Mobile Facilitator
@ StoryCorps

Facilitators are the “Corps” of StoryCorps. As the public face of the organization, Facilitators work to carry out our mission by creating a space for participants to feel welcome and comfortable while conducting their interviews with one another. Facilitators also ensure a high-quality audio recording and perform data-basing activities so that the interview can be preserved and is searchable in our digital interview archive – however, minimal prior technical expertise is required! StoryCorps provides Facilitators with training from experts in recording, both in-person and virtually, archiving, and audio production. Facilitators also support departmental outreach efforts to local radio stations and community partners to engage interview participants and ensure we are recording and representing the diversity of each local community.

The MobileBooth is an Airstream trailer outfitted with a recording studio that travels the country year-round collecting stories. The Mobile Tour partners with local public radio stations for 4-6 week-long visits to towns and cities nationwide. Two Facilitators and one Site Manager staff the MobileBooth at each stop. Mobile Facilitators spend roughly 75 percent of their time on the road and 25 percent of their time working remotely.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

On the road:

• Welcome participants and guide them through the interview process.

• Handle all technical aspects of the recording process and support virtual interviews, as needed.

• Ensure the preservation of every interview by performing data entry and archival processing tasks.

• Interview solo participants.

• Exhibit sensitivity to the special needs of all participants.

• Support StoryCorps’ special initiatives and diversity goals.

• Identify tape from interviews to be considered for national and local broadcast.

• Solicit donations and enrollment in StoryCorps’ membership program from participants; accurately process and record transactions.

• Keep the recording equipment, Airstream, and worksite well-maintained and clean.

• Promote and participate in on-site StoryCorps-produced events and trainings.

• Conduct on-the-ground outreach to local communities, as needed.

• Perform other duties to support the Mobile Tour, as assigned.

Remotely:

• Support the Director and Manager of Community Partnerships with community outreach and logistical planning of the Mobile Tour.

• Perform demographic research on upcoming Mobile tour stops and research community-based organizations.

• Communicate with community partners as necessary.

• Help ensure all interview participants are prepared for their recording experience.

• Provide guidance and support to Mobile interns and/or Participant Relations Associate.

• Take initiative and proactively problem-solve issues that arise, with direction from the Director and Manager of Community Partnerships.

• Perform other duties to support the Mobile department, as assigned.

ABOUT YOU

Required:

• You are fluent in English, both orally and in writing.

• You have a high school diploma or equivalency plus 3 years of professional experience, OR college degree plus 1 year of professional work experience.

• Working ‘on the road’ for up to 4 months at a time excites you.

• You’re able to work evening and weekend hours, while on the road.

• You have a valid driver’s license and you’re comfortable driving long distances.

• You are no stranger to providing excellent customer service to everyone.

• You know how to communicate effectively – whether that’s by email, phone or in person.

• You’re organized, have a keen attention to detail, and you’re able to multitask effectively.

• You have strong problem-solving skills.

• You are flexible and adaptable to a growing, changing organization.

• You have cultural humility and an ability to work successfully with diverse groups of people.

• You love working closely with a team and feel comfortable with resolving conflict.

• You have a working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and web-mail (e.g. G-mail).

• You are comfortable with learning and working with new technical equipment (e.g., audio recording equipment, editing software, databases, digital cameras).

Preferred:

• You’ve worked in a nonprofit environment.

• You have at least one year of experience working with diverse communities in a volunteer or professional setting.

• You have experience conducting community outreach and engagement with Latino, Black/African American, Asian American, and/or LGBTQIA communities (strongly preferred).

• You have a familiarity with audio recording equipment.

Physical Requirements:

• Carrying/Lifting: While traveling, Facilitators bring 1-2 personal bags; they must be able to carry and lift the baggage (e.g., into the trunk of a car, into overhead bins on an airplane, etc.)

• Able to travel for long distances via airplane, train, and automobile.

• Travel Percentage: 75%.

ABOUT STORYCORPS

StoryCorps' mission is to help us believe in each other by illuminating the humanity and possibility in us all — one story at a time. Since 2003, more than 600,000 people, in all 50 states, have recorded StoryCorps interviews about their lives. We preserve and archive their recordings at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, the largest single collection of human voices ever gathered, and share select stories with the public through StoryCorps’ podcast, NPR broadcasts, animated shorts, digital platforms, and best-selling books. These powerful human stories reflect the vast range of American experiences, engender empathy and connection, and remind us how much more we have in common than what divides us. StoryCorps is especially committed to capturing and amplifying voices least heard in the media.

ABOUT MOBILE TOUR

The StoryCorps Mobile Tour department operates a traveling recording studio housed in a converted Airstream trailer, known as the MobileBooth. Since 2005, this initiative has journeyed across the United States, visiting cities and towns to record and preserve the stories of local residents. In collaboration with local public radio stations, cultural institutions, and community organizations, the Mobile Tour facilitates meaningful conversations, contributing to a diverse oral history archive. To date, the Mobile Tour has visited over 200 communities and recorded more than 30,000 interviews.