Working Title: Furious Flower Poetry Center Special Projects Coordinator

State Role Title: Administrative and Office Specialist III

Position Type: Full-time Staff (Classified)

Position Status: Full-Time

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt: Eligible for Overtime

College/Division: JMU Libraries

Department: 551058 - JMU Flowerings Phase II

Pay Rate: Pay Range

Specify Range or Amount: $36,000 - $41,000

Is this a JMU only position? No

Is this a grant-funded position? Yes. This is a grant-funded position and is contingent upon continued funding.

Is this a Conflict of Interest designated position? No

Beginning Review Date: 06/07/2025

About JMU:

James Madison University is a publicly funded university with a beautiful campus and a supportive community that is committed to preparing students for the future. The university offers excellent comprehensive benefits which include paid vacation, sick, parental, and community service leave in addition to 19 paid holidays a year; affordable health insurance; retirement through the Virginia Retirement System. We also offer a work-life balance and integration program, Balanced Dukes, that is designed to support the overall wellbeing of our employees and a Tuition Waiver Program that allows employees to have tuition waived for undergraduate and graduate level courses taken at JMU.

Visit our Prospective Employee site to learn more about what makes JMU a great place to work: bit.ly/JMUEmployment

General Information:

The Furious Flower Poetry Center at JMU seeks qualified applicants for the position of Furious Flower Poetry Center Special Projects Coordinator, to conduct and coordinate special projects related to the recent Furious Flower Poetry Conference and the Flowerings project. This is an on-site, full-time position with grant funding for one year, with the possibility continuing dependent on performance and continued funding. The position’s project-based nature supports the one-year period of the position as well as the ability of Center staff to integrate and sustain project results and outcomes.

The position will support the continued work of the Mellon Foundation-funded “Flowerings” grant through organization and management of the Center’s extensive materials, including material generated at the 2024 decennial conference. Post-conference work involves assisting with the production of the Furious Flower video series and other work product from the conference; conducting data analysis for assessment and reporting; and cataloguing and documenting the event.

The Furious Flower Poetry Center has extensive audiovisual, image, and text assets. In coordination with Center staff and the Libraries Flowerings team the Special Projects Coordinator will document procedures to support their organization and description for access, retrieval, and preservation. The Special Projects Coordinator will also manage conference/archive-related external projects. In addition, the Special Projects Coordinator works in collaboration with other staff on special projects as assigned by the Executive Director to gather and organize new and supplementary materials to enhance the Center’s collections.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Gathers and organizes data and materials related to the recent Furious Flower Poetry Conference, Celebrating the Worlds of Black Poetry
• Works with the Furious Flower Center staff to coordinate projects with external stakeholders (Advisory Board, Getting Word Collective, etc.)
• Researches, interviews, and documents conversations with relevant stakeholders under the direction of the Executive Director
• Collaborates with Center staff to organize and update the Center’s office and administrative files and create documentation to support sustainable maintenance
• Works with JMU Libraries Flowerings team to support mutual projects
• Participates as needed in the office reception schedule along with other Center staff and students
• Along with other Center staff, supports programming, events as needed, including some evening and weekend hours
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

Required Qualifications
• Demonstrated cultural competencies and ability to engage with the Center’s constituents of poets, scholars, and artists
• Ability to conduct literary and other research to support Center projects
• Strong organizational and collaboration skills, including a demonstrated ability to coordinate multiple projects simultaneously
• Experience using office productivity software (e.g., Microsoft Office suite) and communication tools (e.g., Microsoft Teams)
• Demonstrated ability to learn new technologies and procedures
• Ability to work independently as well as on a team
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong attention to detail

Additional Considerations
• Familiarity with JMU systems
• Knowledge of Global / Diasporic Black poetry contexts
• Knowledge of Furious Flower Poetry Center

Conditions of Employment:  

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.

E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. James Madison University uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.

EEO Statement:

James Madison University is committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status.

We promote access, inclusion and diversity for all students, faculty, staff, constituents and programs, believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. The university is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.

Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity: (540) 568-6991.

Reasonable Accommodation:

If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance searching or applying for jobs please contact us at (540) 568-3597 or jobs@jmu.edu. You may also visit the JMU Human Resource Office, located at 752 Ott Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807 and we will be happy to assist you.