KEY INFORMATION:

• Reports to Programs Lead
• Direct reports: None
• FTE The role is full-time, 38 hours per week
• Salary & Conditions: $108,000, plus superannuation. Fringe benefit is available providing an additional $16k per year tax free if eligible.
• Location: Sydney. The role can be based at our Redfern or Parramatta centre, but will require working across both.

ABOUT STORY FACTORY

At Story Factory, we believe that stories can change lives. We focus on enriching the lives of young people in under-resourced communities through quality creative writing programs, improving their writing skills, increasing their confidence and expanding their future prospects. Reading is access but writing is agency.

Since opening in 2012, we have taken more than 60,000 student enrolments, with nearly 10,000 enrolments in 2023. 15% of our students are Indigenous and 50% are from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. We have won a number of awards for our work, including a Secretary’s Award for Excellence in the Public Education Foundation Awards. We have a diverse team of educators and writers who deliver our programs in a range of settings: at primary and high schools across Sydney and Western Sydney; after school and in the holidays at our centres in Redfern and Parramatta; and digitally to schools across Australia.

We also collaborate with other arts and cultural organisations, and writers and artists, to create and deliver Special Projects that bring together young people from various schools and culminate in a public outcome, from professionally published books to exhibitions. To remove barriers to entry, all programs are offered free to young people and eligible schools.

Our award-winning programs are underpinned by our Theory of Change, and multiple external, independent evaluations have shown that we support young people to improve their literacy and develop their confidence as writers. A recent evaluation also showed the significant positive impact our year-long poetry- and novella-writing programs have on young people’s wellbeing: their sense of agency, identity and belonging.

We are currently in the second year of a five-year strategy that will see us grow the reach and impact of our work.

OUR VALUES

• Young people come first.
• Writing is agency.
• Creativity unleashes potential.
• Diversity makes us better.
• We have high expectations of ourselves and the young people we work with.
• We have heart. Passion matters.

WHEN WORKING WITH OUR STUDENTS AND COLLEAGUES, WE ARE:

• Positive. We see strengths.
• Inclusive. We build connection through shared experience.
• Helpful. We support students to reach their writing goals.
• Respectful. We value young people's ideas and experience.
• Generous. We choose the more edifying interpretation.
• Fun. Because writing should be joyful. At least some of the time

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The purpose of the Special Projects Manager role is to design and deliver a wide range of inspiring Special Projects that enrich the lives of young people in under-resourced communities through creative writing and storytelling.

THE POSITION AND ITS RESPONSIBILITIES

The Special Projects Manager is charged with designing and delivering high-quality creative writing-based projects to young people aged 7 to 17 (Stages 2 to 6) in a variety of contexts. Often delivered in collaboration with other arts and cultural organisations or artists, these projects bring together young people from a number of schools or groups to write and create a shared public outcome that they can be proud of. This outcome could take many forms: a book, script, series of short films, or an exhibition that mixes words with dance or art or film.

Projects might run for six months or over multiple years, and can involve small or large groups of students. It is vital that all projects are culturally appropriate, draw on diverse cultures, and give our students opportunities to authentically express their ideas and beliefs. Where appropriate, the Special Projects Manager will consult and work with Elders and Traditional Custodians, and First Nations writers and artists. The Special Projects Manager will ensure our projects are of the highest quality, aligned to our Theory of Change, and make the biggest possible difference in the lives of the young people who participate.

Every Story Factory special project is unique. In the past, we have collaborated with Belvoir Street Theatre, the Female Factory and artist Blak Douglas to produce books, scripts, or an exhibition. The Special Projects Manager will be responsible for establishing and maintaining relationships with writers, artists and organisations to collaboratively design possible new projects. They will provide detailed information to the Chief Financial Officer to enable them to create accurate budgets for projects, and support the Head of Fundraising to find funding for projects.

Once funding is secured, the Special Projects Manager will work to ensure these projects are inspiring for the young people who participate and offer ways to stretch their skills and engage with writing as an artform. They will work closely with the Publishing & Production Manager and Engagement & Operations Lead, who manage the administrative and logistical aspects of delivering these projects, to ensure all projects are delivered on time, on budget, and to funders’ specifications, with a high-quality public outcome. They will also collaborate with the Communications and Publishing Lead to ensure that student voices are amplified and shared as much as possible throughout the life of the project.

The Special Projects Manager is also responsible for the design and delivery of Story Factory’s fee-for-service projects. These might range from a commission from a local council to support young people to write creatively about the issues they see in their area, to eliciting input from young people into a master-planning process. The Special Projects Manager will attend scoping meetings with the Executive Director, and be able to proffer possible creative direction on the spot. They will then refine their ideas and be able to pitch them back to the client, adjusting them to meet both the client’s needs and our organisational goals. They will then lead the delivery of the project, ensuring this is done on time and to the client’s specifications.

