Assistant Director of College Writing

Pitzer College • Claremont, CA

54d • $71,000 - $74,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Pitzer College seeks a collaborative writing program administrator with a commitment to the liberal arts and a record of success in writing instruction and administration to serve as Assistant Director of College Writing. The twelve-month staff position supports the implementation of strategic initiatives within College Writing, a writing across the curriculum program that houses a vibrant Writing Center. The Assistant Director plays a key role in advancing inclusive and theoretically informed writing pedagogies across the curriculum, with particular attention to first-year writing, student research, and multimodal literacies. The Assistant Director joins an interdisciplinary team comprising a tenured Senior Director of College Writing, a Writing Center Director, a Coordinator, and 35-40 undergraduate Writing Fellows. Reporting to the Senior Director of College Writing, the Assistant Director brings intellectual vision, organizational skill and collaborative leadership to the development and support of writing practices and pedagogies. The Assistant Director will collaborate closely with the Senior Director of College Writing to support faculty as teachers and writers, enrich student-facing support for research and multimodal communication, contribute to the meaningful assessment of writing and its support, and develop programming responsive to evolving needs in communication across the curriculum. In consultation with the Senior Director of College Writing, the Assistant Director teaches one community-based writing course per academic year housed in the Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures field group. In addition, the Assistant Director engages in co-curricular teaching by facilitating writing workshops and developing instructional resources for students.

Requirements

• Strong theoretical knowledge of current developments in writing studies, in particular first-year writing, writing-enriched curricula, and/or writing assessment.
• Experience with or interest in community-based writing pedagogies.
• Strong leadership and collaboration skills with a commitment to a team-based work environment.
• Natural aptitude for technology and expertise with MS Office, including expert level use of Excel.
• Ability to problem-solve and use analytical skills to develop and implement creative solutions.
• Strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to take initiative to work proactively, meet deadlines, organize and prioritize multiple projects, think strategically, and work with numbers and data.
• Exhibit personal integrity and ability to appropriately handle confidential and sensitive information.
• Exhibit a positive attitude, strong work ethic, and sound professional judgment.
• Ph.D. in English or a related liberal arts field with demonstrated expertise in writing studies.
• Evidence of excellence in teaching writing at the undergraduate level.
• Strong communication, organizational, and collaborative skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with faculty, staff, and students across disciplinary and institutional contexts.
• At least two years of experience in writing or academic support administration.

Nice To Haves

• At least one year of experience with writing or program-related assessment.
• Record of success in inclusive and equity-minded writing pedagogies.
• Experience coordinating faculty development workshops or initiatives.
• Interest in or experience teaching literacies or developing thoughtful pedagogies responsive to emerging technologies.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Senior Director of College Writing in implementing strategic goals and initiatives for writing-across-the-curriculum informed by research in writing studies and innovative practices at small liberal arts colleges.
• Assist the Senior Director in coordinating faculty workshops and resources that support the teaching of writing in the First-Year Seminar program, including maintaining a digital archive of resources and local teaching materials.
• Create and facilitate in-class writing workshops for students in collaboration with faculty in the First-Year Seminar Program and the broader curriculum.
• Build a peer-led writing workshops program, collaborating with Writing Fellows to develop and co-lead writing workshops for faculty across the curriculum.
• Publicize College Writing events by creating flyers and overseeing a weekly newsletter that advertises student and faculty resources, events, and achievements related to writing and its support.
• Coordinate a cohesive set of initiatives to support student research, including launching a peer-reviewed journal of student research; and developing and disseminating resources on senior thesis writing and academic publication.
• Provide administrative support for an embedded Writing Fellows program in the First-Year Seminar program, the Fellowship Office, and the curriculum at large, including supporting the Senior Director in training of up to 25 embedded Fellows each year.
• Collaboratively develop student-focused support for oral communication and multimodal writing and reading competencies through the creation of training workshops and other resources in support of the peer tutor education program for Writing Fellows.
• Support the Senior Director in the development and dissemination of thoughtful, WAC-based teaching resources including handouts on assignment design, feedback strategies, rubrics, and writing pedagogies responsive to emerging needs and technologies.
• Assist the Senior Director in the coordination of faculty writing retreats, particularly during semester breaks and the summer.
• Collaborate with the Senior Director of College Writing to involve embedded Fellows in program-related research, resource development, and leadership.
• Support program-related assessment, including tracking WAC initiatives and refining instruments to identify impact, gaps and areas for improvement.
• Assist the Senior Director of College Writing and Writing Center Director in the hiring of both embedded and generalist Writing Fellows each year, including reviewing application materials, facilitating committees, and conducting interviews.
• Participate in meetings related to WAC programming and assessments, as assigned by the Senior Director.
• Maintain an active presence in College Writing, including the Writing Center, through the mentoring of Fellows and outreach to faculty and offices in collaboration with the Senior Director of College Writing.
• Engage in program-related professional development in the field of writing studies to stay current with new developments in the field.
• Perform other duties, as assigned.

Benefits

• Pitzer College is committed to providing comprehensive benefits to eligible employees and their eligible dependents.
• Our benefits package includes competitive compensation, health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement savings plans, generous paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick time, parental leave, bereavement, etc.), tuition reimbursement, tuition exchange program participation and more.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree