About University of British Columbia
What is the University of British Columbia?
UBC is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with main campuses in Vancouver (Point Grey) and Kelowna (Okanagan) plus a research campus in Robson Square downtown Vancouver. Founded in 1908, UBC is consistently ranked among Canada's top three universities and the world's top 50 (#34 QS World University Rankings 2026).
The university employs ~17,000 faculty and staff across academic, professional, technical, support, and trades classifications. Annual operating budget ~CAD $3.4bn. Research areas span medicine, engineering, climate science, AI, business (Sauder), forestry, and the arts.
Where will I work?
Majority of staff roles are anchored at UBC Vancouver (Point Grey) in West Vancouver. The Okanagan campus in Kelowna has ~10% of staff. Hybrid working is available for many M&P roles; site-attendance expectations vary by team.
What is the UBC team like?
~17,000 people split across roughly: ~6,800 faculty (Faculty Association), ~5,000 M&P (Management & Professional), ~4,500 CUPE-classified support staff (CUPE 116 + CUPE 2278), plus smaller BCGEU, Admin Executive, and Trades cohorts. Unionised structure with separate collective agreements per cohort.
Work-Life Balance
UBC sits in our Generous PTO category for its Management & Professional (M&P) cohort — the professional, technical, and senior administrative staff who make up the largest knowledge-work group at the university. The vacation policy at hr.ubc.ca states it verbatim:
"Management & Professional — Year 1: 1.67 days for each full month worked; Year 2-5: 4 weeks (20 days); Year 6-8: 5 weeks (25 days); Year 9+: 6 weeks (30 days)."
That's 20 days vacation in Year 1 (and beyond). Combined with British Columbia's 11 statutory holidays (Employment Standards Act, post-2023 with the addition of National Day for Truth & Reconciliation), total time off for new M&P hires is 31 days/year, scaling to 41 days for senior staff.
Caveat for support staff: CUPE 116-classified roles (technical, trades, services) start at 3 weeks (15 days) vacation in Year 1, scaling to 4 weeks at Year 5. Applicants for support-staff positions should expect a different schedule than the M&P number cited above.
Perks and Benefits
- 20 days vacation in Year 1 (M&P cohort), scaling to 30 days at Year 9+.
- 11 BC statutory holidays per year (National Day for Truth & Reconciliation added 2023).
- Comprehensive extended health + dental via Sun Life.
- Pension — UBC Staff Pension Plan or UBC Faculty Pension Plan (defined contribution).
- Sick leave and short/long-term disability.
- Parental leave top-up beyond Canadian EI (varies by union).
- Education benefits — tuition waivers for staff + dependents on a range of UBC programs.
- TransLink-subsidised commute and bike-friendly campus.
- On-campus recreation including UBC Aquatic Centre + Birdcoop fitness centre.
How to Apply
Apply via UBC Careers on Workday. Listings cover M&P, faculty, CUPE-support, and student/research roles across both campuses.