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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Writing Program Specialist

💰 $ - $

WritingProgram ManagementInstructional DesignHigher EducationCommunications

🎯 Role Definition

The Writing Program Specialist is a programmatic and instructional leader who designs, implements, assesses, and continuously improves writing curricula and support services across institutional contexts (university writing centers, K–12 districts, non-profit literacy organizations, or corporate learning teams). This role blends curriculum and rubric development, instructor training, program evaluation, stakeholder communication, and project management to ensure high-quality writing instruction, consistent learning outcomes, and measurable program impact. Ideal candidates combine expertise in rhetoric/composition or education with hands-on experience in program administration, assessment, and adult learning.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Assistant Director or Coordinator of a Writing Center
  • Adjunct or Lecturer in Rhetoric & Composition or English
  • Instructional Designer or Curriculum Specialist

Advancement To:

  • Director of Writing Programs or Writing Center Director
  • Senior Instructional Designer / Director of Curriculum
  • Associate Director of Academic Support or Academic Affairs leadership

Lateral Moves:

  • Curriculum & Assessment Specialist
  • Faculty Development Coordinator
  • Student Success or Academic Advising Program Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead the design, revision, and implementation of comprehensive writing curricula and course sequences that align with institutional learning outcomes and accreditation standards, ensuring scaffolding of skills from introductory to advanced levels.
  • Develop detailed assessment plans, rubrics, and scoring guides for writing courses and programs, including formative and summative measures, to produce reliable measures of student writing proficiency and program effectiveness.
  • Coordinate and manage program logistics—scheduling, staffing, budget monitoring, and resource allocation—to ensure timely delivery of writing courses, workshops, and tutoring services.
  • Design and deliver faculty and instructor professional development programs focused on pedagogy, inclusive classroom practices, assessment literacy, and evidence-based approaches to teaching writing.
  • Supervise, recruit, train, and evaluate a diverse team of instructors, graduate teaching assistants, tutors, and adjunct faculty, providing ongoing coaching, observation, and performance feedback tied to program goals.
  • Create and maintain program documentation, policy manuals, curriculum maps, and instructor guides to ensure instructional consistency, transparency, and scalability across sections and semesters.
  • Lead or support accreditation and compliance activities related to writing instruction by compiling evidence, writing reports, and implementing recommended improvements to meet external and internal standards.
  • Oversee placement and assessment systems (diagnostic essays, portfolios, placement tests) and refine placement protocols to place students into appropriate course levels and support intervention strategies for underprepared writers.
  • Develop and manage writing-focused co-curricular programs—workshops, writing bootcamps, peer mentoring programs, and community outreach—that increase student engagement and retention.
  • Analyze program data (assessment results, retention, completion rates, student feedback) and translate findings into actionable program improvements and strategic priorities that demonstrate impact to stakeholders.
  • Partner with academic departments, student services, and institutional research to integrate writing outcomes across the curriculum and to promote writing-intensive course development and curricular infusion initiatives.
  • Design, maintain, and optimize digital learning resources and online writing instruction (OWI), including LMS course templates, multimedia modules, writing tutorials, and asynchronous tutoring workflows to support hybrid and remote learners.
  • Manage grants, external partnerships, and vendor relationships related to writing initiatives, including proposal development, budget oversight, deliverable management, and compliance with funder requirements.
  • Lead qualitative and quantitative research projects related to writing pedagogy and program outcomes, including IRB submissions when applicable, to inform evidence-based practice and scholarly dissemination.
  • Serve as primary point of contact for student concerns escalated from instructors or tutors, developing academic support plans, referral pathways, and accommodations in collaboration with disability services and advising.
  • Create targeted communication materials and marketing strategies to promote writing programs, resources, and events to students, faculty, and external constituencies, using web content, newsletters, and social media.
  • Facilitate faculty learning communities, cross-disciplinary workshops, and collaborative curriculum design sessions that align disciplinary writing expectations with general education outcomes.
  • Maintain current knowledge of best practices in writing pedagogy, digital literacies, assessment design, and equity-minded instructional approaches and integrate innovations into program planning.
  • Coordinate end-of-term program reviews and iterative improvement cycles by synthesizing assessment data, instructor reflections, and student outcomes to recommend curricular revisions and professional development priorities.
  • Implement quality control processes for grading consistency, academic integrity, and feedback timeliness by designing moderation practices and supporting faculty calibration activities.
  • Advise institutional leadership on strategic priorities for writing across the institution, preparing briefings, dashboard summaries, and strategic plans that articulate program ROI and student success metrics.
  • Create scalable onboarding and mentoring frameworks that accelerate new instructor readiness, reduce variability in teaching, and preserve programmatic standards as enrollment grows.

