About Writers Room and Second Story Collective

Writers Room is a university-community literary arts program engaged in creative placemaking and art for social justice. The program originated in 2014 at the Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships, Drexel University’s urban extension center located at the border of the Mantua and Powelton Village neighborhoods of West Philadelphia.

During the past eight years, with the help of our members—a diverse, intergenerational group of community residents and Drexel students/alumni and faculty/staff—Writers Room has developed a rich calendar of public arts program offerings: monthly workshops and cultural events, visiting writers, term-long classes, and year-long projects. 

Together with neighborhood and university partners, Writers Room embarked on a community-led design process for a Writers House that would provide room for public programming and act as a hub for intergenerational co-living houses nearby, creating a network of homeowners and student tenants whose shared interest in writing and storytelling forms the foundation for meaningful cohabitation. From this the Second Story Collective was formed.

Core to our work has been the co-creation of deep and authentic relationships across what might seem like significant differences. By first listening to, and then following, the collective needs and experiences of our students and neighbors, Writers Room has entered into the evolving field of creative placemaking—leveraging arts and creativity to serve our community’s interests for change.

Job Summary

The Writers Room of Drexel University is seeking a creative and experienced curator of programs to lead the development and management of programs for intergenerational audiences that include communities across Drexel’s students, faculty, alumni, and neighbors. The Programs Manager will work in collaboration with colleagues to support the flagship programming of Writers Room, to build foundational programming for the Second Story Collective, and to develop new offerings responsive to the needs and interests of our communities. The Manager will work with university and community partners to produce and present a wide range of programming drawing upon the interdisciplinary, co-creative approach that embodies the work of Writers Room.

The successful candidate will balance organization and creativity in their leadership and management while possessing a natural ability to collaborate and facilitate public conversations. They will be passionate about the humanities and the transformative capacity of the arts to draw people and communities together. They will be equally compelled by the importance of building a community that is inclusive and equitable and by the power of when people of diverse backgrounds share stories and lived experiences.

This is a grant-funded position that is contingent on sufficient funding.

Essential Functions

• Co-create and implement sustainable programs in line with Writers Room mission and culture.
• Work with staff and volunteers to schedule programs and manage implementation.
• Provide supervision, guidance, and support to programming staff and students.
• Oversee effective communications with programming staff, community members, and academic partners.
• Maintain and strengthen partnerships with university and neighborhood communities.
• Identify opportunities for partnerships, especially with arts and cultural organizations.
• Document programming activities for communications and reporting purposes.
• Develop and maintain a process for program evaluation to facilitate the implementation of responsive programming.
• Assist in the creation and distribution of printed, digital, and social media to promote and build the audience for programs.
• Follow grant parameters, maintain records, and contribute to grant reporting.
• Work with Writers Room team members to follow university administrative and budgetary procedures.
• Other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor's degree and 2 years of progressive leadership experience within a team setting or Equivalent.
• Demonstrated professionalism with the ability to organize and direct multiple activities simultaneously.
• Experience managing content creation and audience engagement with organizational social media accounts.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills.
• Strong partnership and collaboration skills.
• Demonstrated planning and project management skills in the delivery of programs for diverse constituents.
• Ability to self-start and creatively solve problems.
• Ability and willingness to work flexible hours including evenings and weekends.
• Ability to travel regionally.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in cultural organizations.
• Master’s degree.
• Strong background and/or interest in the arts and humanities.
• Motivated with a sense of passion for the humanities and arts-centered social change.

Location

University City, Philadelphia PA

Additional Information

This position is classified as Exempt with a grade of J, salary range $47,490 - $71,230. The offered rate is dependent upon internal equity and the successful candidate’s competencies, education, and experience.

For more information regarding Drexel’s Professional Staff salary structure and Compensation Guidelines & Policies, please visit the Compensation and Salaries website. 

Please review the Benefits Brochure for some information on our benefits offerings.

Special Instructions to the Applicant

Please make sure you upload your CV/resume and cover letter when submitting your application.

Review of applicants will begin once a suitable candidate pool is identified.