Position Title: Community Programs Administrator

Reports to: Executive Director 

Compensation: $50,000 to $60,000, nonexempt, union position

Location: In person at the Hugo House facility in Capitol Hill

Schedule & Hours: 40 hours per week. Core hours are typically 9:00 AM–5:00 PM Monday through Friday, with occasional evening or weekend hours as needed, but are subject to change based on pilot outcomes.

Start Date: As soon as possible

Position Overview: 

Hugo House seeks a collaborative, highly organized Community Programs Administrator to lead the launch and implementation of new community programs, including a shared literary hub space pilot and a limited youth literary programming pilot initiative. This role transforms strategic goals into practical, welcoming programs by planning, implementing, and evaluating their delivery and impact. Working closely with staff, participants, partners, and the community at large, the Community Programs Administrator will manage resources, solve operational challenges, and use community input to refine programs over time, helping Hugo House become a more inclusive and collaborative literary home.

Job Duties Include:

• Launch the shared literary hub space pilot. Translate the strategic plan of this project into a detailed work plan, with a defined timeline, partner onboarding process, shared use guidelines, and internal coordination structure.
• Support the launch of a limited youth literary programming pilot. Coordinate the creation of monthly youth workshops and quarterly events in collaboration with staff, independent teaching artists, families, and community partners.
• Coordinate space partner relationships. Serve as the primary point of contact for literary nonprofits and storytelling organizations wanting to use Hugo House space as a working space during daytime hours.
• Coordinate youth pilot operations. Support registration, attendance tracking, participant communications, accessibility needs, teaching artist schedules, and program evaluation for a limited youth program.
• Manage scheduling, building use, and space-sharing systems. Coordinate daytime workspace readiness and the use of meeting rooms, desks, common areas, and event spaces in partnership with Hugo House staff, through the implementation of clear tools and procedures for scheduling, building access, partner communication, data tracking, and reporting.
• Support youth safety and access. Maintain clear procedures for youth program supervision, family communication, accessibility, inclusion, and required background check or safety practices in partnership with appropriate staff.
• Advance collaboration and shared services. Conduct outreach to potential partners, identify their needs, support onboarding and space use, connect them with appropriate staff for further collaboration, collect feedback, and test future shared services such as event support and administrative support.
• Support equity centered access. Help develop transparent criteria and practices that prioritize both organizations serving communities historically underrepresented in the literary field and their youth.
• Track outcomes and learnings. Maintain program data on partner and student participation and satisfaction, space use, outcomes, affordability, etc. to report to funders and the community at large.
• Prepare reports and recommendations. Provide regular updates to the Executive Director, including risks, decisions needed, partner feedback, budget assumptions, and recommendations for growth.
• Other job duties include:
• Move or lift objects weighing up to 25 pounds in the office for various needs, including boxes, classroom chairs, tables, and related materials.
• Provide program and project-based administrative support and serve as a backup to other departments, as needed.
• Redirect communications to appropriate departments.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned by the Executive Director.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate brings the following experience, skills, and qualities:

• Strong project management skills, including the ability to translate strategy into action, manage timelines, coordinate details, and solve practical problems.
• Ability to adapt quickly, use data and customer input to make decisions, and refine programs as organizational needs evolve.
• Ability to work independently while coordinating closely with a small, busy team.
• Flexible entrepreneurial mindset, with the ability to thrive in a dynamic environment with many unknowns and first-time challenges.
• Experience coordinating youth, family, school, or education programs, preferably in a literary, arts, nonprofit, or community-based setting.
• Experience in nonprofit operations, arts administration, community partnerships, facilities coordination, or related work with artists, writers, nonprofit partners, or community-based cultural organizations.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to build trust, clarify expectations, navigate sensitive conversations, and create welcoming, supportive environments for partners, stakeholders, youth, and diverse audiences.
• Comfort using scheduling, database, spreadsheet, communication, project management, and office productivity tools, including Microsoft Office 365, WordPress, WooCommerce, Salesforce, and Zoom.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, access, inclusion, community stewardship, and youth-centered, culturally responsive learning environments.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate across leadership, program teams, partners, and staff toward shared goals.
• User-focused and data-driven, with the ability to use feedback, participation data, and program outcomes to improve services.
• Experienced with graphic design software, such as Canva, Adobe, or Affinity.
• First Aid & CPR certification desired but not required. 
• Able to pass a background check.  

Physical Activity

In the course of performing this work, the employee in this position:

• Will spend time sitting, standing, walking, reaching, speaking, and listening. 
• Must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and may occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds to rearrange office furniture, etc.
• Might be expected to travel via public transportation to attend offsite meetings.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Equipment Operation

The employee in this position may operate any/all of the following equipment:

• Telephone
• Computer, printer, and related equipment/software
• Copy machine

Computer software used in this position may include:

• Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, Zoom
• Salesforce
• Knowledge of a publishing software, preferably Canva or Affinity Publisher

Position Requirements

These specifications describe the general minimum qualifications ordinarily considered essential for satisfactory performance in this position. Individual skills and abilities may result in some deviation from these guidelines.

To perform effectively in this position, the employee in this position is required to have:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience, with two or more years of progressive responsibility in program management, nonprofit operations, arts administration, community partnerships, facilities coordination, youth programming, arts education, or a related field.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to establish priorities, manage multiple tasks and multi-phase projects, solve problems, and complete work within deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into practical work plans, timelines, procedures, and day to day operating systems.
• Ability to adapt to changes in circumstances and correct the course of the project based on feedback and program data.
• Experience coordinating relationships with community-based organizations, nonprofit partners, artists, writers, cultural organizations, young people, families, schools, teaching artists, or similar stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build trust, clarify expectations, listen perceptively, and navigate sensitive conversations with care.
• Comfort using scheduling, database, spreadsheet, communication, and project management tools to coordinate space use, partner communication, data tracking, and reporting.
• Working knowledge of nonprofit operations, arts administration, community programming, events, cultural facility use, youth program delivery, arts learning, preferably within an organization providing literary, arts, education, or community programs.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, access, inclusion, and community stewardship, with the ability to support transparent and welcoming practices for diverse partners and participants.
• Ability to collect feedback, track participation and outcomes, read and analyze reports, and prepare clear updates and recommendations for leadership, funders, families, schools, and community stakeholders.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills with the ability to work collaboratively with organizational leadership, program teams, partners, and other staff toward shared goals.
• Values-driven individual with a track record of follow-through, adaptability, innovation, and practical problem solving in dynamic environments.
• Exceptional organizational skills and strong attention to detail.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a collaborative team effort.
• Ability to imagine, research, develop, and clearly propose new ways to engage literary partners, community organizations, writers, and program participants.
• Ability to adapt to changing needs by acquiring new skills and knowledge.

These requirements are typically met by a combination of education and experience that includes an undergraduate degree or equivalent work experience and three or more years of relevant program management, nonprofit operations, arts administration, community partnership, facilities coordination, youth programming, arts education, or related experience.

The employee in this position must be able to perform this job safely, without endangering the health or safety of themselves or others. 

Limitations and Disclaimer:

The above job description is meant to describe the general nature and level of work performed; it is not intended as an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities and skills required for the position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform other duties requested by their supervisor in compliance with Federal and State laws. Requirements are representative of the minimum levels of knowledge, skills and/or abilities necessary to perform each duty proficiently. Continued employment remains on an “at-will” basis.

We especially encourage applicants from backgrounds that are not specifically arts-focused but who are eager to participate in and support our diverse community of writers. If you think you would be a good fit for the role, even if you don’t meet all the qualifications, we encourage you to apply! 

Men typically apply to jobs if they meet about 60% of the criteria, whereas women and other marginalized individuals often only apply if they meet all the requirements. Traditional practices within the arts industry impose additional discriminatory barriers on people with marginalized identities. 

We encourage applications from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) and other people underrepresented in literary arts administration. Hugo House is committed to becoming an antiracist organization and strives to remove barriers that might discourage any person from working here. It is Hugo House’s intent to maintain a diverse work force that represents our community. Our approach to diversity is intended to provide not only equal employment opportunities to minorities, women, and persons with disabilities, but also to recognize and value people with ethnic, cultural, and other differences, such as religion, ancestry, language, national origin, culture, age, gender, sexual orientation, and marital status.

Applicants considered for this position will be required to disclose if they are the subject of any substantiated findings or current investigations related to sexual misconduct at their current employment and past employment. Disclosure is required under Washington state law.

This position will be open until filled.