OCAD University acknowledges the ancestral territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabeg and the Huron-Wendat, who are the original owners and custodians of the land on which we work, stand and create.
OCAD University, Canada’s largest and oldest art and design university, is a vibrant community of bold, curious and compassionate artists, designers and scholars who are imagining and creating a joyful, equitable and sustainable world. The University is an internationally renowned hub for art, design, digital media, research, innovation and creativity, and arts administration. It embraces collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to change-making through art, design-thinking curriculum and research, making OCAD U a local, regional, national and global leader in art and design.
It is an exciting time to join the OCAD U community. The University is at a key stage in its institutional transformation, with the implementation of its Academic and Strategic Plan and guiding principles—driving positive impact, decolonization, indigenization, and equity, environmental sustainability, emerging as a vibrant hub, student-centered approaches, innovation in learning, teaching, and research, and financial stewardship.
The Cultural Policy Hub at OCAD University is a partnership that facilitates and expands the arts and cultural sector’s capacity in policymaking, research, data analysis, program innovation, knowledge mobilization and exchange.
The Hub is hiring a part-time Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) to support a SSHRC-funded project on precarity and resilience in Canada’s arts and culture sector.
The GRA will support Dr. Hamidreza Sheshjavani on his research project titled “From Data to Action: A Digital-Era Framework for Measuring Organizational Precarity in Canada’s Arts and Culture Sector”, funded through a SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis Grant. The GRA will provide research support to the project by conducting literature reviews on cultural organizations' financial vulnerability to help build an evidence base upon which to test new models for measuring and evaluating resilience to precarity across the arts and culture sector. The GRA will also support the project by conducting data analysis and synthesis.
The Graduate Research Assistant will report to the Managing Director, Cultural Policy Hub and will take direction from Dr. Sheshjavani to support the project’s research goals and objectives.
Responsibilities:
-
Working under the supervision of the Principal Investigator, in support of the project’s research goals and objectives
-
Reviewing and synthesizing literature on organizational precarity and resilience across four dimensions (financials, access to cultural spaces, workforce, and governance) as well as other areas relevant to the project
-
Assisting with data collection, statistical analysis, and communicating insights through effective data visualizations, including charts and graphs.
-
Assisting with the preparation of project briefs and reports
-
Supporting the Hub policy team in other duties as assigned
-
Participating in the provision of safe and secure environment for all members of the University community and its facilities
Qualifications:
-
Completion of or current enrollment in a graduate program in Economics, Sociology, or other related social science disciplines, and/or equivalent training and professional experience
-
Demonstrated experience in conducting both quantitative and qualitative research, including literature reviews, data analysis and synthesis
-
Proficiency in Python and ability to work in Microsoft Office suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint);
-
Strong organizational, interpersonal, oral and written communications and independent problem-solving skills
-
Familiarity with Canada’s arts and culture sector and English/French bilingualism will be considered assets
-
Demonstrated commitment to the principles of equity and diversity and experience promoting a respectful work and learning environment for students, staff and faculty
Hours of Work: 10 hours per week over the period of September 7, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
Work Environment: The position will be primarily in-person with opportunities for occasional remote work. In-person work will take place at 230 Richmond St West (Cultural Policy Hub).
Compensation: $37.28 per hour, plus 6% in lieu of benefits plus vacation pay, as applicable, per the provisions of the Employment Standards Act
Please note the following:
-
Applicants must be eligible to work in Canada for any employer (with a valid work or study permit, SIN and Canadian bank account).
-
This appointment is conditional upon funding of the Project by OCAD U’s external funding partner(s)
-
If you are a work or study permit holder, please note a valid Social Insurance Number (SIN) and Canadian bank account is a condition of employment.
-
Current students at OCAD University will be given priority consideration for all Research Assistant positions, with the highest priority given to those not currently holding any other TA/RA positions at the University.
Applications should include:
-
A one-page cover letter explaining the candidate’s interest
-
A curriculum vitae
-
The contact information for three (3) referees
Please upload all three (3) components as one PDF. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please name your upload: FirstName_LastName-Job Code
Interested applicants are invited to submit their application in confidence addressed to Samuel La France, Managing Director, Cultural Policy Hub .
The review of applications will begin on August 21, 2026, and will continue until the position has been filled.
If you require application support, please contact the People & Culture Office. Please note that People & Culture cannot update you on the status of your application as these searches are decentralized. You will only be contacted if you are shortlisted for an interview. If the posting is advertised, we are still accepting applications.
As an employer committed to employment equity, we encourage applications from members of equity-seeking communities including women, racialized and Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions.
We encourage members of designated equity-seeking groups to self-identify within the voluntary Applicant Questionnaire.
OCAD U is committed to providing an inclusive and barrier free experience to applicants with accessibility needs. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage during the recruitment process. Please contact People & Culture for more information or refer to OCAD U’s Policy of Accommodation in Employment for Persons with Disabilities.
All qualified persons are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority. While we thank all candidates for their interest, only those short-listed will be contacted.
