Job ID

76293

Job Title

Instructional Assistant (IV) - School of Earth, Environment & Society

Regular/Temporary

Regular

Location

Central Campus

Open Date

2026/05/28

Job Type

Seasonal

Close Date

2026/06/04

Employee Group

Unifor Unit 1, Staff

Favorite Job

Department

Earth, Environment & Society

Full/Part Time

Full-Time

Salary Grade/Band

Grade 10

Salary Range

$38.46 - $54.06 (hourly)

Job Code

JD0682

Existing Vacancy

Yes - Newly Created Position

Target Number of Openings

1

Hours per Week

35

Posting Details

Schedule

Hours of work are anticipated to be 7 hours per day, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, including a 60-minute unpaid lunch period. The University is supportive of exploring flexible work arrangements that effectively balance operational needs and employee interests.

Education Level

Master's degree in a relevant field of study.

Career Level

Requires 3 years of relevant experience.

Job Description #

JD00682

Anticipated Fill Date

Mid-June

Job Description

The School of Earth, Environment & Society is seeking an Instructional Assistant (IV) to support our in-person and online Environment & Society (human geography) courses. This is a seasonal position with an inactive period of employment from mid-May to mid-August.

Job Summary:
Responsible for providing pedagogical and technical support to instructors, teaching assistants and students. Designs and modifies laboratory experiments, tutorial sessions, and lesson plans in accordance with the curriculum priorities of the instructor within an academic unit, department, or faculty. Forecasts operating budgets for lab and tutorial courses. Ongoing responsibility for supervising ten (10) or more Teaching Assistants.

Purpose and Key Functions:

• Design, adapt, and modify laboratory experiments and tutorial sessions.
• Modify and adapt test procedures and equipment to meet specialized requirements.
• Forecast budgets and proposed expenditures for new program proposals, and for operating lab and tutorial courses.
• Write and design lesson plans in accordance to the curriculum priorities of the instructor.
• Provide formal supervision to teaching assistants and other part-time staff.
• Communicate curriculum to teaching assistants that is to be covered in tutorial sessions.
• Review current educational research literature to ensure curriculum follows best practices in teaching, education and learning.
• Organize and coordinate teaching laboratories, computer-based instruction, and tutorial classes accordingly.
• Introduce and demonstrate labs or tutorial sessions to students.
• Tutor students in programs and assist students with lab work.
• Train others on proper lab techniques, operating laboratory equipment, and on running efficient and effective tutorial sessions.
• Compose test questions and assignments, and prepare solution sheets for review by others.
• Assist staff with the preparation and set up of equipment and supplies for laboratories and tutorial sessions.
• Organize and monitor the on-line learning environment for courses in an academic unit, department, or faculty by ensuring that the appropriate course content information is made available to students.
• Write a variety of documents such as procedure manuals, correspondence, and reports.
• Prepare a variety of lecture materials including presentation slides and handouts.
• Provide guidance, advice, and solutions to teaching assistants when resolving student inquiries.
• Provide teaching assistants with appropriate teaching material as specified by the instructor.
• Ensure accurate grading of assignments is completed by teaching assistants and report discrepancies to the instructor.
• Correspond and meet with students to address concerns related to the course including, but not limited to, the resolution of contested grades.
• Liaise with instructors, teaching assistants, and students to ensure information within the academic unit is understood by all parties.
• Exchange technical and scientific information amongst colleagues.
• Operate, adjust, and maintain a variety of equipment and instruments.
• Troubleshoot equipment and perform minor repairs. Ensure major repair requests are escalated to the appropriate area.
• Assign tutorials to teaching assistants and arrange teaching assistant office hours.
• Section classes at the beginning of the year, dealing with all scheduling changes, room reservations, and scheduling conflicts.
• Assess the need for laboratory equipment and provide recommendations for the acquisition of materials and equipment.
• Calibrate laboratory equipment according to established calibration standards.
• Collect, track, and safeguard student marks and tests.
• Calculate student marks and submit final grades to appropriate areas.
• Input, maintain, and verify information in a variety of databases and spreadsheets.
• Pipette a variety of reagents and media.
• Prepare chemical reagents and biomedical media according to formulae and assume responsibility for accuracy in the preparation and standardization of solutions.
• Ensure that all laboratory waste is disposed of according to established policies and procedures.

Supervision:

• Ongoing responsibility for supervising 10 or more casual employees at any one time.

Requirements:

• Master's degree in a relevant field of study. Requires 3 years of relevant experience.

Assets:

• Attention to detail, organization and time management is imperative as the incumbent may be working on multiple assignments/tasks with potentially conflicting deadlines for different courses/instructors.
• Outstanding interpersonal and written skills are extremely important. Must be able to work with undergraduate students, TAs, staff and faculty members.
• Experience supporting and developing online courses.
• Must be a team player, demonstrate diplomacy, and be able to maintain confidentiality.
• Must be very proficient with standard applications such as Microsoft 365 (Excel, Word, Powerpoint, Outlook, Teams, Sharepoint) and have demonstrated experience in other institutional systems such as MOSAIC (Peoplesoft) and Avenue to Learn.
• Excellence in teaching and knowledge of both online/virtual and in-person teaching modalities.
• Minimum of a Master's degree in Geography or a related discipline and knowledge of human geography is essential.

Additional Information:

• May be required to adjust work schedule (evenings or weekends) during exam period and at other points during the semester as required for operational needs.

• This is a seasonal position with an inactive period of employment from mid-May to mid-August annually.

How To Apply

To apply for this job, please submit your application online.

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McMaster University is located on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee and Mississauga Nations and within the lands protected by the “Dish With One Spoon” wampum agreement.

The diversity of our workforce is at the core of our innovation and creativity and strengthens our research and teaching excellence. In keeping with its Statement on Building an Inclusive Community with a Shared Purpose, McMaster University strives to embody the values of respect, collaboration and diversity, and has a strong commitment to employment equity.

The University seeks qualified candidates who share our commitment to equity and inclusion, who will contribute to the diversification of ideas and perspectives, and especially welcomes applications from indigenous (First Nations, Métis or Inuit) peoples, members of racialized communities, persons with disabilities, women, and persons who identify as 2SLGBTQ+.

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to communicate accommodation needs.

Hybrid Work Language

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