POSITION TITLE: Media & Communications Design Assistant
UNIT & DEPARTMENT: Media & Communications
ELIGIBILITY: Must be a full-time domestic or full-time international student for Summer and Fall/Winter 2022-23 academic year. Domestic students must be work/study eligible and must complete the online Student Financial Profile. International students must be International Student Employment Fund (ISEF) eligible.
NUMBER OF POSITIONS: 1
RATE OF PAY: $18.00 per hour
EMPLOYMENT TERM: Summer 2023 and Fall/Winter 2023-24
HOURS OF WORK: Summer term = 34 hours per week. Fall/Winter term = 10-15 hours per week.
LOCATION: This position is intended to work on campus and those interested should only apply if they can be present on Keele campus during designated work hours. In the event the university decides to pivot to a remote work environment again, SCLD will determine how to best utilize staff to continue operations.
BECOMING YU: The Work Study Student program provides on-campus job opportunities for eligible York University undergraduate students. Work Study Student employees are provided opportunities to contribute to support roles while developing valuable, relevant skills and work experience for the workplace. These roles offer a learning and development opportunity for Work Study Student employees to receive experiential on-the-job training, guidance, and mentorship. Under the guidance of permanent staff members, Work Study Student employees will provide support to their relevant department/faculty in clerical, administrative and technical capacities. As part of your Work-Study/LEAP experience, you will participate in Becoming YU, a program designed to support students in:
- creating meaningful goals and objectives;
- recognizing the value of their personal, academic and professional experiences;
- identifying their competencies and skills; and
- articulating their skills and experiences with confidence.
Becoming YU includes regular meetings with your student employment supervisor/coach for reflecting on your progress and getting valuable feedback.
JOB DESCRIPTION:
This exciting team of student leaders provides social media, content, and communications support for the Office of Student Engagement which includes Student Community & Leadership Development, the Centre for Indigenous Student Services, and Residence Life.
But... What does this mean exactly?
This means that if you are well spoken, well written, and have more than a passing interest in social and digital media, then this is the job for you. In this roll you’ll be part of a four-person team responsible for planning, creating, implementing, and maintaining the day-to-day communications of Student Community & Leadership Development (which includes), Leadership, Orientation, Student Clubs & Organizations/YU Connect, YU START, Student Engagement), the Centre for Indigenous Student Services, and Residence Life. You will also get to work with our close partners in Health Education & Promotion and Learning Skills Services. That’s right, as part of the Media & Communications team you get to work with and help forge the voice of ALL these varied and exciting units.
With great power comes great responsibility
As a Media & Communications Design Assistant you will report directly to the Student Engagement & Media Coordinator. You will have a direct hand in creating communications and marketing content that serves to build community and foster school spirit and inclusivity. The content you create will be for both print and web and must always meet with the overall messaging of York University. You will be working with and managing the identity and brand of Student Engagement and the various units within SCLD, including ensuring proper use of the “I Heart YU” logo. As an ambassador of the Office of Student Engagement and York University you must also maintain an upstanding and responsible identity, both in person and online.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Desire to Learn
Let’s face it, you won’t be a ninja expert with every single skill we are looking for. And that’s okay, so long as you’re ready and willing to ask questions and learn what you don’t know.
There are four main skill sets that are integral to this position including:
- Information management, organization, planning, and scheduling
- Social/digital media
- Photography and video production
- Design
You will have a hand in all these areas but as the Media & Communications Design Assistant you will be primarily concerned with the design aspects of our team. We live in a world of visual communications, from the written text we read, to the photographs and posters that catch our eyes, and the videos that steal our attention. An eye for design can come naturally for some but is a learned discipline for most. Skills that are required in this aspect of the job include laser sharp attention to detail, boundless creativity, and a high degree of competence and experience working with digital design software like or including Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop.
Open to feedback
Just as important as the desire to learn is the ability to take feedback and implement it into working revisions of creative projects.
Other superpowers you will need:
- Excellent reading, writing and comprehension
- Oral communication skills
- Social media savvy with various channels including, but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, blogs, etc.
- Digital identity management
- Content curation
- Layout and design for print and web (Adobe suite of software preferred)
- Photography
- Video – shooting and editing
- Web design – WordPress, coding (nice to have)
- Time management
- Able to work in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities
- Ability to collaborate as part of a team while also working independently when needed
- Comfortable liaising with SCLD students and staff outside of your immediate team
- Creativity and thinking outside the box
- Dedication and enthusiasm
- Knowledge about all things York and engagement in the York community
- Work-Study eligible - please consult the Student Financial Services website to determine your Work-Study eligibility
WHAT STUDENTS WILL GAIN FROM THIS POSITION:
Orientation, Training and Ongoing Professional Development
- Work/study employees will receive a one-week comprehensive training program prior to commencing the position in which they will learn all about Student Community & Leadership Development, our mission, our office culture, expectations of the role and of student ambassadors.
- As part of this training program students will attend the one-day Peer Leadership Training Conference. This conference is specifically designed for students in peer leadership positions to gain knowledge about core training topics to help them perform their best throughout the year while networking with other peer leaders and professional staff from across the university. At this conference students are also introduced to the Becoming YU program.
