Associate Director, Student Support Team

Position Details

Position Title: Associate Director, Student Support Team

Department/Unit: Student Health

Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Posting Number: S017-26

Employee Group: DPMG

Position Type: Regular, On-Going

Employment Type: Full Time

Full-time Equivalency (FTE): 1.0

Salary: $80,471 - $107,943 per annum

Classification: ADM-07

Provisional Statement: This is a provisional classification. Formal regular review classification procedures may be initiated at any time by the incumbent or supervisor after the incumbent has worked a minimum of six months in the role.

About Dalhousie University Dalhousie University is Atlantic Canada’s leading research-intensive university and a driver of the region’s intellectual, social and economic development. Located in the heart of Halifax, Nova Scotia, with an Agricultural Campus in Truro/Bible Hill, Dalhousie is a truly national and international university, with more than half of our almost 21,000 students coming from outside of the province. Our 6,000 faculty and staff foster a vibrant, purpose-driven community, that celebrated 200 years of academic excellence in 2018.

Job Summary Dalhousie Student Affairs advances the student experience through a collaborative, human-centred approach to learning, wellness, leadership, and community. Reporting to the Assistant Vice-Provost, Campus Living and Student Well-being, and with responsibility to Student Health and Wellness, the Associate Director provides experienced leadership for non-clinical, relational case management and expert consultation on complex student behaviour and support concerns. This role demands advanced judgment and systems-level thinking, requiring the ability to work with ambiguity, balance care and institutional responsibility, and design responses that are principled, proportionate, and oriented toward long-term student and community well-being.

Key Responsibilities

Lead complex, non-clinical case coordination involving risk, care, and behavioural concerns in institutional or community systems (e.g., post-secondary, schools, healthcare, community-based justice, child/youth systems, community safety) including for matters that may ultimately be resolved through the Student Code of Conduct.

Provide strategic advice to senior leadership at the university on matters related to student behavioural concerns and complex behaviour scenarios, including crisis response. Coordinate, convene and facilitate case conferences on complex matters with multidisciplinary teams across campus community to map issues and create case plans.

Chair the Behavioural Intervention Team. Act as the intake coordinator of all potential referrals to the team through consultation with referral source, thorough and comprehensive assessment of complex concerns about student behaviour regarding safety and risk of harm to others on campus using a case management approach as outlined above.

Act as the lead Response Coordinator resource regarding student death, and serve as the lead resource in the coordination and ongoing skill development of a student death response coordinator team, building capacity for a comprehensive and compassionate response in the event of a student death on or off campus.

Collaborate with key campus partners to design, develop, and deliver education and outreach for students, staff, faculty, and community groups on responding to students in distress, including building awareness of the Behavioural Intervention Team (BIT), clarifying processes, and promoting a coordinated, care-first approach to student support.

Supervise team of two Case Managers; ensuring integrated and collaborative approach with partners from Security Services, Student Affairs units, Human Rights and Equity Services, and Legal Counsel, etc.

Note Due to operational requirements, the successful applicant is required to work in-person on campus.

Required Qualifications

Master’s degree in a related field (e.g., social work, counselling/psychology, behavioural analysis, conflict resolution, public or community systems) with a minimum of seven years of progressive leadership experience in complex, human-centred environments (e.g., post-secondary, schools, healthcare, community-based justice, child/youth systems, community safety), or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Demonstrated experience leading people in collaborative, cross-functional problem-solving, including strong coaching skills and the ability to synthesize complex information to support sound decision-making.

Proven experience providing crisis or critical incident response, with demonstrated ability to remain composed, exercise sound judgment, and provide steady guidance in emotionally charged and time-sensitive situations.

Demonstrated experience leading teams through complex student cases using a relational approach, including supporting staff to assess risk, consider multiple perspectives, and develop proportionate, human-centred responses.

Demonstrated experience in resource and process management, including effectively aligning people, systems, and workflows to achieve organizational objectives in complex and evolving environments.

Experienced leader in managing change and innovation, with a proven ability to assess outcomes, identify systemic needs, and lead continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen student well-being, community safety, and institutional effectiveness.

Assets

Knowledge of the evolutionary process of violence and threat risk assessment models.

Experience with a Restorative Approach, including design and facilitation of complex justice processes to respond to and prevent future harm.

Experience in assessment, establishing metrics and reporting.

Job Competencies The successful candidate is expected to demonstrate proficiency in Dalhousie’s

core

and

leadership

competencies, in particular:

Respect & Inclusion

Adaptability

Thinking and Acting Strategically

Relationship Building

Resource & Process Management

Additional Information Dalhousie University supports a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Our total compensation package includes a defined benefit pension plan, health and dental plans, a health spending account, an employee and family assistance program and a tuition assistance program.

Application Consideration Applications from current university employees and external candidates are assessed concurrently. Current university employees will be given special consideration.

We sincerely appreciate all applications and note that only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted directly by the hiring department or People and Culture.

Diversity Statement Dalhousie University commits to achieving inclusive excellence through continually championing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. The university encourages applications from Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island (especially Mi’kmaq), persons of Black/African descent (especially African Nova Scotians), and members of other racialized groups, persons with disabilities, women, persons identifying as members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and all candidates who would contribute to the diversity of our community. In accordance with our Employment Equity Policy, preference will be given in hiring processes to candidates who self-identify as members of one or more of the equity-deserving groups listed above. For more information, including details related to our Employment Equity Policy and Plan and definitions of equity-deserving groups please visit

www.dal.ca/hiringfordiversity .

If you require any support for the purpose of accommodation, such as technical aids or alternative arrangements, please let us know of these needs and how we can be of assistance. Dalhousie University is committed to ensuring all candidates have full, fair, and equitable participation in the hiring process. Our complete Accommodation Policy can be viewed

here

.

Posting Detail Information

Number of Vacancies: 1

Open Date: 02/20/2026

Close Date: 03/06/2026

Open Until Filled: No

Quick Link for Direct Access to Posting https://dal.peopleadmin.ca/postings/20220

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