Job location: Charlottesville, VA

The Young Writers Workshop (YWW) of the University of Virginia, established in 1982 as the nation's flagship program for teenage writers, is in its fifth decade of bringing together a community of writers from across the country and beyond its borders with a common purpose: to create a supportive, non-competitive environment where writers in grades 9-12 can live and work together as artists.  

Sponsored by the UVA School of Education and Human Development, the Young Writers Workshop is seeking a Director of Program Development and Student-Alumni Relations for its residential summer program for aspiring teenage writers. Director of Program Development and Student-Alumni Relations 1) manages student and alumni communications and outreach; 2) facilitates ongoing promotion of the summer residential program to prospective students; and 3) organizes digital and onsite alumni events.

Duties Include:

• developing and piloting online creative writing workshops for high school alumni during the academic year
• creating, posting, and managing weekly social media content across multiple platforms for prospective student audiences and alumni audiences
• ongoing development and management of content on the program’s student and alumni websites;
• participate in the documentation of summer residential program activities for purposes of future program academic-year development, outreach, and events;
• maintaining program archives that tell the evolving story of the program and its importance to multiple audiences and stakeholders
• research in support of grant writing and external funding opportunities.
• organizing and directing onsite and online alumni reunions, conferences, and readings; managing alumni email and phone communications

Minimum Requirements

• a Bachelor of Arts degree or comparable Bachelor degree, MT, M.Ed., or MFA degree preferred
• administrative and/or teaching experience in a creative writing program;
• experience in working with adolescents or in organizations serving adolescent learning and development
• skill with video and audio production software (e.g., Photoshop, Audacity);
• proficiency in Squarespace and website design;
• proficiency with social media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc.);
• proficiency in Word, Excel, and Google Suite
• strong interpersonal skills, teamwork, and sound judgement necessary to effectively represent the program to a variety of audiences (e.g., parents of prospective students, alumni, media representatives, program partners);
• strong leadership and organizational skills; experience supervising others responsible for administering and/or delivering program curricula and goals
• experience researching and evaluating program effectiveness as well as that of peer programs with a similar mission.

Application Instructions

Please apply through Workday and complete an application online. Please attach the following documents to your application.

• a cover letter;
• a CV, including contact information for 3 references;
• a 5 - 7 page sample of original writing in one or more creative genres;
• a 1 - 2 page statement of background and interest in program development, alumni relations and multimedia promotion, as well as experience and interest in the teaching of adolescent creative writers.

All documents can be loaded into the resume submission field, multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile. For questions about and assistance with the application process, please contact Margaret Weeks, HR Academic Recruiter. Before a formal offer of employment is extended, the selected candidate will undergo a background check per university policy.

Physical Demands
This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings, and programs.

COVID Vaccination Requirement

The University of Virginia expects all current and new employees (UVA Health System and Academic), to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

If hired to work within the University Health System, you will be required to provide proof of vaccination or be willing to receive the vaccination. Employees may request a medical or religious exemption from vaccination.

If hired to work on the Academic side of the University, excluding the School of Medicine, School of Nursing, UPG, and the Health Systems Library, you will be required to provide proof of vaccination or be willing to submit to mandatory, weekly prevalence testing. Employees that are working 100% remotely will not be subject to weekly prevalence testing; however, if the employee works on UVA Grounds (including the Medical Center) even intermittently, then they are required to be tested for COVID-19 once per week on an indefinite basis and follow masking mandates.

NOTE: Some medical and safety-sensitive positions require vaccination and are not eligible for an exemption. For more information on how the vaccination and testing requirements will apply to you at your work location, see the UVA New Hire Vaccination Requirements webpage.

The University of Virginia, including the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences. We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.