Research Assistant (Digital Content Specialist)

at  Western University

ABOUT WESTERN

Since 1878, Western University has been committed to serving our communities through the pursuit of academic excellence and by providing students, faculty, and community members with life-long opportunities for intellectual, social, and cultural growth. We seek excellent students, faculty, and staff to join us in what has become known as the “Western Experience” - an opportunity to contribute to a better world through the development of new knowledge, new abilities, new connections, and new ways to make a difference.

ABOUT US

The Faculty of Education will transform education and transform lives by leading and contributing to teaching excellence in research-intensive academic and professional programs, and through world-class research that produces measurable and high-quality social impact that benefits society. We are committed to enhancing equity and accessibility for all learners, and culturally and socially responsive knowledge brokering and mobilization.

Education:

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant area of focus (Preference will be given to applicants with a background in Education (e.g., Bachelor of Education) and/or Communications, Journalism, Marketing, or related field

Experience:

• 1 year of relevant experience in professional digital content planning, writing, editing, and engagemen

Skills, Abilities & Expertise:

• Demonstrated prior knowledge of and experience with social media platforms and their analytic functions, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.
• Prior knowledge of social media best practices including knowledge of software to perform such practices (E.g, Canva for visuals)
• Prior knowledge of social media planning including but not limited to content planning, calendars, dashboards, and scheduling.
• Demonstrated knowledge of social media strategies including analyses of efficacy of these strategies
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with social media analytics programs
• Experience with advertising on various social media platforms
• Familiar with live broadcasting (like Periscope, Facebook Live, etc.) and capturing live content including interviews
• Experience working with Canva, Adobe Photoshop, or other design software
• Strong ability to prioritize and work on multiple platforms and priorities while meeting tight deadlines
• Comprehensive understanding of the Ontario education system from K-12, with knowledge of larger local and international education systems
• Familiarity with reading and analysing research for the purpose of distributing key information
• Must be an independent worker and have leadership skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong critical thinking skills
• French and English language skills are considered an asset
• Video creation and editing skills are considered an asset
• Candidate must have the ability to occasionally travel and work nights and/or weekends as require

As the Research Assistant (Digital Content Specialist) with your social media skills and experience, combined with your in-depth knowledge of Ontario’s public education system, you will promote the research, products, and events of one of our education researchers, as deemed appropriate. You will play a key role in advising on best practices for content organization and presentation in a web and mobile environment, as well as do the strategic social media planning, execution, and analytics. This role will also assist with maintenance of content on the researcher’s website. The incumbent will be required to build relationships with the researcher’s audiences, including, but not limited to, other academic researchers in education, provincial governments and professional associations, educators in public education, school boards, and other stakeholders and partners – through conversation and active listening. The Research Assistant (Digital Content Specialist) will also identify and engage social influences important to the researcher’s areas of focus and identify topics in real time to make connections where relevant. The role will also set key performance indicators (KPIs), gather and analyze metrics and provide reporting and recommendations for social media activities. This is a virtual position with a flexible work schedule.
Qualifications

Education:

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant area of focus (Preference will be given to applicants with a background in Education (e.g., Bachelor of Education) and/or Communications, Journalism, Marketing, or related field)

Experience:

• 1 year of relevant experience in professional digital content planning, writing, editing, and engagement

Skills, Abilities & Expertise:

• Demonstrated prior knowledge of and experience with social media platforms and their analytic functions, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.
• Prior knowledge of social media best practices including knowledge of software to perform such practices (E.g, Canva for visuals)
• Prior knowledge of social media planning including but not limited to content planning, calendars, dashboards, and scheduling.
• Demonstrated knowledge of social media strategies including analyses of efficacy of these strategies
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with social media analytics programs
• Experience with advertising on various social media platforms
• Familiar with live broadcasting (like Periscope, Facebook Live, etc.) and capturing live content including interviews
• Experience working with Canva, Adobe Photoshop, or other design software
• Strong ability to prioritize and work on multiple platforms and priorities while meeting tight deadlines
• Comprehensive understanding of the Ontario education system from K-12, with knowledge of larger local and international education systems
• Familiarity with reading and analysing research for the purpose of distributing key information
• Must be an independent worker and have leadership skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong critical thinking skills
• French and English language skills are considered an asset
• Video creation and editing skills are considered an asset
• Candidate must have the ability to occasionally travel and work nights and/or weekends as required