Professionals Making A Difference
What’s involved with your position?In a nutshell, I liaise with clients at the University to find out what they require in terms of educational technologies.
My clients are generally faculties and, in some cases, individual instructors. I create solutions for their current and future needs.
Are you assigned clients? A large part of my job is networking to promote the services we offer to University faculties and instructors. That doesn’t mean I’m cold-calling, but I do have some freedom to work with clients I develop a relationship with. Depending on the project, I may have a pre-defined list of clients that I need to work with.
So, do you call each client to make sure they’re doing fine, or do they come to you, or…? I try to stay one step ahead and propose solutions at least as often as I respond to requests, so my job is more active than reactive. I attend many events at the University each year to engage with instructors, find out what they’re doing and what their needs are, even when they themselves don’t have a very clear idea yet.
Once I meet someone, I’ll try and understand how they’re using educational technologies – or why they’re not using them – and find out if there’s anything more they’d like to accomplish. From there, I’ll initiate and manage projects to address those needs.
How’d you end up in this position? Shortly after immigrating to Canada in July of 2007, I saw a posting for a position (Call Facility Coordinator) that sounded right up my alley.
Throughout my time at UVic, there has been some reshuffling internally, and I was eventually invited to take on the responsibilities that make up my current job.
What does your experience include? In Brazil, I taught for more than ten years and eventually became IT director at the large language school where I worked. After that, I moved on to post-secondary education: I managed a project for a consortium of universities whose main deliverable was a web-based language learning platform; I taught some university courses; and I developed an entire graduate program for the continuing education division of one of the country’s largest private universities.
After working in IT and education, I was a consultant in a brand management firm.
This job is a mix of some of my previous professions. It utilizes the strategic planning aspect of my management history, a bit of my expertise in IT, and some of my background in education.
What do you like to do outside of work? I love to cook. I’m an amateur bread maker. I’m also an aspiring typographer. I’ve always been fascinated by book design and letter forms, and I’ve been working on this “shadow career” for several years now.
I also try to get involved with the PEA and community projects.
What’s been your involvement with the PEA so far? My main contribution to the PEA is sitting on the Policy Review Committee. I thought it’d be a good way to give back to the union.
What’s in the future for you? I’m most interested in progressing professionally and there seems to be potential for that here at the University. My wife Luiza and I would also like to find a place we can call home here in Victoria.