Secondary Functions

  • Provide direct instructional support by teaching occasional sections, leading workshops, or modeling effective writing pedagogy for faculty and peers.
  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis related to writing program performance for internal stakeholders and accreditation reviewers.
  • Contribute to the organization's broader academic strategy by participating in curriculum committees, advising on general education outcomes, and aligning writing initiatives with institutional priorities.
  • Collaborate with instructional technologists to pilot new edtech tools for writing instruction, evaluate vendor platforms, and recommend integrations with LMS and assessment systems.
  • Coordinate peer tutor recruitment, training, scheduling, and assessment to maintain a high-quality tutoring service that complements classroom instruction.
  • Manage student-facing appointment systems and feedback loops to ensure equitable access to writing support and timely response to student needs.
  • Support scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) efforts by mentoring staff on small-scale research projects and sharing program innovations at conferences and in publications.
  • Participate in campus-wide initiatives focused on equity, retention, and student success to ensure writing support is integrated into holistic student support strategies.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Curriculum design and instructional design for writing programs, including backward design, learning objectives, and summative/formative assessments.
  • Rubric and assessment development with experience in creating reliable scoring guides, inter-rater reliability protocols, and program-level assessment matrices.
  • Experience with Learning Management Systems (Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace) and building course shells, modules, and assessment integrations.
  • Familiarity with online writing instruction (OWI) best practices and tools for synchronous/asynchronous writing support and remote tutoring.
  • Data literacy: ability to analyze assessment results, create dashboards, perform basic quantitative analysis (Excel, Google Sheets, or statistical packages), and present findings to non-technical stakeholders.
  • Program and project management skills, including scheduling, budget tracking, deliverable management, and use of PM tools (Trello, Asana, Smartsheet).
  • Strong editing and copyediting skills for academic, curricular, and promotional materials, with fluency in MLA, APA, Chicago, or institutional style guidelines.
  • Experience designing and delivering professional development and faculty training on pedagogy, assessment, and inclusive teaching practices.
  • Knowledge of academic support structures, tutoring pedagogy, peer mentoring models, and best practices for writing centers and clinics.
  • Grant writing and external funding experience, including proposal development, budget justification, and compliance reporting.
  • Qualitative research methods and survey design for program evaluation, focus groups, and instructor/student feedback synthesis.
  • Familiarity with accessibility standards and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to ensure equitable writing instruction and materials.

Soft Skills

  • Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills with the ability to build collaborative relationships across faculty, administration, and student services.
  • Clear, persuasive written and verbal communication tailored to faculty, students, and leadership audiences.
  • Coaching and mentorship-oriented leadership style that supports instructor growth and promotes reflective teaching practices.
  • Analytical problem-solving mindset with attention to detail and an orientation toward actionable recommendations.
  • Project prioritization and time management in a fast-paced academic environment with competing deadlines.
  • Cultural competency and commitment to equity-minded teaching practices that support diverse learners.
  • Adaptability and innovation when piloting new pedagogical approaches and responding to changing enrollment or institutional priorities.
  • Facilitation skills for workshops, faculty learning communities, and cross-functional meetings.
  • Conflict-resolution and mediation skills for handling grading disputes, instructor-student issues, and team performance concerns.
  • Strategic thinking with the ability to translate program-level goals into operational plans and measurable outcomes.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in English, Rhetoric & Composition, Education, Linguistics, Communications, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree (M.A., M.Ed., or M.S.) in Rhetoric & Composition, TESOL, English, Curriculum & Instruction, Educational Leadership, or an allied field. Doctorate (Ph.D., Ed.D.) preferred for senior or research-focused positions.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Rhetoric and Composition
  • English/Literature
  • Curriculum & Instruction / Instructional Design
  • Education / Educational Leadership
  • TESOL / Applied Linguistics
  • Communications

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 3–7 years of progressively responsible experience in writing instruction, program coordination, curriculum design, or related roles.

Preferred:

  • 5+ years of experience managing writing programs, supervising instructional staff, and leading assessment initiatives in higher education, K–12, nonprofit literacy programs, or corporate learning environments.
  • Demonstrated experience with program evaluation, grant-funded projects, and cross-departmental collaboration.
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