KEY INFORMATION:

• Reports to Executive Director
• Direct reports 5 (approximately)
• FTE The role is full-time, 38 hours per week
• Salary & Conditions $140,000 (negotiable), 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 55,000 student enrolments, with nearly 10,000 enrolments in 2023. 16% of our students are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and 49% are from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. We have won a number of awards for our work, including Executive Director and Co-founder Dr Cath Keenan being named Australian of the Year Local Hero in 2016.

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 Head of Programs is responsible for the strategic direction of all Story Factory programs. Their primary task is overseeing these programs and ensuring we deliver on our mission in the most effective and impactful ways.

Crucially, the Head of Programs leads and supports our diverse and talented team of approximately 15 Storytellers to ensure they have the direction, training and support they need to continue delivering creative writing workshops of the highest quality to young people in a variety of contexts.

Story Factory is a learning organisation, and the Head of Programs will work to continuously improve program quality, so we are making the biggest possible difference in the lives of the young people we work with.

WHAT WE OFFER

• A genuinely collaborative and diverse culture;
• Fringe benefit is available;
• Ceremonial and cultural leave for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.

THE POSITION AND ITS RESPONSIBILITIES

The primary task of the Head of Programs is to inspire our creative team and ensure they are working effectively and efficiently to deliver high-quality creative writing programs to young people aged 7 to 17 (Stage 1 to 6) in a variety of contexts.

Central to this is ensuring that our programs are culturally appropriate, draw on diverse cultures, and give our students opportunities to authentically express their ideas and beliefs. There is a strong strategic element, ensuring that our programs are most appropriately fulfilling our mission of enriching the lives of young people through creative writing and storytelling.

Story Factory runs four main types of programs, and the Head of Programs is responsible for overseeing them all. They will ensure that the different teams are working well together, sharing their programming, and learning from each other.

The four types of programs we deliver are:

1. In-school programs: The majority of Story Factory programs are delivered in person in primary and high schools across Sydney and Western Sydney, from Stage 1 to 6. These can be one-off engagements, but more commonly are run once a week for a term, supporting students to create a substantial piece of writing which we publish in house. We have more than a dozen residency schools, where we have worked for at least a year, engaging deeply with teachers and school executive to deliver programs to a variety of classes and embed a culture of writing across the school. All our in-school programs align to curriculum goals. Evaluations show that more than 90% of teachers change their practice after working with us on these programs.
2. After-school programs: For young people who want to really stretch their imaginations and extend their writing skills, we run holiday programs and term-length after-school programs at our Parramatta and Redfern centres, and online. These programs are not aligned to curriculum and are more student-led, affording young people scope to explore their creative ideas in a supportive community of like-minded writers. Our two longest programs are our Year of Poetry and Year of the Novella programs, run at our Parramatta centre, in which teenagers are supported by our staff and visiting authors to write their own poetry collection or novella, which is professionally edited, designed and published at the end of the year. In 2025, we will open a community hub in Mt Druitt, a small community space that will bring together the work we’ve been doing in that area for more than seven years, and will also offer after-school programs.
3. Digital programs: In 2023, we began a national rollout of our live, interactive digital programs, which have been accessed by primary and high schools in all states and territories across Australia, reaching more than 5,000 young people. These one-off or short-series programs are designed to bring a burst of inspiration into the classroom, and our team also creates high-quality resources to give to teachers to support their students to continue writing.
4. Special projects: Our bespoke special projects are programs run with students from a number of schools, often in collaboration with other artists or organisations, which result in a public outcome that the students can be especially proud of. In the past, we have collaborated with Belvoir Street Theatre, the Female Factory and artist Blak Douglas to produce books, scripts, or an exhibition.

Each of these four streams has a lead: Storyteller Manager/s and the National Program Manager, who manages our digital programs. The leads report to the Head of Programs, who will support them in all aspects of programming and delivery, and in management of their teams. The will work closely together to continuously improve programs, and support the Storytellers who work in the four teams.

The successful candidate will be a deeply experienced educator with a proven history of managing and developing teams of educators to deliver their best work. The role requires a strong understanding of schools and curricula, but also provides opportunities to develop and oversee original programs that engage with writing as an artform. This is a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of education and the arts, and make a tangible difference in the lives of thousands of young people.

The Head of Programs 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:

Strategy and Leadership:

• Strategic oversight of all Story Factory programs to ensure they are aligned with our mission and values, and are effectively supporting young people to develop their literacy and find their voice;
• Work with the Storyteller Managers and the National Program Manager to encourage a culture of continuous improvement and innovation among storytellers, and guide them to manage their teams so all Storytellers feel supported and prepared to deliver programs of the highest quality;
• Lead the creation of development plans for all the Storyteller Managers and the National Program Manager to ensure their ongoing growth as educators, and support them to create similar plans for their team members;
  Identify professional learning needs across the Storytelling team and work with Storyteller Managers and the National Program Manager to create and deliver appropriate learning strategies;
• Play an active role in Story Factory’s leadership team, contributing to the creation and implementation of Story Factory’s organisational strategy;
• Stay abreast of developments in the education sector, and relay relevant insights to the team in a timely fashion;
• Represent Story Factory in the education community, and at conferences.

Management and Programming

• Ensure that, across the organisation, we comply with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, and work with Storyteller Managers and the Operations Manager to resolve any issues around child safety in accordance with organisational policies;
• Lead the design and implementation of evaluation strategies across the organisation;
• Work with Storyteller Managers and the National Program Manager to resolve any serious management issues, and build management capacity;
• With the Storyteller Managers and the National Program Manager, lead the recruitment of any new Storytellers.

Operational

• Work with the Storyteller Managers and the Operations Manager to assign Storytellers to workshops to ensure the skills are being best utilised and they are given opportunities to learn;
• Work with Storyteller Managers and the National Program Manager to streamline administrative processes to ensure these are as efficient as possible;
• Work with Storyteller Managers and the National Program Manager to ensure that all administrative aspects of programs (rolls, evaluations, end-of-program wraps, etc) are completed in a timely fashion;
• Provide advice to the fundraising teams about programs, and the education sector generally, so they can successfully apply for funding for our work.

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;
• Proven ability to lead and develop teams of educators, with in-depth knowledge of the NSW curriculum;
• Love of creative writing and capacity for deep creative thinking;
• Extensive experience working with young people from diverse backgrounds, and young Indigenous people;
• Ability to work unsupervised, take initiative and creatively solve problems as they come up;
• A pedagogical approach that aligns with Story Factory’s mission and vision.

Desirable

• Experience in learning design for online environments;
• 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.