Feedback, Ongoing Support and Reflection
- Work/Study students will attend a weekly team meeting where they will discuss current projects and best practices. They will also have the opportunity to ask questions and share success about their personal goals and achievements as related to the role, SCLD, campus involvement, and their academics should they relate to the role.
- Work/Study students will have monthly one-on-one meetings with their supervisor to discuss self-assessment and personal goals. This is also an opportunity to receive feedback and a performance review from the supervisor.
- Work/Study students will receive day-to-day coaching, guidance, and instruction from their supervisor.
Networking and Mentorship Opportunities
- Opportunity to work alongside the professional staff of Student Community & Leadership Development, gaining an in-depth understanding of the Student Affairs field with a specific focus on communications.
- Opportunity to meet and interact with prospective students, new students, current students and their families from all over the world both in person and online.
- Opportunity to meet and work with the diverse peer leader students not only form SCLD, but from all across the York community.
- Opportunity to market, promote, report on and participate in a wide array of York activities and events including recruitment, Orientation, transition, and various other campus-wide celebratory, spirit, and cultural events, etc.
- Opportunity to serve as a role-model for new and incoming student and other current students and peer leaders.
Personal and Professional Development, Classroom and Workplace Competencies
- Experience working within a professional office environment.
- Experience working with professional design software and creating professional marketing and promotion materials for print and digital.
- Experience taking and editing professional photographs for use in marketing and promotion materials.
- Experience working with professional video and editing equipment and software to create various forms of video content for instructional, marketing, and promotion on the web.
- Enhanced oral and written communications skills.
- Enhanced intercultural communications skills and awareness.
- Enhanced social and digital media communications skills.
- Enhanced awareness of and skill in producing accessible content for the web and social media.
- Increased knowledge of campus resources and events.
- Development of time management, workflow, and organizational skills.
- Increased ability to work and problem solve in a team environment.
- Increased independence, problem solving, and self-reliance.
- Development of comprehensive skills for creation of social media strategies and campaigns.
- Increased understanding and awareness of brand and reputation management, both personal and institutional.
- Increased ability to grow and manage online communities and diplomatically resolve online conflict.
MANDATORY TRAINING DATES:
- April/May (TBD) – Media & Communications Team Training
- April/May – Peer Leadership Training
- August – Joint Training for Fall/Winter Peers
- January 2024 - Annual Peer Leadership Summit
- Monthly PLT Professional Development training workshops
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS FOR APPLICATION:
*** Please Note: All applications MUST INCLUDE the Creative Storytelling Exercise. Applications that do not include the Creative Storytelling Exercise will be considered incomplete and not considered for the position. ***
- Using the online application form, please fill out the required information and upload / provide links to your cover letter, resume, and CREATIVE STORYTELLING EXERCISE.
- CREATIVE STORYTELLING EXERCISE
The role of a Media & Communications Design Assistant is to create communications and marketing content that serves to promote and support the initiatives of the various programs within the Office of Student Engagement and communicate those initiatives to students and the wider York community. Having a solid knowledge of the services and programs available to assist students with their academic career is one key aspect of the role. Another key aspect is to be familiar with the various services that Student Community & Leadership Development (SCLD) offers to support students and help them get involved in student life at York. As a Media & Communications Design Assistant you will need to be capable of communicating through writing and other creative means including, but not limited to written word, photography, video, and the web. You will need an understanding of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, WordPress, etc.
To gauge these skills, we are asking for you to submit a creative storytelling piece that tells the story of how you first came to York and got involved in student life on campus such as Orientation, student clubs, sports, etc. We want to see what specific skills and unique voice you can bring to the position. Your storytelling piece should demonstrate what multimedia elements you are familiar with so feel free to include things like photographs, videos, audio recordings, illustrations, cartoons, etc. You don't need to include all these elements, just what you're familiar with. You are encouraged to utilize any digital tools and social media platforms that you are comfortable with. And remember, BE CREATIVE!
- If you have questions, you may e-mail Michael Kasaboski, Student Engagement & Media Coordinator at mikekas@yorku.ca
- Complete applications are due no later than Monday, February 20 at 12pm.
- Here are a couple examples of what we are looking for in a Creative Storytelling Application. These examples happen to be videos, but you are free to use whatever medium you wish to tell your story: Example 1 Example 2
* All applicants are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the free services offered through the YorkU Career Education & Development Centre for resume, cover letter, and interview support.
APPLICATION CLOSING DATE: Monday, February 20 at 12pm
PLEASE NOTE:
- Only those applicants considered for an interview will be contacted.
- All applicants must submit their application using a @my.yorku.ca or if unpermitted, a @yorku.ca e-mail domain.
The University welcomes applications from all qualified individuals, including, but not limited to women, persons with disabilities, visible minorities (racialized), Indigenous Peoples and persons of any gender identity and sexual orientation. York University is committed to a positive, supportive and inclusive environment.
York University offers accommodation for applicants with disabilities in its recruitment processes. If you are contacted by York University regarding a job opportunity or testing, please advise if you require accommodation.