding, professional development, and performance evaluations
• Address and resolve staff conflicts promptly
• Conduct team and shift meetings, fostering effective communication
• Collaborate with campus partners to verify onboarding training and employment requirements for new and returning staff
• Administer casual employee payroll, including meticulous review and approval of timesheets as a Workday timekeeper for the department
• Partner with human resources to resolve payroll and employment issues for casual staff
• Lead casual interview and supervisor staff recruitment and hiring, setting recruitment timelines, while making informed hiring decisions to select successful applicants
• Manage hire requests, termination requests, and job change requests for casual staff through Workday

Call Centre Operations and Management of Department Web Pages and Social Media, including but not limited to the following:

• Ensure the smooth functioning of call centre IT systems, encompassing survey data collection systems, interviewer scheduling software, and call centre equipment
• Identify, troubleshoot, and report technical issues affecting call centre computer stations and peripheral equipment
• Serve as the primary point of contact for the department in its interactions with MFCF and IST
• Oversee website structure, content updates, and coordination of all web pages as the site manager, adhering to Faculty guidelines/templates and University protocols. Spearhead strategic planning, content design, navigation, user interface, and functionality
• Manage content for the department's Twitter and Threads accounts, ensuring relevance and engagement
• Maintain call centre equipment essential for day-to-day operations
• Skillfully manage survey program users and permissions
• Coordinate office supplies purchase and maintain inventory
• Maintain control systems for key and access cards to the office suite and building entrance

Manage Telephone Survey Data Collection and Reporting, including but not limited to the following:

• Expertly coordinate and oversee survey pre-testing
• Set up telephone studies, including defining questionnaire properties, ordering, and loading sample, and monitoring completion rates
• Create, monitor, and update daily project documentation, completion reports, productivity reports, feedback forms, field documentation for data issues, and data quality monitoring, interviewer KPIs
• Configure survey dispositions, call-back rules, settings, quotas, email, and text distributions
• Monitor daily calling schedules and call volume to optimize performance
• Generate various reports based on survey data, catering to client needs
• Develop comprehensive survey codebooks
• Facilitate preparation of final reports for project managers

Project Support and Web Survey Administration, but not limited to the following:

• Update project account files, ensuring meticulous accounting for invoices
• Utilize visual reporting to provide readily available project status updates, encompassing resource usage, scheduling, survey metrics, and interviewer performance
• Track and estimate project resource usage and scheduling/staffing needs, aligning with project goals, budgets, staff availability, survey and interviewer KPIs, and other metrics
• Develop and update project manuals, fostering efficient project execution
• Oversee and co-ordinate studies involving a mail-out component
• Monitor incentive distribution and redemption
• Liaise and co-ordinate with internal-staff stakeholders to ensure smooth project execution
• Deliver project-specific training for interviewers and supervisors
• Oversee development of data quality management procedures for survey projects
• Efficiently manage email distributions and send web survey invitations and reminders
• Draft progress reports for assigned projects and responsibilities as needed
• Offer valuable advice and act as a resource for project managers and programmers on survey programming and implementation matters
• Assist with conducting survey reviews for clients
• Provide project management support for backfill or overflow work and in the absence of project managers
• Conduct telephone survey interviews when necessary
• Collaborate in creating and implementing marketing materials

Administrative Support and Communications for SCSRU, including but not limited to the following:

• Schedule meetings and diligently record and publish meeting minutes
• Coordinate SRC events and annual advisory committee meetings, including creating annual report documents and presentations and publishing meeting minutes
• Update operations manual as needed, in consultation with the Senior Manager and other staff
• Manage generic and project-specific email accounts for the department, ensuring timely and efficient communication
• Review client intake forms and provide briefs on new project requests and consultations to project managers
• Respond promptly and professionally to general inquiries from the University community and the general public
• Carefully review and monitor monthly telephone bills
• Update Pcard expense tracking documents and receipt folders with meticulous attention to detail
• Assist with the preparation of annual advisory committee meeting reports
• Manage the MailChimp account and newsletter contact lists, ensuring effective communication
• Aid in writing and distributing SCSRU newsletters, promoting engagement and visibility
• Efficiently manage Teams access for the department's Teams group
• Maintain shared drive files, ensuring organization and accessibility

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in health science, social science, statistics, computer science; Combination of education and experience may be considered
• TCPS 2 Core Certificate would be preferred
• 2+ years of experience managing a telephone call centre at a university or similar entity, including previous experience training, and evaluating staff
• 2+ years of survey project-based work and support experience with a proven track record of achievement and success
• Experience in managing casual student positions with high turnover
• Experience with web and telephone survey implementation and conducting research survey interviews
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office (i.e., Word, Excel, etc.)
• Proven experience with group hiring for large projects
• Comprehensive knowledge of survey research and methodology
• Exceptional organizational and research skills, including critical and analytical thinking
• Proficiency with When-to-Work scheduling software, Voxco CATI and CAWI software, Qualtrics, WCMS, WCMS3
• Proven ability to execute a variety of ongoing projects, manage multiple priorities concurrently, meet tight deadlines, stay organized, and prioritize effectively

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 co-ordinated within our 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+.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

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 or , ext