Research Assistant (Marketing & Communications) - Temp FT

SARCAN Recycling • Temporary • Saskatoon, Saskatchewan • 1w ago

Location: Saskatoon Head Office
Type: Temporary, Full-time; 12-Week Term position beginning June 1, 2026
Minimum Experience: Relevant post-secondary education in or a combination of education and experience
Apply By: May 18, 2026

Note: This position is funded by Canada Summer Jobs. To be hired for this position, the following criteria must be met:

Is between 15 and 30 years of age (inclusive) at the start of employment;
Is a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or person on whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, S.C. 2001, c. 27*; and
is legally entitled to work according to the relevant provincial / territorial legislation and regulations.

*International students are not eligible. Recent immigrants are eligible if they are Canadian citizens or permanent residents*

A career that counts.

SARCAN Recycling provides environmental protection, employment creation and economic development through a province-wide network for recycling beverage containers, electronics, paint, batteries and select household packaging. We were founded in 1988 by SARC, a provincial association that provides services to nonprofit organizations to expand their potential and support the work they do in their communities.

At SARCAN, we create meaningful careers that matter in communities all across the province. We are seeking a progressive individual to add to our success as a Summer Research Assistant. The Summer Research Assistant reports to the Associate Director of Strategy, Sustainability, and Culture.

Help us create a greener, more inclusive future for Saskatchewan by joining our team made up of people of all abilities.

At SARCAN we offer team members many opportunities, including:

An opportunity to make a difference in the lives of your fellow team members, our customers, and our environment.
An opportunity to succeed in a fun, supportive, accommodating and inclusive workplace.
An opportunity to learn through many hands on and online educational opportunities.
An opportunity to be rewarded fairly and equitably through competitive wages and benefits.
An opportunity to be a part of a Saskatchewan tradition and one of Canada’s most successful recycling systems.

The life of a SARCAN Summer Research Assistant:

Each and every SARCAN team member is an important part of our team and our community. As SARCAN’s Summer Research Assistant, you will be responsible for:

Engaging with the public through presentations on the importance of recycling, including newcomer centres, seniors centres, and schools or youth groups.
Assisting SARCAN’s Communications & Culture team with creating many more happy returns to our recycling depots through promotional activities. This will include creating promotional materials and participating in engagement activities for extended recycling services, such as our new household packaging recycling programs, event recycling stations, workplace and office space recycling stations, and school recycling efforts.
Helping expand rates of recycling in communities that currently do not have SARCAN Recycling depots in their community by encouraging the establishment of Community Refund Centers.
Completing comprehensive research studies on new recycling streams for SARCAN Recycling. As our recycling system seeks to expand our services to conserve more hard-to-recycle resources, the Summer Research Assistant will be involved in discovering what other products and resources could be recycled at SARCAN.
Performing an environmental scan of other jurisdictions in North America and Europe to discover potential new recycling streams, as well as assessing the recyclability of materials, and the stability of recycling markets.
Through research and customer engagement activities in Saskatchewan, the Summer Research Assistant will help predict future recycling trends and prepare our system to continuous improvement and innovation.
Researching extended producer responsibility models in jurisdictions outside of Saskatchewan, as well as determining if existing EPR programs wish to partner with SARCAN in the future on program expansion.
The Summer Research Assistant will be part of the SARCAN Collections team, working with a variety of members from this management team. They will be supervised by the Associate Director of Strategy, Sustainability, and Culture.
Completes other duties and projects as assigned
Becoming the biggest recycling expert among all of your family and friends

What are the skills you must have to perform this role?
To be successful as a Summer Research Assistant at SARCAN, you will need to:

Relevant post-secondary education, or a combination of education and experience; post-secondary students or new graduates are encouraged to apply
Education and experience in marketing and communications is an asset
Proven research skills
Strong critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills
Proficient in data collection and analysis techniques
Excellent written and verbal presentation skills including the ability to consolidate, analyze, and present generated data
A strong detail-oriented and resourceful mindset
Excellent organizational and time management skills
Outstanding communication and listening skills
Exhibit a strong degree of professionalism, while remaining highly-personable and approachable in the company of people of all abilities, cultures and backgrounds
Exhibit strong ethical conduct; acting with integrity, sensitivity, and confidentiality
Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft 365; comfortable learning new technical systems as needed.
Valid class 5 driver’s license; frequent travel throughout Saskatchewan is required
Provide a satisfactory criminal record check as a condition of employment

Are you interested in joining our team?
SARC/SARCAN Recycling is committed to advancing a diverse and inclusive environment. In fact, we were founded on these very values. We welcome individuals of all backgrounds, abilities, and life experiences. We believe that each team member’s differences are what bring us together, deepening understanding and respect for each other. We acknowledge there are barriers many individuals have faced and still face in employment. SARC/ SARCAN Recycling creates workplaces that are open, inclusive, and where all employees can contribute.

SARC/SARCAN will reasonably accommodate applicants’ needs, upon request, throughout all stages of the recruitment process. Please contact [email protected] with any accommodation requests or inquiries and a member of our Human Resources team will respond to you.

If you are interested in a career filled with opportunities that makes a difference in the lives of people all across Saskatchewan, please apply online via the QR code or submit your resume and cover letter by email to [email protected] by May 18, 2026.

We thank everyone for your interest in this position, however, only qualified applicants will be contacted.