Lead, WIL Experience Architect

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Job Requisition ID:

2026-03456

Time Type:

Full time

Employee Group:

Staff

Job Category:

Academic Delivery Support

Employment Type:

Permanent

Department:

Co-operative and Experiential Education - Work-Integrated Learning Curriculum

Hiring Range:

$95,538.29 - $119,422.87

Posting Information:
This posting is for an existing vacancy.

The internal posting deadline for this position is November 12, 2026 at 11:59PM.

Job Description:

Primary Purpose

The Centre for Work-Integrated Learning (Centre for WIL) is part of the Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) portfolio. The Centre for WIL fosters excellence in the pedagogy and practice of work-integrated learning (WIL) as a thought leader and key provider of high-quality curriculum, courses, and programs in this field.

As a member of the Centre for WIL’s Curriculum Development team, this position bridges WIL learning design, and evolving workforce and institutional needs and expectations to design and enable high-quality WIL pedagogical experiences in collaboration with institutional and external industry partners, and has three primary areas of focus:

• Industry Aligned Curriculum Engagement: Leads industry-aligned curriculum engagement by building strategic relationships with Waterloo’s existing and emerging employers, industry, and community partners to co-create innovative WIL curriculum that reflects evolving workforce needs.

• Quality WIL Experience Capacity Building: Advances institutional capacity for high-quality WIL by leading a cross-campus WIL consultation strategy to inform WIL pedagogy, curriculum and program design, quality standards, and course-level implementation.

• Team Leadership and Portfolio Stewardship: Leadership and development of the team of WIL Experience Architects, fostering an inclusive, engaged, and high-performing team while advancing the industry-aligned curriculum strategy within CEE and across the University.

Industry Aligned Curriculum Engagement

• Stewards' strategic partnerships with employers, industry representatives, community organizations, faculty, and campus partners to advance curriculum innovation and the collaborative design of impactful industry informed WIL experiences

• Shapes project goals and direction with external collaborators, drawing on WIL pedagogical expertise and operational judgement

• Co-creates WIL experiences with Waterloo’s external partners that reflect evolving workforce needs, employer expectations, and sector-specific practices and support meaningful student learning

• Cultivates strategic partnerships that generate institution-wide value, and contributes to identification of new opportunities for curricular collaboration across CEE and the University for all forms of WIL at Waterloo

• Guides need assessments, environmental scans, and targeted consultations with Waterloo’s emerging and existing employers and industry and community partners to identify emerging skills needs, sector trends, workplace practices, and opportunities for curriculum innovation

Quality WIL Experience Capacity Building

• Leads consultation for WIL experience integration and pedagogical development across the University, supporting faculties, instructors, and academic support units aligned with institutional priorities

• Provides expert guidance and strategic consultation on innovative, high-impact WIL experiences for faculty, staff, and industry partners across all nine forms of WIL to advance Waterloo’s WIL ecosystem and capacity for experiential learning

• Builds and sustains strategic relationships with institutional partners fostering alignment between WIL experience initiatives University policies, academic quality processes, accessibility standards, and strategic priorities

• Influences the advancement of WIL pedagogy and practice in the fields of WIL and SOTL at Waterloo, nationally and internationally, through publications, educational research, conference presentations, and the development of evidence-based resources that evaluate and showcase innovative approaches to WIL

Team Leadership and Portfolio Stewardship

• Provides strategic oversight for WIL experience pedagogical design priorities including creation and maintenance of shared standards, models, and quality benchmarks ensuring excellence in WIL learning experiences within CEE and across campus

• Oversees the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of innovative WIL experiences, contributing directly to projects as needed to bolster team capacity, and support complex initiatives and specialized design requirements

• Manages team capacity, resource allocation, and work planning to enable the design of high-quality WIL pedagogical experiences in collaboration with the Senior Manager, WIL Curriculum, and affiliated Lead roles.

• Defines strategic priorities for the team working closely with the Sr. Manager, WIL Curriculum, and other Leads to align strategy and goals across teams and work

• Leads recruitment, onboarding, supervision, coaching, and performance management of WIL Experience Architect team members

• Translates emerging trends in WIL pedagogy, curriculum design, workforce needs, and industry practice into strategic direction, to shape innovative, evidence-informed WIL experiences across CEE and the University

Education

• Master’s degree required

• Courses/training/certification or degree in adult education, curriculum and pedagogy, instructional design, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience preferred

Experience

• 5+ years' experience providing course/pedagogical design guidance to faculty and/or industry stakeholders in a mentoring or development role

• 3+ years' experience providing leadership and functional direction to curriculum or educational developers, instructional designers, and/or WIL professionals

• Experience navigating sustained innovation while managing high-volume resources and prioritizing competing demands.

• University-level teaching experience and/or experience within a post-secondary environment are considered asset.

• Experience working with industry or community partners and/or in WIL settings is considered an asset.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Demonstrated knowledge of theories and practices used in instructional/learner design and pedagogy, including curriculum development processes and tools, and awareness of emerging issues and areas of focus in the field.

• Ability to lead a team of direct reports including performance coaching, professional development, and work planning.

• Demonstrated success in cultivating and maintaining positive working relationships and working in collaboration with a wide variety of stakeholders.

• Strong strategic, systems-thinking and planning skills, with the ability to guide change and continuous improvement, and navigate complexity.

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 coordinated within the 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+.

Positions are open to qualified candidates who are legally entitled to work in Canada.

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 hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.