Program Director, Mighty Writers West

Posted by on June 03, 2013

About Mighty Writers
Mighty Writers is a nonprofit that teaches Philadelphia kids, seven to 17, to think and write with clarity. Our free, out-of-school writing programs in South Philadelphia have grown to serve 1,500 kids a year. We will expand to serve more students in a brand new West Philadelphia center in Summer 2013.

Position Description
The MW West Program Director will establish and manage a new Mighty Writers center for kids and teens in West Philadelphia. S/he will work with the Mighty Writers leadership team to replicate the organization’s signature South Philadelphia programs in a West Philadelphia community. The MW West Program Director will establish and oversee an aggressive lineup of out-of-school programs, five days/evenings a week, supported in large part by a robust volunteer program.

Responsibilities

• Be the full-time face of Mighty Writers West and help build community within and around the new center.
• Recruit kids and teens for programs, workshops and mentorships through targeted outreach to students, parents, educators and community members.
• Build and manage a volunteer program for Mighty Writers West.
• Manage and implement writing curriculum for the MW West Academy four days a week for kids in grades 3-8.
• Manage a series of writing workshops (45-50 onetime and multi-session workshops per year), delivered by volunteers for students from various age groups.
• Schedule and support college prep programs for high school students, including SAT prep courses and college essay writing events.
• Manage an internship program that may include college and high school students.
• Build and manage a one-to-one mentorship program, pairing grown-up volunteers with students for consistent weekly support.
• Support evaluation to track and measure student progress across programs.

The successful applicant will be entrepreneurial: able to build unique programs, to be accountable and to take ownership of program results. S/he will have high expectations for Philadelphia students, will work well with diverse constituencies and will have a good rapport with people of all ages and backgrounds, including children, teenagers, parents and volunteers. S/he will be self-motivated, work well under pressure and be able to handle several projects at once. S/he will have good judgment and an eye for detail as well as the ability to see the big picture.

Supervisory

• The MW West Program Director will directly supervise one employee, the Youth Coordinator for MW West.
• The MW West Program Director will be responsible for building, training and managing a volunteer program at MW West, to ultimately include 300 volunteers annually.

Education and Work Experience

• Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent prior experience.
• Some experience working directly with city youth in an educational setting.

Qualifications

• A strongly held educational philosophy of how to inspire kids to write and succeed.
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.
• Strong research, organizational, time management and computer skills.
• Proven management and leadership capabilities.
• Interest, enthusiasm and affinity for working with children, youth and adults.

Please submit resume and cover letter to mleyman@mightywriters.org by June 12, 2013.

Cover letter should answer these questions:

1. What is your educational philosophy of how to inspire kids to write and succeed? Where does this philosophy come from?

2. How does your previous work and life experience qualify you to take on this startup position managing a new Mighty Writers center in West Philadelphia?

Mighty Writers is an equal opportunity employer that encourages diversity in the workplace.