December 17, 2021

Job posting: Chief Returning Officer (CRO)

Employer: York University Graduate Students’ Association (YUGSA)

Position Title: Chief Returning Officer (CRO)

Employment Type: Contract (Termed), Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 1281 Unionized.

Hours & Duration of Contract: February and March 2022, 15-20 hours per week, up to a maximum of 70 hours total. If there is a contested election, the contract may be extended up to a maximum of 100 hours total.

Contract start date is February 1, 2022. Must be required to attend our virtual Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the organization on February 17, 2022, at 5:30 PM.

Salary and Benefits: $37.29 per hour plus benefits (as specified in the YUGSA – CUPE 1281 Collective Agreement).

Application Submission & Deadline:

The YUGSA is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from people historically marginalized based on and not limited to gender identification, (dis)ability, race, LGBTQ2S+, and anyone legally entitled to work in Canada.

Submit an electronic résumé in PDF format including a brief statement to the attention of YUGSA’s hiring committee, job@yugsa.ca by January 9, 2022, at 4:00 PM (EST).

Organization Description

YUGSA is an organization governed by York University’s graduate students. YUGSA is operated through levies charged to its membership and strives to offer a variety of opportunities and services, including graduate student advocacy, financial support, health plans, and student movement campaigns.

Six annually elected executives run the organization which is overlooked by a student council body. YUGSA works with the York University administration, Canadian Federation of Students, CUPE 3903, and other campus organizations. Due to a high turnover of the elected officials and the volume of work for the student executives, YUGSA has created 3 unionized permanent positions to provide it with institutional memory and to liaise, coordinate, and facilitate its day to day operations both internally and externally. In addition, various contract positions are recruited annually.

Job Description, Required Skills and Experience

The Chief Returning Officer (CRO) is a Contract Employee who is responsible for overseeing the elections and by-elections of the YUGSA. This includes: preparing nomination packages and supervising the campaign in accordance with the YUGSA constitution, advertising the nomination and voting periods of all YUGSA elections, overseeing the voting and ballot counting procedure, and coordinating the hiring and supervision of poll sitters for the election period. The CRO will be expected to do research and select an appropriate online platform for conducting this year’s election.

The CRO is required to have experience in the following fields:

  • Strong administrative, communication, conflict resolution, and interpersonal skills, as well as personal initiative and experience with student organizations

  • Be able to work within a set financial budget

  • Familiarity with York University, especially with graduate studies

  • Experience organizing and running elections ONLINE

The CRO shall administer all procedural aspects of the YUGSA elections as described in Appendix D of the organization’s constitution (available on YUGSA’s website) with specific duties outlined below:

  • Report to the YUGSA Council.

  • Ensure that Elections Procedure Code and Guidelines is enforced.

  • Be in charge of all matters regarding the holding of Elections, including the receipt and certification of nominations, the posting of notices and newspaper advertisements, providing for an all candidates meeting, the establishment of polls, the counting of ballots and the declaration of elected candidates.

  • Acquire a list of valid voters from the administrative office of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

  • Conduct the Elections on days established by the Council.

  • Be ineligible to vote.

  • Not be eligible to run for office in YUGSA Elections unless notice of resignation is given to the Executive fourteen (14) days prior to the opening of Nominations for such Elections or By-Elections.

  • Provide a final report for approval to the YUGSA Council at the next scheduled meeting following the election results.

  • Hire the DRO (s) [Deputy Returning Officer] and polling clerks as required.