About the Role
WITS Writers are professional writers, poets, spoken word artists, and all those who share their love of creative writing instruction. Writers engage in long and short-term residencies in K-12 schools paired with the classroom teacher to bring creative experiences to students. Writers also lead writing residencies in community spaces such as libraries, hospitals, community centers, and after-school programs. Residencies generally culminate in year-end student publications to memorialize and celebrate student work. WITS Writers are part-time, contract employees. Applicants should have school day availability (8am-4pm) during the school year.
WITS accepts applications on a rolling basis throughout the school year. Hiring is primarily done in September for the school year and February for the Summer.
About the Company
WITS is an equal opportunity employer. WITS’ policy prohibits unlawful discrimination against any applicant or employee based on any legally-recognized basis, including, but not limited to: veteran status, uniformed service member status, race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information or any other consideration protected by federal, state or local law.
Qualifications
Qualifications:
● Bachelor’s Degree (required)
● 3+ years of professional experience (preferred)
Objective and Overview:
● Support the operations of the Program Team
● Support the hiring, training, and payment of writers
● Implement the system and maintain the platform for data collection and analysis
● Facilitate the summer internship program
Duties and Responsibilities:
● Writers
○ Assist in the hiring process of new writers by scheduling interviews, posting
applications, and managing applicant correspondence
○ Facilitate the writer timesheet process in tandem with the Program Manager and
Senior Accountant
○ Track the writer visits using the timesheet system
○ Work with the Program Coordinators to maintain supplies for writers by checking
supply levels and altering Program Coordinators when orders need to be made.
○ Update and maintain file of writer bios, headshots, and availability information
○ Assist with writer trainings
○ Maintain communication with writers by altering writers of upcoming deadlines
and events
○ Update Writer Handbook annually
● Schools
○ Facilitate the process for creating, editing, and distributing WITS Anthologies
○ Assist School Program Coordinator with Blooms and Menil Youth Writers
Readings
○ Facilitate, schedule, and take notes at planning meetings
○ Update caseload document following planning meetings
○ Schedule Menil field trips and coordinate with Menil lead writer and Menil staff
○ Distribute and collect student surveys and media release forms for each in-school
placement
○ Maintain supplies in the Menil WITS writing closet
○ Maintain and collect writer contracts
● Tuition- Based Programs
○ Respond to emails in the cwc@witshouston.org in a timely manner
○ Respond to parent inquiries regarding summer programming on the phone and via
email
○ Email CWC parent packets and class/teacher information
○ Lead the recruitment, training and placement of summer interns
○ Maintain the base supplies for each summer program
○ Organize and distribute CWC t-shirts
● Club WITS
○ Maintain Club WITS Interest Form and share information with Program
Coordinator
○ Organize supplies for Club WITS Writers
○ Create Broadsides for Club WITS students
● Community
○ Assist with Free Verse and the Meta4 Slam Series
○ Gather supplies for community tabling events
○ Assist in the Houston Youth Poet Laureate process including planning,
interviewing, and celebrations
● Evaluation and Assessment
○ Support the Program Coordinators in the evaluations of grant-funded programs
○ Collaborate with the Program Team on the identification and implementation of
evaluation tools
○ Collect impact metric submissions and log impact metric data
○ Distribute and collect surveys from teacher and principals at the beginning and
end of each placement