The Building Climate Resilience in Rural & Remote Communities Project is hiring a Research Assistant who specializes in writing and knowledge mobilization.
The Building Climate Resilience in Rural & Remote Communities project empowers rural, remote, and Indigenous communities by co-developing innovative solutions for better housing and safer technical equipment in changing climates. Our goal is to work together to augment and inform existing strategies, policies, regulations, and legislation in British Columbia with Indigenous & community driven knowledge and expertise to increase low carbon resilience in housing, technical systems, and energy security across the province.
Position Overview:
This project is joint research through Simon Fraser University (SFU) and the University of Victoria (UVic) and funded by the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS). We are seeking a detail-oriented, collaborative, and creative Research Assistant with expertise in academic and accessible writing as well as community-based research knowledge mobilization. The successful candidate will play a key role in outlining, developing, and contributing to community research outputs including academic publications, policy briefs, community-facing reports, web content, and marketing copy for engagement in knowledge mobilization efforts. Effective and accessible communication of the project’s objectives, findings, and resources into usable communications products for the intended target audience is crucial.
The project’s output will be primarily communicated through our website and on social media platforms through our partners at PICS and other collaborating organizations. Reports and policy papers will be developed and published on appropriate channels, such as in posts with CCI (Canadian Climate Institute), Explainer pieces on the PICS website, or sent to policymakers with a direct link, for example. The position will support presentations, webinars, workshops, and conference submissions. Technical papers, suitable for academic publication, may also be produced.
Key Responsibilities:
- Collaborate with the research team, community partners, and partner organizations to understand the project’s knowledge mobilization and communication goals, target audiences, and content writing needs
- Implement knowledge mobilization plan as a collaborator on a large, interdisciplinary team
- Outline outputs, develop a plan for each, and publish content on the appropriate channels
- Conduct research literature reviews and subject matter scans inclusive of technical and policy related content; support research interviews, qualitative and quantitative data synthesis, and publication writing that is targeted for the correct audience
- Integrate multimedia content, such as images, videos, and graphics, to enhance user engagement. This includes interactive elements such as data visualizations like maps, dashboards, and interactive visual storytelling elements found on our website alongside our website developer
- Support the translation of technical findings into accessible formats for non-technical audiences such as housing managers, community leaders, and policymakers
- Documentation and reporting as well as presentation of findings, engagement and communication with diverse audiences
- Work closely with Project Manager and other team members to document processes and provide training or guidance for future engagement and outputs.
- Contribute to maintaining a consistent voice and branding across project communication materials
- Such other duties and responsibilities as may reasonably be required from time to time
Qualifications:
- Experience in academic and community-based research knowledge mobilization
- Proficiency in communicating complex ideas to diverse audiences, from community members to policymakers and technical professionals
- Experience with qualitative and quantitative research methodologies
- Proficiency in plain language communication for audience-needs-based content creation
- Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams
- Strong writing and editing skills with demonstrated experience producing clear, concise, and engaging content
- Strong organizational and time-management skills that allow you to manage multiple outputs at once
- Comfortable working in a remote, digital environment and using common collaboration tools (e.g. Zoom, Microsoft 365 tools, shared drives, etc.) and having availability for in-person events and presentations
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience working on academic or research-related knowledge mobilization outputs and publications
- Solid understanding of and experience in accessible communications.
- Familiarity with policy briefs, reports, informative blog posts, and academic writing
- Graduate student, Masters or PhD
Employment Details:
- Hours: Part time, 20-30 hrs. per week based on needs
- Location: Remote, must be based in British Colombia
- Duration: 6 months with high likelihood of extension
- Compensation: $30-35/ hr. based on skills and experience
Application Process:
Please apply with a cover letter, resume and 2-3 writing examples (all in 1 PDF) to Kathryn Wells, Project Manager, Building Climate Resilience in Rural & Remote Communities Project, kathryn_wells@sfu.ca
Application deadline is Monday February 2nd, 2026
Please note:
- Only candidates chosen for an interview will be contacted. Late applications will be accepted if the position has not yet been filled.
- Anticipated start is February 2026, to be discussed with candidates in the interview process.