Writers’ Room Manager at the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science

826 Boston • Boston, MA

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

826 Boston seeks a communicative, organized, and flexible individual to serve as the Writers’ Room Manager at the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science (O’B). The role involves building on the current strengths of O’B Writers’ Room programs, engaging students in meaningful writing opportunities, supporting students’ social-emotional development, partnering with teachers to enhance writing instruction in their classrooms, and curating meaningful creative writing and youth leadership opportunities. 826 Boston serves students in the Boston Public Schools (BPS) district through its innovative Writers’ Room program. The O’B is a 7th-12th grade school in Roxbury with more than 1,500 students. It is one of three college preparatory public exam schools in Boston, which means that students must pass an admissions test or meet specific criteria to be admitted. The O’B was the site of the first 826 Boston Writers’ Room, which opened in 2013. 826 Boston is a nonprofit writing, tutoring, and publishing organization where students in grades K-12 and beyond can share their stories, amplify their voices, and develop as leaders in school and in life.

Requirements

• 3+ years of professional experience working in a K-12 school or education/youth development nonprofit
• Ability to create engaging programming environments that encourage innovative, creative, and student-centered thinking
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering community, building a strong sense of team, and embracing values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
• Knowledge of and fluency with social and racial justice, intersectionality, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ history, and historic/current systems of oppression
• Experience editing written work to prepare for publication
• Exceptional organizational, time, project management, and resource management skills
• Experience with and/or willingness to learn high school-level STEM tutoring practices
• Ability to give and receive feedback with humility, regulation, and tact
• Ability to incorporate anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices into analysis, planning, and programming
• Ability to take initiative, demonstrate flexibility, and thrive in a fast-paced environment
• Familiarity with the Boston Public Schools system, particularly the schools in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Jamaica Plain
• Experience with and/or willingness to learn Google Apps, Salesforce, Airtable, Canva, InDesign, and similar platforms as the organization’s needs evolve

Nice To Haves

• Proficiency in Spanish, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Haitian Creole, or Cape Verdean Creole preferred but not required

Responsibilities

• Develop, lead, and oversee programming at the 826 Boston Writers’ Room at the John D. O’Bryant School of Math and Science, including class support, drop-in tutoring, after-school clubs, creative writing workshops, and publishing projects
• Serve as the key liaison between 826 Boston and the O’Bryant community (students, teachers, and school administrators)
• Prepare, coach, and participate on a tutoring team of staff, interns, and volunteers to support 7th-12th grade students seeking writing support across all content areas (humanities and STEM); example assignments include short-form text-based writing assignments, research papers, and college essays
• Support students in developing social-emotional learning skills and processing life experiences through writing and other mediums
• Collaborate with the Publishing Manager in executing student-authored publications, including class books, a literary magazine, the student newspaper, and program-wide anthologies
• Provide support throughout the publication cycle—from giving feedback to student authors and copy editing the manuscript to designing the publication and planning the book release party
• Manage strong relationships with O’Bryant staff by actively collaborating with more than 15 teachers annually, representing 826 Boston at weekly partner meetings, and leading biannual meetings with school leadership
• Build, cultivate, and maintain partnerships with community members and organizations (e.g. local universities, writers, and artists) to offer programmatic opportunities in the Writers’ Room
• Collaborate with the Volunteer Management Team to onboard and train volunteers from partner universities and companies; oversee volunteer support by scheduling shifts, communicating teacher expectations, and providing consistent coaching, feedback, and support
• Manage relationship with Edvestors, a school improvement organization that funds our Slam Poetry Coach role; this includes attending occasional virtual meetings, submitting club rosters and grades by assigned deadlines, and ensuring the Writers’ Room is adhering to all grant requirements
• Collaborate with the nonprofit Mass Poetry to support the O’B Slam Team’s participation in its annual Teen Spoken Word Festival
• Provide regular training, coaching, feedback, and support to all O’Bryant Writers’ Room team members; guide direct reports in setting individual goals aligned with team and organizational priorities; identify areas for professional growth and provide relevant resources and training opportunities
• Supervise two full-time Writers’ Room Program Assistants, a part-time Slam Poetry Coach (6 hours/week), a College for Social Innovation Fellow (30 hours/week), and one-two part-time interns (8-20 hours/week)
• Submit biweekly progress updates to the College for Social Innovation Fellow program, complete two evaluations per semester, and communicate any challenges involving the fellow as they arise
• Communicate progress to supervisor and seek counsel when help is needed to execute goals
• Maintain program data and reporting, including tracking volunteer and student attendance, overseeing student and teacher surveys, collecting student release forms, and participating in biannual organization-wide presentations
• Coordinate program evaluation in partnership with the Senior Deputy Director to measure and monitor student progress, improve program design, and report out on program impact to school partners
• Support organization-wide summer programming
• Collaborate with the Development and Communications team to coordinate opportunities for O’Bryant students to perform or share original work at 826 Boston and community events
• Support In-School Program Co-Directors with leading monthly department meetings and completing administrative tasks, as needed
• Assist the Executive Director and Foundations Relations Director with scheduling visits to the Writers’ Room for potential donors, board members, and community partners
• Provide support at select outreach and fundraising events, including nights and weekends on rare occasions

Benefits

• flexible work from home options
• generous paid time off (including 15 PTO days, 5 days of sick leave, 13 paid holidays, 6 Summer Fridays off, and an organization-wide two-week winter break)
• health, dental, and vision insurance (826 Boston covers 80% of premiums)
• parental leave
• paid sabbatical

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed