Program Coordinator

About the role

The Story Island Project is a Nipaluna/Hobart-based not-for-profit organisation that nurtures the creativity and writing skills of young Tasmanians and celebrates their diverse voices. We do this by running dynamic, creative storytelling workshops in schools in which students are empowered to write their own unique stories, supported by a team of enthusiastic volunteer tutors. Our vision is for young people to harness the power of their imaginations, so they can grow to be resilient and creative shapers of their own lives.

Story Island’s Program Coordinator (12 hours per week / 0.32 FTE) is a key member of our staff team, responsible for recruiting, training, rostering and debriefing our volunteer tutors, and coordinating and managing our program bookings with schools. The Program Coordinator works closely with the Story Leader and reports to the General Manager. This position is a fixed-term contract with an end date of 31 December 2027 (with the opportunity to renew for 2028-9).

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ROLE

Coordination of volunteers

• Recruit, induct and train volunteer mentors within an established recruitment, training and induction framework;

• Coordinate, supervise and support volunteer mentors in their role. This includes attendance at storytelling workshops, and post-workshop debriefing in conjunction with the Story Leader;

• Build and maintain an active community of volunteer mentors through regular communications, volunteer development opportunities and occasional social activities;

• Ensure volunteers' compliance with child safety legislation and Story Island's policies and practices.

• Coordinate and manage program bookings with schools, including running site visits and maintaining positive relationships with school staff

• Develop and execute strategies to increase volunteer engagement in Story Island's programs

• Create program-related content for Story Island's social media platforms

• Prepare internal reports on program and volunteer coordination

Program coordination

• Coordinate and manage program bookings with schools, including running site visits and maintaining positive relationships with school staff on behalf of Story Island

• Develop and execute strategies to increase volunteer engagement in Story Island’s programs;

• Create program-related content for Story Island’s social media platforms; and

• Prepare internal reports on program and volunteer coordination.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLICANTS

• Experience in supervision and support of volunteers or staff, including debriefing and wellbeing support;

• Excellent administrative and planning skills, including working to timelines, careful attention to detail, prioritising time-critical tasks;

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, a highly collaborative member of a small team who enjoys working closely with others and can take the initiative when needed;

• An understanding of child safety practices and a strong commitment to child-safe working practices;

• Up-to-date IT skills (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc)

• A current driver's licence;

• A current Working with Vulnerable People registration; and

• Ability to organise and run small to medium events.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Qualifications in the social sciences, arts, or education. Please note that disability, nursing and aged care qualifications are not relevant to this role.

• Desirable: Experience working in the arts and/or community sectors.