As the Professional Development Student Manager for Communications, you work closely with Associate Director Erin Herrmann, the 
Professional Development Student Manager (PDSM): Mentoring , and the 
Professional Development Student Manager (PDSM): Continuing Education to collaboratively coordinate all aspects of staff professional development across key programs and initiatives at the Writing Center, including tutor onboarding and ongoing education, 
The Mentoring Program, and events—from all-staff gatherings to staff socials.
Professional Development Student Manager (PDSM): Mentoring , and the Professional Development Student Manager (PDSM): Continuing Education to collaboratively coordinate all aspects of staff professional development across key programs and initiatives at the Writing Center, including tutor onboarding and ongoing education, The Mentoring Program, and events—from all-staff gatherings to staff socials. In your role as PDSM for Communications, your primary responsibilities include developing and distributing the staff newsletter, creating flyers and registration pages for events, promoting events, creating and managing quarterly Digication communities for Quarterly Check-ins, managing PD communications in Slack, and maintaining team communication in Notion.
Quarterly Check-ins, managing PD communications in Slack, and maintaining team communication in Notion. In addition to the role-specific work described above, you collaborate with your fellow PDSMs on planning and hosting events, support your fellow PDSMs in their responsibilities as able, serve as a 
Mentor, collaborate with other student managers to facilitate Tutor Talk, attend weekly team meetings, and may work as a Student Manager on Call (SMOC) one morning each week during regular Writing Center open hours each quarter.
Mentor, collaborate with other student managers to facilitate Tutor Talk, attend weekly team meetings, and may work as a Student Manager on Call (SMOC) one morning each week during regular Writing Center open hours each quarter.✨ Principal Duties & Responsibilities
As a Student Manager, duties and responsibilities ebb and flow throughout each quarter and over the course of an academic year. We are committed to making sure your duties and responsibilities are realistic and manageable.
Communications-Specific Role: Create and disperse professional development communications
- Draft, revise, and publish communications (e.g. newsletter, Slack posts, etc.) to keep staff up-to-date about events and Professional Development, including the quarterly PD Check-in process (timelines for quarterly SMART goal setting, ePortfolio development, and PD Check-ins)
- Draft, revise, and post SMAC update weekly
- Design event flyers, graphics, invitations, and registration pages as needed
- Set up lu.mas, Zoom links, and any other technical aspects of events
- Manage ongoing promotion of events to staff
- Gather relevant resources and manage follow up with any tutors who are absent from required all-staff professional development events
Communications-Specific Role: Manage communications-related needs across platforms
- Oversee scheduling—initial placeholders in WCOnline, record-keeping elsewhere as needed, and ongoing changes—for PD placeholders for reading the newsletter and working on quarterly goals and PD check-in reflections
- Follow the Writing Center Scheduling Order of Operations
- Manage ongoing processes and systems for organizing and managing professional development content and resources, such as maintaining team meeting agendas and a Notion database of team tasks
- Manage Slack channels—creation, content, membership, and engagement—relevant to professional development initiatives and events as needed
- Create and manage quarterly Digication communities for Quarterly Check-ins
All PDSMs: Develop and manage content and materials for professional development programs and events
- Manage professional development content in Notion, including onboarding materials and content specific to each program
- Review professional development content in the Writing Center Handbook and suggest changes as needed
- Collaborate to create, revise, and launch onboarding materials for new staff in Autumn Quarter, including the onboarding checklist, the Collaborative Observations process, etc.
- Support the Associate Director in developing agendas and materials for all-staff events like All-Staff Orientation and Winter Retreat
All PDSMs: Assist in planning and executing events
- Coordinate logistical planning and organization of PD events, including staff socials, mentor training, and other events that may arise
- Ensure all aspects of event planning are completed for each event, including room reservations, catering, flyers/registration, invitations, promotion, supplies, scheduling logistics, etc.
- Support Liz Awards planning and event management
- Assist with planning, logistics, and scheduling for other Writing Center events (e.g. all-staff events) when they arise
All PDSMs: Facilitate events
- Host portions of All-Staff Orientation and Winter Retreat (e.g. Conversation Cafe) as needed
- Facilitate Tutor Talk twice quarterly
- Host staff social events throughout the year
- Lead Autumn Quarter Mentor Training and facilitate any other mentoring professional development sessions as needed
All PDSMs: Support and engage tutors in professional development programs, initiatives, and events
- Develop new ways or initiatives to enhance tutors’ work (e.g. resource-sharing, ongoing observations, etc.)
- Seek tutor feedback at key points throughout the year through surveys or other means toward the goal of ongoing program improvement
Meet regularly with the Professional Development leadership team as well as one-on-one with the Associate Director as needed
Be an exemplary employee and leader of/model for other student employees
We count on Student Managers to be model employees and be a leader of and for other student employees on staff. This includes knowing and following our 
Policies and in general being invested in making our workplace as effective and collegial as possible. To be explicit, we do expect Student Managers to be highly invested in their work and to go above and beyond in solving problems that arise. We do not ask Student Managers to never make mistakes or face challenges at work, but rather to face challenges and own up to mistakes and work with their supervisor and team to learn from these experiences.
Policies and in general being invested in making our workplace as effective and collegial as possible. To be explicit, we do expect Student Managers to be highly invested in their work and to go above and beyond in solving problems that arise. We do not ask Student Managers to never make mistakes or face challenges at work, but rather to face challenges and own up to mistakes and work with their supervisor and team to learn from these experiences.Perform other tasks as assigned
🏆 Requirements & Qualifications
- Must be a current undergraduate or graduate student** employee in the Writing Center who will also be a student in the 2024-2025 Academic Year
- Commit to serving as a Student Manager for a full academic year, including at least 18 hours/week all 10 weeks of Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring Quarters, with the potential to work December Intersession depending on Writing Center budget and program needs
- PDSMs in their second or a subsequent year on the PD team may be eligible to work a partial academic year depending upon individual and team circumstances and needs
- In addition to working in the core Writing Center roles of
Writing Center Tutor 
Writing Fellow, and 
Receptionist—or in some cases, as 
Writing Group Facilitators—Professional Development Student Managers may not be on teams, given the time and focus required of this work
- Maintain a regular presence in the office to be a source of support to tutors and daily operations
- Demonstrate high-quality tutoring practices
- Demonstrate skills in collaboration, facilitation, and communication
- Must be able to be self-driven, to follow through, and to work independently
- Have a passion for connecting with others
🧑🏫 Principal Learning Objectives
- Develop an action-oriented vision to impact the direction of professional development at the Writing Center
- Exercise creative problem-solving and attention to detail in managing event planning and scheduling logistics
- Further develop leadership skills in collaboration, facilitation, and communication
- Exercise skills in organization and time management
🧑⚖️ Direct Supervisor
Associate Director, Erin Herrmann