SFU PDA Executive Council Positions and Job Descriptions

This is the suggested division of roles within the Executive Council, but may be subject to change after the election. If you don't know which position you want to apply to, you can just send a general application without specifying the position.

President

• Provide direction to the Executive Council and oversee all operations of the PDA
• Preside over all PDA meetings
• Represent the PDA at various university meetings and act as a representative of PDA 
• Work closely with the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS) Office to coordinate PDA activities
• Setting strategic long and short term goals, prepare meeting agendas.

Vice-President – External Communications

• Oversee incoming/outgoing messages from our e-mail account (sfu.postdoc@gmail.com)
• Maintain our website (with contributions from other PDA members)
• Maintain representation and active participation at the Canadian Association of Postdoctoral Scholars (CAPS, http://www.caps-acsp.ca).
• Attend monthly Skype meetings and attend CAPS annual conference 

Vice-President – Operations and Finance

• Be responsible for all financial activities of the PDA including communication with the SFU GPS to arrange financial support 
• Prepare a recommended budget
• Coordinate committees for planning events and activities with input from Executive Council
• Ensure proper planning and execution of events and activities with help from executive and active members

Vice-President – Internal Communications

• Organize and facilitate our Executive meetings and participate in organizing events
• Record PDA meeting minutes
• Manage the PDA mailing list (post-doc-café)
• Contribute to communication of news and events via Facebook and Twitter 
• Advert monthly social events on and off campus for postdoctoral-association

Vice-President – Social

• Organize monthly social events on and off campus for postdoctoral-association
• Organize special winter and summer social events
• Engage external postdoc community to organize joint social events across the greater Vancouver
• Diversify the SFU-PDA activities

Vice-President – Policy

• Organize and promote campaigns to improve university, provincial and national policies for postdoctoral fellows at SFU
• Develop campaigns and strategies to maintain and improve working conditions, rights, benefits, facilities for SFU postdoctoral-association, in junction with the needs and preferences of the postdoctoral community.
• Engage with university senior staff in discussion about issues concerning postdoctoral fellows
• Increase awareness of postdoctoral-association on their rights and availability of benefits (e.g. Employment Insurance and Canada Pension Plan)
• Work closely with President and VP-External Communications to stay informed and engaged with provincial and national policy changes and opportunities