The successful candidate will be a very experienced and inspiring educator with a vibrant creative vision. They will have a strong understanding of schools and curricula, and also be full of ideas which they can translate into tangible, impactful projects. Crucially, they will have the ability to elicit strong pieces of writing from young people (Stages 2-6) with a range of abilities and from diverse backgrounds, often within short time frames. They will be highly collaborative, work well under pressure, and have the skills to adjust projects as necessary to meet the needs of the young people we work with. All our work with young people is strengths-based, and being able to identify and nurture the strengths of young people from First Nations and CALD backgrounds is essential.

This is a unique opportunity for an outstanding educator to engage their creative abilities to deliver meaningful impact to thousands of young people in under-resourced communities.

The Special Projects Manager will work full time, Monday to Friday, and very occasionally may be asked to work on weekends and/or evenings. When this happens, they will accrue time in lieu.

KEY POSITION PRIORITIES:

Strategic:

• Conceive a range of exciting Special Projects aligned with Story Factory’s strategic goals, Theory of Change, and the needs of the young people we work with;
• Initiate and maintain relationships with other arts, cultural and educational organisations, and with writers and artists, to generate collaborative project ideas;
• Collaboratively work with organisations and artists to build on ideas and develop and design high-quality, high-impact projects that offer exciting creative opportunities to young people (Stages 2-6) while also meeting the broader organisational goals of all parties;
• When appropriate, collaboratively work with Elders and Traditional Custodians, and First Nations writers and artists, to ensure all special projects are culturally appropriate and offer opportunities to engage the strengths of First Nations young people;
• Ensure that, across the organisation, we comply with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, and work with the Head of Programs to resolve any issues around child safety arising in Special Projects in accordance with organisational policies.

Program delivery and stakeholder management

• Ensure all Special Projects are culturally appropriate and aligned with school curricula, and be able to successfully pitch them to teachers, school executive and young people;
• Ensure that young people are supported to produce extended, high quality pieces of writing and other artistic outcomes that we can share widely;
• Work successfully with clients to develop projects that meet their needs while also supporting and extending the young people we work with;
• Nurture and maintain smooth working relationships with clients and other stakeholders to ensure they are across the progress of projects, and very satisfied with the final outcome;
• When there is a need to change aspects of special projects, ensure that the fundraising team or client is informed in advance, and all changes are approved and communicated in a timely fashion;
• Occasionally brief, mentor and oversee other members of our Storytelling team to deliver aspects of special projects.

Operational

• Work closely with the Publishing & Production Manager, who manages the logistics of delivering Special Projects, to ensure all projects are delivered on time, with high quality outcomes, and are aligned to our strategic goals and to funder specifications;
• Work with the Engagement & Operations Lead to identify the schools or individuals best suited to participate in Special Projects, and assist in pitching the projects to them;
• Provide detailed information to our Chief Financial Officer to enable them to prepare and track accurate budgets for all Special Projects;
• Provide advice to the fundraising team about possible Special Projects, and work closely to support them to write high quality funding applications;
• Regularly update the Communications and Publishing Lead about all stages of projects, from inception to legacy, so we can amplify the voices of young people throughout.
• Carefully document all special projects, from the ideation stage to workshop plans and final delivery, and where appropriate work with other members of the Storytelling team to incorporate successful aspects of the projects into other Story Factory programs;
• Ensure all special projects are carefully and meaningfully evaluated;
• Lead post-project debriefs and reflections with all collaborators to ensure our Special Projects and practices are continuously improving.

Note: The outline above should be considered indicative only and is not a comprehensive description of all aspects of the role. Story Factory is a learning organisation and aspects of the role may change as the organisation grows, and we continue to improve our processes and structures.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Essential

• An outstanding educator with at least 5-10 years’ experience teaching English or writing to young people, and an in-depth understanding of school curricula;
• Advanced creative thinking skills, and the ability to develop and deliver high-quality artistic projects;
• A demonstrated love of creative writing;
• Extensive experience working with young people from diverse backgrounds, and young First Nations people;
• Ability to work unsupervised, collaborate productively with others, take initiative and creatively solve problems as they arise;
• A pedagogical approach that aligns with Story Factory’s mission and vision.

Desirable

• Drivers licence and the ability to travel across Sydney and Western Sydney.

OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY

At Story Factory, we embrace differences in gender, age, ethnicity, race, cultural background, disability, religion and sexual orientation. We know that diversity and inclusion helps us to attract, recruit, engage and retain a team of talented people.

We encourage people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and culturally diverse backgrounds to apply. Residents of Greater Western Sydney are particularly encouraged to apply.

If you require specific support to apply for this position, please advise the recruiting manager whose contact details are listed in the advertisement. We will work with you to identify the best way to assist you.

For further information visit: storyfactory.org.au.

A position description is attached.

To view our current strategic plan click here.

To view our Reconciliation Action Plan click here.

To view our latest Annual Report click here.