About the Opportunity
826 Boston seeks a creative team member with strong organizational skills to serve as the Writers’ Room Coordinator at the Boston Teachers Union School (BTU). 826 Boston is rapidly expanding to serve more students in the Boston Public Schools through its innovative Writers’ Room Program, and the Coordinator will lead programming and volunteer support at one of 826 Boston’s most tenured Writers’ Room. This is an exciting opportunity to join the organization during a time of growth and play a key role in driving impact.
Apply online at https://826boston.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=17.
About 826 Boston
826 Boston is a nonprofit youth writing and publishing organization located in Roxbury, Massachusetts, that empowers traditionally underserved students ages 6-18 to find their voices, tell their stories, and gain communication skills to succeed in school and in life. Our high-impact programs are based on the understanding that great leaps in learning can occur with one-on-one attention, and that writing skills are fundamental to future success.
826 Boston is part of a national network of youth writing centers, founded by the award-winning author Dave Eggers, which was voted one of the top 30 companies to work for by Good Magazine. Since opening in 2007, 826 Boston has delivered its free youth writing and tutoring programs to more than 25,000 students and has been recognized by The Boston Globe as one of the best places in the city to volunteer. 826 Boston’s youth writers have published their work in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and in numerous award-winning 826 Boston books, including A Place for Me in the World, which was hailed as a “triumph of middle school education” by The Boston Globe. In 2014, the 826 network garnered the American Literacy Prize from the Library of Congress for its pioneering work to eradicate illiteracy in the United States.
Responsibilities:
Program Coordination
- Coordinate programming, including classroom drop-in visits and publishing projects, at the 826 Boston Writers’ Room at the BTU; ensure progress towards annual and strategic planning goals; ensure that the expectations of funders, partners, participants, and other stakeholders are consistently met
- Serve as key liaison between 826 Boston, university partners, and BTU students, staff, and administration
- Communicate project progress to Writers’ Room Manager and seek counsel when help is needed to execute goals
- Coordinate with the programs and communications teams on Writers’ Room program-wide collections and BTU literary anthologies, along with corresponding release parties
- Coordinate in-house bound classroom publications and corresponding release party project management
Personnel Management
- Supervise BTU Writers’ Room team, comprised of two AmeriCorps service members and one to two interns who will provide direct service and perform administrative tasks
- Translate project and initiative goals into individual responsibilities and delegate accordingly
- Provide day-to-day support to the team, differentiating styles based on individual reports and assignments
Data Collection and Evaluation
- Coordinate the administration of all assessments distributed by the Writers’ Room Manager, including but not limited to: the National Writing Project, the Northeastern longitudinal study, 826 National surveys
- Collaborate with the Writers’ Room Manager to collect and document program impact
- Track progress toward annual programming goals and report to the team on a quarterly basis
Community Partnerships
- Build, cultivate, and manage strong relationships with BTU school leadership and community, local universities, and other community partners, artists, and leaders to offer potential programmatic partnership and volunteer pipelines for BTU Writers’ Room
- Represent 826 Boston publicly at relevant conferences and meetings within the BTU community
- Collaborate with the volunteer management team to recruit, onboard, and train volunteers from partner universities and companies for BTU Writers’ Room
- Collaborate with the Volunteer Management Team to develop and lead community-based recruitment events for BTU Writers’ Room
Additional Responsibilities
- Support programs team during summer youth program opportunities
- Coordinate program elements and youth participation from BTU Writers’ Room in 826 Boston’s annual fundraising and community events
- Represent 826 Boston at donor and foundation visits and other stakeholder tours within Burke Writers’ Room; provide support at a select number of outreach and fundraising events, as needed
- Support Writers’ Room Manager with administrative tasks, as needed
Qualifications:
The ideal candidate is a team player with a steadfast commitment to improving the quality of K-12 education, a desire to work in a collaborative and inclusive culture, and a passion for youth empowerment through writing and publishing.
Skills and experiences:
- Bachelor’s degree in English, education, creative writing or related field or equivalent relevant work experience required
- 2+ years of professional experience working in a K-12 school, education, or youth development nonprofit
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Strong organizational, time, project management, and resource management skills; high attention to detail
- Ability to participate in open communication to build community and foster team goals inclusive of the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives
- Ability to work independently and successfully operate a program at a satellite
- location
- Familiarity with the Boston Public Schools system, particularly the schools in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Jamaica Plain
- Self-starter attitude, high level of flexibility, and ability to thrive in a fast-paced, startup environment
- Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office
- Proficiency in Spanish, Cape Verdean or Haitian Creole preferred
- Licensure in teaching English or another subject preferred
- Experience with InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, or similar tool, as well as journalism and/or book publishing preferred
Core competencies associated with this role:
- Develops individual work plans with goals and interim milestones to manage one’s own work, ensuring high-quality and timely delivery
- Communicates project progress to manager and seeks counsel when help is needed to execute goals
- Seeks to understand own strengths and limitations; is open to seek out feedback and opportunities to grow
- Approaches new ideas, changes in work, or challenges with a sense of possibility, openness, positivity, and solutions-based aptitude
- Values and prioritizes unparalleled service to students, such that stakeholders desire ongoing engagement with 826 Boston
Salary and Benefits: $38,000–$43,000 per year. Benefits include generous paid time off (including vacation, sick leave, holidays, and winter break); health and dental insurance (826 Boston covers 80% of premiums); parental leave; and more.
This is a non-exempt, full-time position that reports to the Writers’ Room Manager. 826 Boston is an equal opportunity employer committed to being a multicultural organization. Candidates from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Deadline to apply is May 28, 2019.
Apply online at https://826boston.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=17.