*The application period for this position is closed.*
Access a PDF version of this Position Description
Position: CWCA/ACCR 2024 Conference Chair
Description:
For the 2024 conference, the CWCA/ACCR Board of Directors has established a $10,000 honorarium to be paid to a conference chair or split between conference co-chairs. In the case where conference co-chairs are selected, the division of work and the honorarium will be determined between the chairs, in consultation with the Board and/or a Board sub-committee, in advance of the work being undertaken. The successful applicant and the Board and/or Board sub-committee will also determine the payment schedule for the honorarium.
The intention of creating this honorarium is to support those who are not typically able to take on conference planning work as a part of their paid writing centre employment, including graduate students, sessional instructors, and precariously employed tutors within the Canadian writing centre community.* In addition to the honorarium, the CWCA/ACCR Board commits to ensuring that the 2023-2024 Conference Chair/Co-Chairs are effectively mentored, supported, and resourced, to ensure that the conference planning experience is a valuable form of professional development. Should this model prove to be effective, the CWCA/ACCR Board will assess the long-term sustainability of continuing this approach to the Conference Chairship.
*NOTE: The Conference Chair/Co-Chair role remain available to anyone in the CWCA/ACCR community. However, the honorarium is only available for those in roles listed above.
The 2024 CWCA/ACCR Conference will be hosted virtually. The Conference Chair(s)’ main duties are: (1) Drafting the conference Call for Papers. (For the 2024 conference, the Board has identified the theme “The Futures of Writing” as a starting point); (2) Calling for CWCA/ACCR members to join a conference planning committee; (3) Working with the Treasurer to ensure appropriate and timely financial management; (4) Identifying potential keynote speakers for review by the conference committee and then by the CWCA/ACCR board, and coordinating communications and contracts with selected keynote speakers; (5) Circulating the CFP, receiving and organizing proposals, identifying peer reviewers, and overseeing review of proposals; (6) Organizing the conference schedule and communicating with presenters and attendees; (7) Attending the conference in May and being available for support for the CWCA/ACCR community.
The Conference Chair(s) work under the supervision of the CWCA/ACCR Board and/or a sub-committee thereof. This position consists of entirely remote work.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Canadian residency and current work permit;
- Affiliation with a Canadian writing centre, or post-secondary institution, in a graduate student, sessional instructor, tutor, or other non-continuing role
- Demonstrated written communication skills in English (demonstrated written communication skills in additional languages, including French, considered an asset);
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively;
- Demonstrated familiarity with virtual meeting tools, including Zoom;
- Previous experience managing a complex project or demonstrated organizational/project management skills;
- Familiarity with academic conferences or previous attendance at a CWCA/ACCR conference is an asset;
- CWCA/ACCR is committed to putting on an inclusive, antiracist, accessible, decolonial, and liberatory conference. Experience with these approaches is an asset for the role, as are insights from lived experiences of the realities of exclusion, racism, inaccessibility, colonialism, and systemic injustice.
The CWCA/ACCR Conference Chair is expected to
- communicate regularly with CWCA/ACCR Board and/or designated sub-committee
- represent the CWCA/ACCR professionally and respectfully in all communications
- work independently and proactively to meet conference planning milestones,
- work collaboratively with the CWCA/ACCR Board and seek Board approval for major decisions
- answer routine questions about CWCA/ACCR Conference
- learn how to effectively use software required to run the 2024 Conference with a high degree of professionalism and success
- routinely and proactively check the CWCA/ACCR email
- ensure that conference expenses remain within the Board-approved budget
- keep all submission and review information confidential
- Become a member of the CWCA/ACCR
Honorarium: $10,000, potentially divided between two Co-Chairs
The honorarium will be paid in equal installments monthly between October 2023 and June 2024. If the selected candidate is unable to complete the work outlined above, they will forfeit any outstanding payments and may be required to pay back monies already distributed.
Term: October 2023 (or ASAP)-June 2024 – note that the conference takes place in May 2024, and the term continues to June to allow for debrief and documentation
Hours: The Conference Chair role is highly self-directed, and the allocation of hours fluctuates significantly throughout the term. Weekly hours are anticipated to be 0-30, with the highest range of hours occurring during the week of the conference in May.
Location: Remote
Application Process:
Applicants can be submitted for any of the following options:
- Two candidates applying together to serve as Co-Chairs. Note: both candidates must submit all documentation indicated below
- One candidate application – please indicate whether:
a) You are willing to serve as Chair if no Co-Chair is available,
b) You would like to be paired with a Co-Chair if we receive eligible applications,
c) You would prefer to Chair the conference alone
Applications must include electronic copies of:
- a cover letter and résumé/curriculum vitae in a single PDF attachment
- in your cover letter, please explain your connection to and/or interest in writing centre work and the writing centre community in Canada
- name and contact information for 2-3 references
- At least one academic reference;
- Ensure that at least one reference can speak to the candidate’s writing centre/writing related work
- Ensure that at least one reference can speak to the candidate’s communication and organizational/project management skills.
Applications must be submitted via email to cwcaconference@gmail.com by September 25, 2023.
We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for interviews will be contacted.
The Canadian Writing Centres Association/association des centres de rédaction canadiennes (CWCA/ACCR) commits itself to antiracism in its Board and all CWCA/ACCR policies, practices, and activities. CWCA/ACCR commits to supporting individual writing centres, and the diverse people who work within them, as they respond to a wide range of experiences of racism, and as they fight to build spaces, structures, and relationships on foundations of equity and reciprocity.