Job Title: Outreach and Community Publishing Assistant
NB: This is an Undergraduate Research Assistant role (upper-level undergraduate preferred)
Application Deadline: August 28, 2026
Interviews: Sept. 8 & 9, 2026
Job Description:
This position will share their time between the Institute for Community Engaged Research (ICER) and ICER Press.
ICER unites researchers from a broad range of disciplinary backgrounds, including Anthropology, Gender Studies, Indigenous Studies, Economics, Education, Health Studies, Human Geography, Nursing, Social Work and Sociology. Sharing a commitment to research that supports diversity, equity, and social justice, the Institute facilitates the participation of community members, organizations, students, and academics as co-researchers. ICER is a hub for building relationships, collaboration, and effective knowledge creation and exchange.
ICER Press is a branch of ICER that supports the dissemination of community engaged research. In particular, the Press, in conjunction with ICER, works to document and share Community Engaged Research done by UBC Okanagan researchers and their community partners. The press supports both traditional and multi-modal publications including podcasts, videos of ICER workshops and symposiums, as well as reports, zines and dictionaries.
The Outreach and Community Publishing Assistant will be a diverse role that will support ICER outreach activities events, and also work with ICER Press to document these outreach activities and help create and promote multi-modal outputs (videos, podcasts, handbooks, and social media tool kits). The focus this year will be around supporting the symposium on best practices for Research Data Management in Community Engaged Research in the fall of 2026, and its multiple outputs.
ICER events include: a Community Engaged Research Data Management Symposium in the fall of 2026; and also a key-note speaker event held in partnership with the Centre for Climate Justice and the Institute for Biodiversity, Resilience, and Ecosystem Services (BRAES).
ICER Press activities include: assisting with video filming and editing of symposium talks and ICER events; assisting with creating and editing podcasts with symposium participants, which might include conducting interviews, depending on the comfort level of the student, and the one-time project of creating accessible, user-friendly templates to assist students, community partners, and researchers with multi-modal community publishing initiatives.
ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIP
The Outreach and Community Publishing Assistant will receive direct supervision and mentorship from both the Coordinator and Director at the Institute for Community Engaged Research, and the Executive Editor of ICER Press (the Coordinator at ICER, also acts as the managing editor of ICER Press]. The Co-supervisors will work closely with the Outreach and Community Publishing Assistant to ensure they have the tools and support to be successful in their position. The supervisors will be responsible for ensuring that the student has opportunities to perform work both independently and with the team. Questions and adaptation of timelines will be discussed at every meeting. All major decisions made by the Outreach and Community Publishing Assistant for Community Engaged Research will be reviewed by the supervisors to ensure a minimum standard is met.
The student and supervisors will review the plans and goals for this role with both ICER and ICER Press for the year. Together they will develop reasonable timelines, goals, and tasks which align with, and encourage the development of the student’s skills in outreach (communications, event planning re the symposium and workshops) and community publishing (template creation, the creation, editing and publication process) of various multi-modal outputs.
The Outreach and Community Publishing Assistant will have multiple opportunities to engage with additional UBC staff, faculty and community partners to further enrich their experience of mentorship (specifically staff at UBC Okanagan Studios, the AMP Lap, and the Library for technical and subject area support). Their participation in the Research Data Management Symposium in the fall will allow them to meet and engage with keynote experts from Montreal and the US, as well as local experts. Throughout the academic term, ICER will also host two welcome back social events, a Speaker series, the Storyteller series, and usually one or two other workshops on an aspect of Knowledge Mobilization and CER, which the student will be invited to participate.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Outreach and Community Publishing Assistant will work on multiple, inter-related projects of ICER and ICER Press. Their work will take into account their skillset, their areas of interest, their strengths and the areas of growth or challenge which they identify they would like to develop. With these factors in mind, the student will work on some or most of the following projects:
ICER projects:
- Review and amend with the supervisors the Institute’s research data management outreach plan for September 2026 to April 2027. The plan will focus mostly on the Research Data Management Symposium in the fall. Outputs of the symposium will also include a handbook to be published by ICER PRESS, as well as podcasts and videos that will showcase the Community Engaged Research data management best practices.
- Support and participate in the Research Data Management Symposium being organized for the Fall of 2026.
- Co-organize a series of workshops with distinct audiences (community partners, students, and faculty). These include ICER’s lunch time series “Starting the Conversation” (five per year), and the “Community Engaged Research Storyteller (two per year).
