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Facilitator, Chicago StoryBooth

StoryCorps

POSITION OVERVIEW

Facilitators are the public face of StoryCorps, and work to carry out our mission. Facilitators welcome participants, orient them to the interview process, handle the technical and administrative aspects of recordings, and do whatever they can to make the StoryCorps experience as positive as possible. Facilitators listen carefully to and guide participants during interviews, log content, and assume the role of interviewer when a participant arrives alone. Facilitators are responsible for data entry, archival activities, reporting, and other tasks necessary to the preservation of interviews and upkeep of the recording space and equipment.

Some of the Facilitator’s shifts will take place in our Chicago StoryBooth, and some of the shifts will require travel. These trips, recorded through our “Door-to-Door” service, in which Facilitators bring portable recording equipment to an offsite location (e.g., an organization, school, church, event, etc.) to record up to six interviews per day, could range from one Chicago-area recording day to week-long recording trips to anywhere in the U.S. The StoryBooth Facilitators travel nationally 1-3 times per year, usually for a 2-3 day trip (Trips include: 1 Field Staff/All-Staff Training, 1-2 D2D recording trips).

A significant portion of the work of the full-time Facilitator is outreach: creating partnerships with community organizations in Chicago that ensure our participants reflect the great diversity of our metropolitan area. The Facilitator will work with community organizations to schedule appointments in the StoryBooth, plan one “Door-to-Door” recording day per month, and plan one StoryKit rental per month. In addition, the Facilitator will be involved with community listening events, workshops, promoting StoryCorps Chicago, and administrative tasks.

StoryCorps is committed to recording, preserving, and sharing stories from a wide range of American voices — from our Griot Initiative, a program dedicated to recording the stories of African Americans to StoryCorps Historias, a program dedicated to recording the stories of Latinos. Candidates with work experience in diverse communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Excellent benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, Flexible Spending Account, 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan, Employee Assistance Plan, and TransitCheks; also includes paid time off (vacation, sick leave, personal days, and holidays).

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Under the direction of the Chicago Site Supervisor, engage in community outreach activities, including developing and maintaining relationships with Chicago community organizations and conducting onsite recordings at Chicago-based organizations
• Welcome participants and guide them through the interview process, asking questions as appropriate
• Exhibit sensitivity to the special needs of all participants and to those of specific target populations of StoryCorps initiatives
• Handle all technical aspects of making the recordings
• Act as interviewer with solo participants
• Perform data entry and archival processing tasks to ensure preservation of interviews and an accurate record the day’s activity
• Identify tape from interviews to be considered for broadcast
• Actively guide the content of any interviews conducted with participants who have been specially recruited by the Production Department
• Solicit donations from participants; accurately process and record transactions
• Professionally represent StoryCorps to the public and actively promote the StoryCorps mission
• Write a monthly blog post highlighting a successful community partnership or interesting participants
• Resolve issues and improve services; look to proactively solve day-to-day problems
• Perform minor maintenance and cleaning of recording venues and sites
• Perform other duties to support StoryCorps Chicago and the Community Engagement Department, as assigned

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

• High school diploma or equivalency plus 3 years of relevant professional experience, OR college degree plus 1 year of relevant professional work experience
• Excellent driving skills and a valid driver’s license
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, including public speaking skills
• Solid organization skills, multi-tasking ability, and attention to detail
• Strong conflict negotiation and collaborative skills
• Ability to be flexible and adaptable in order to contribute to problem-solving activities within a fast-paced, changing organization
• Cultural competence and the ability to work successfully with diverse groups of people
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office and web-mail (e.g., G-mail)
• Comfort in learning about and working with new equipment

Preferred:

• Fluency in a language other than English; fluency in Spanish is strongly preferred
• Familiarity with Chicago, and Chicago-based community organizations
• Proficiency on a Mac platform
• Experience with audio recording equipment, oral history, or documentary work

Physical Requirements:

• Approximately twice a month, Facilitators transport a bag (25 lbs) and a D2D Kit (40 lbs, on wheels) usually via car service; it is possible that if Facilitators travel via airplane, they would need to transport and lift the equipment into overhead bins

Send application materials to: