Communications Assistant

Program stream:: Young Canada Works in Heritage Organizations
Job title:: Communications Assistant
Organization name:: Ontario Museum Association
Job location:: Toronto, Ontario
Length of assignment:: 2018-06-20 to 2018-09-12 (12 weeks)
Hourly wage:: $17.00

The Ontario Museum Association (OMA) is a not-for-profit member organization with a mission to strengthen capacity among institutions and individuals active in Ontario’s museum sector, facilitate excellence and best practices, and improve the communication and collaboration of its membership. The Association advocates for the important role of Ontario’s museums to society, working with all stakeholders, related sectors and industries, and other professional organizations. The OMA is based in Toronto, but has a mandate to serve museums and museum workers in all parts of the province.

The OMA is seeking a Communications Assistant to support OMA engagement and the sharing of resources and information with its membership, in order to further the OMA’s goal to strengthen skills, knowledge, innovation and excellence in museum work across Ontario. The Communications Assistant will help to develop an updated communications plan for the OMA’s social media and other communications channels, maintain OMA social media platforms, and review and research strategies to strengthen member engagement in local, provincial and national heritage and museum sector events (such as Heritage Week, Culture Days, May is Museum Month, and International Museum Day). The Communications Assistant will assure that the Association’s membership is well-informed, engaged, and has increased access to and awareness of vital OMA resources.

This position provides an opportunity for the successful candidate to gain skills in developing and implementing a communications plan, engaging effectively with a broad range of members over various social media platforms and communications channels, creating content for digital engagement, and coordinating access to resources in compliance with AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) and UX (User Experience) best practices. The Communications Assistant will have the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of communications planning in the museum sector, as well as of provincial and national heritage and museum initiatives. The position includes a free one-year membership to the OMA.

Responsibilities

• Work with the Supervisor to confirm a detailed work plan, with deadlines for specific tasks.
• Assist with general office-related tasks, such as responding to member inquiries by email and phone, assisting with filing, photocopying, mailings, etc.
• Research and review provincial and national cultural heritage and museum organizations’ communications plans and strategies
• Update and maintain the OMA’s social media and communications channels (including the weekly e-newsletter and posting to the Association’s Listserv electronic mailing list)
• Research and review templates for member engagement in heritage and museum events (such as Heritage Week, May is Museum Month, and Culture Days)
• Leverage key cultural heritage and museum events and dates in order to promote involvement and discussion among membership and their communities
• Assist the Research Assistant – Resources in sharing important OMA information with its membership by organizing and updating the resources section of the OMA’s member portal
• Assist in creating promotional materials for OMA programs and initiatives
• Create images and designs for use in OMA communications, both online and in print
• Develop templates for easy and effective member engagement in province- and nation-wide cultural and museum special days and digital engagement initiatives
• Integrate Diversity and Inclusion and Indigenous Heritage Project initiatives on the OMA member portal
• Participate in weekly staff meetings with updates on project status
Requirements

• Enrolled in a museum studies program or related field, with some knowledge and experience working with cultural organizations
• Strong computer skills, proficiency with word-processing software, web editing software and proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign)
• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work and perform effectively in a multi-tasking, fast-paced team environment
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Knowledge of and interest in digital engagement and analytics an asset
• French language comprehension would also be an asset

Application Procedure:

Please send a personalized cover letter, resume, and two reference letters by to the Professional Development Program Manager, at pd@museumsontario.ca.

The OMA is committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from visible minority group members, women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, members of sexual minority groups, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. Only those selected for interviews will be contacted.

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