- Participate in various workshops and talks as appropriate and in deference to their schedule.
- Invitation to lead or co-lead a workshop/presentation on creating Community Engaged Research report and briefs, highlighting the CER Report templates used at ICER Press
ICER PRESS Projects:
Specific projects for this year include:
- Assistance with documenting presentations at the Research Data Management Symposium in the Fall of 2026. The student will assist with various outreach activities to share these best practices with different audiences (via workshops, social media, publications, podcasting and videos).
- Build the capacity of the press by co-creating user-friendly templates for Community Reports, Research Briefs and Policy Papers. This will involve ensuring the templates are effective from an accessible, user-friendly design, which allows for sharing a wide-range of content.
- Following the symposium, the student will work with the Research Data Management project team and ICER Press to finalize the design and layout of the Best Practices of Community Engaged Research Data Management Tool Kit. The toolkit will include:
- Co-designed handouts and workshop materials based on this research.
- A handbook based of the Symposium Presentations
- A tool kit with promotional material about Community Engaged Research Management best practices.
- Participate (according to comfort level and skill) with the creation of videos and podcasts related to Community-Based Research data management to be published by ICER Press.
- Collaborate with the ICER Coordinator to update the ICER Press website with documents, podcasts, and video content.
- Collaborate with ICER Press Editor to obtain appropriate publishing licenses and agreements.
QUALIFICATIONS AND PREFERRED SKILLS:
- Must be an undergraduate student at UBC Okanagan (preference for upper-level standing)
- Comfortable with technology and /or willingness to learn
- Familiarity with Audacity or Adobe Premiere, Adobe InDesign, Canva, (or other editing programs)
- Have taken or will be taking during the year a course in research design or methods in their home discipline
- Adept with (or willing to learn) social media including Instagram, YouTube, podcasting platforms, and Facebook
- Familiarity with Microsoft Office programs (Word and Excel)
- Comfortable working in groups, asking questions and receiving constructive feedback, able to work independently
- Enjoys memes, dogs, cats and goldfish with equal passion (aka – appreciates and contributes to a positive work environment)
- With support, is comfortable presenting information in a relaxed educational environment, or is willing to work towards this
- Preference for an interest in marketing, communications, knowledge mobilization, and community engaged research
BENEFITS:
- Hourly wage at CA $21/hour.
- Flexible hours and work schedule. Anticipate 12 hrs/week for 13 weeks September to December 2026. Possibility of extension in 2nd semester.
- Opportunity to lead a workshop/brown bag lunch talk
- Opportunity to:
- Develop and enhance technical communication, interpersonal, professional, and organizational skills.
- Gain experience in research data management best practices, knowledge mobilization practices including workshops, podcasting, interviewing, editing, design and the publishing process.
- Improve logistical coordinating skills for a professional environment.
- Obtain experience working with various students, community partners and professors in a collaborative work setting.
- Gain personal and professional growth, and large network, and sense of community.
- Enhance presentation skills
- Co-authorship on a handbook
- Opportunity to create, participate in and edit podcasts
- Learn about the variety of Community Engaged Initiatives happening at ICER and at UBC Okanagan
- Meet and talk with graduate students about their work and their graduate school experiences.
REPORTS TO:
The student will report to the Institute for Community Engaged Research Director and Coordinator/managing editor of ICER Press, and, also, the Executive Editor of ICER Press. The student will receive ongoing training and support from all three supervisors for different aspects of this role. The initial two weeks will be spent orienting the student to both the Institute and the Press, both physically, and to its culture, history and planned activities for the year. Weeks two and three will focus on training needs and creating a work plan for the rest of the year. This workplan will be a living document subject to change according to the needs of the student and collaborators.
WORKING CONDITIONS:
This is a part-time position. The student will work in an office environment, with potential for hybrid opportunities. The Institute is equipped with a small kitchen, and the student will have an assigned desk space in the Institute they can use during their non-work times as well.
To Apply:
Please send a cover letter and resume to: icer.ok@ubc.ca
In your cover letter, please include the following information:
- Interest in community engaged research, knowledge mobilization, publishing, data management, ethics (courses taken etc.).
- Experience with podcast or video editing, social media and / or design
- Career aspirations and areas of study
- What interests you about working at the Institute for Community Engaged Research and ICER Press
