Student Support Assistant

GrubStreet is the leading literary arts center in the country, located in the Seaport District in Boston, Massachusetts. We are a passionate and dedicated team of professionals who take pride in our work and are committed to creating a warm and supportive work environment.

GrubStreet is seeking a Student Support Assistant to help writers easily navigate our offerings, answer questions from our community members, and ensure seamless participation in our programming. The Student Support Assistant will help with email and phone communications, support enrollment processes in special programming, ensure class information on our website is up-to-date, and proactively engage with student feedback. As a member of the Education team, the Student Support Assistant will attend team meetings and help to refine systems and best practices across many education initiatives at GrubStreet. The ideal candidate for this position will have prior customer service experience, familiarity with creative writing, superior written and verbal communication skills, and an enthusiasm for ensuring that GrubStreet is a welcoming space for all writers in our community.

This is a part-time role scheduled Monday through Thursday, 1:30 PM - 6:30 PM with hybrid flexibility on Tuesday and Thursday. The Student Support Assistant reports to the Writing Programs Senior Manager and will work closely with the Writing Programs Associate and seasonal teen programming staff.

GrubStreet strives to dismantle every system, process, or structure that would discourage any person from working with us. We actively seek diversity, equity and inclusivity because the excellence of our work and the value of its impact depend on them. We strive to create an environment where the perspectives we bring to our work are valued as much as the work we produce.

Responsibilities

Communications

• Provide support to GrubStreet students via department inboxes and via phone, with a goal of responding to all inquiries within 24 business hours
• Proactively follow up with students based on survey feedback, looping in Director of Faculty as necessary

Class and Event Support

• As needed, support in the delivery of in-person classes and events. This work can include coordinating class materials, setting up for occasional events, and helping with the coordination of any special in-person initiatives.
• Support in coordination and delivery of various reading and graduation events
• Support in posting classes to the website and maintaining up-to-date information on class pages

Special Programs Administration

• Support Director of Faculty in helping students enroll in our intensive programming, including updating applications, tracking spreadsheets, and submission forms
• Coordinate with the Finance team and Director of Faculty and Fellowships on student refund requests.
• Manage schedule for sending out student surveys at key points during and after the programs end.
• Manage application calendar/timeline for opening/closing applications; manage student/fellows’ notification process; coordinate with Marketing and instructors on scheduling open houses/info sessions.
• Create/submit invoices as needed for vendor/guest speaker payments
• Create registration pages for each round of Intensives and support accepted students in registering for their classes
• Help track attendance/registrations for alumni events
• Create class/event registration pages for alumni classes/events on GrubStreet’s website

Qualifications

We acknowledge that there may be exceptional candidates who may not fulfill all these criteria, and we are aware that you might offer valuable insights, experiences, and skill sets that we haven't considered. If this resonates with you, we encourage you to submit your application and share your story with us.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills – both oral and written – that will help all GrubStreet community members feel a sense of belonging in our space and in our classes
• Experience with and enthusiasm for the arts
• Customer service experience, ideally involving written communications
• Excellent organizational skills
• Willingness to work on a variety of projects
• Superb attention to detail, stellar organizational skills

Position Details

GrubStreet is an equal opportunity employer. We provide a competitive salary and benefits package and a dynamic, collaborative work environment. The rate of pay for this position is $16.50/hour.

About the Organization

We believe that narrative transforms lives, builds bridges, and produces empathy. By rigorously developing voices of every type and talent, and by removing barriers to entry, GrubStreet fosters the creation of meaningful stories and ensures that excellent writing remains vital and relevant. GrubStreet, the largest creative writing center in the U.S., annually engages over 8,000 students – both teens and adults – in programs that range from two-hour workshops to year-long graduate-level seminars.

Our teachers are working artists who bring the highest quality instruction and mentorship to storytellers. We also host a major writing conference each year and public storytelling events. The education and networks we facilitate foster a richer local writing scene, with a strong focus on increasing opportunities for writers of color, low-income writers, and teen writers. Our programs eliminate common barriers to participation in the arts and lifelong learning, and build community among participants. We continue to increase scholarships and provide free writing programs (including bilingual classes) for adults and teens in low-income communities across Boston.

Statement of Belonging

At GrubStreet, belonging means creating and maintaining spaces where we boldly share our voices, our experiences, and our work as writers, readers, and audience members. Every member of our community commits to engaging across differences with curiosity and a desire to learn and grow together.

Community Agreements:

• Practice cultural humility, ask questions, and engage with different perspectives
• Grace to speak in draft form and be open to making mistakes
• Check our biases and be aware of how we carry our own identity and privilege

Position Status: Part-time; non-exempt

Position Level: Assistant

Position Reports to: Senior Writing Programs Manager

Location: Boston (Seaport); Hybrid

GrubStreet’s policy is to assure equal employment opportunity to all qualified employees and applicants by prohibiting discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran or military status, or any other characteristic protected by law. This practice applies to all terms, conditions and privileges of employment including hiring, transfer, compensation, layoffs, promotions, training, benefits, termination and retirement.