Job Description

Committee affiliation: Competition Committee

This position should be filled by an enthusiastic volunteer. This role involves a medium to high level of effort from August through April. You will receive instructions on how to handle each of these components, and will work with a team to make the event successful. All to-do items are outlined in the Basecamp project plan.

The Competition Manager manages the chapter's annual technical documentation competition. The preferred candidate is well organized and has a flexible schedule during the months of the competition schedule. The Competition Manager works closely with STC International to organize, publicize, and manage the competition. The Competition Manager works with others in the Administrative Council to publicize and manage the events and manage the budget.

Responsibilities

• Oversee all aspects of the competitions.
• Guide and assist committee managers.
• Organizes a committee of other volunteers to solicit and organize entries, recruit judges, manage the judging process, and celebrate the winners.
• Develop and distribute a contact list of committee members and their roles.
• Set the schedule: dates for the entry submission deadline, sorting day, the judging training / pickup, and the celebration, allowing time to mail eligible winning entries to the international competition before its deadline (if applicable).
• Submit information to the Society office about the competition entry deadline and website.
• Ensure competition information is communicated to the chapter's email list, competition announcement lists, other email lists, and the STC office.
• Serve as liaison to the STC office and the international competition managers (if applicable).
• Use the Basecamp project planning tool to monitor to-do tasks and the schedule.
• Establish and monitor the competition budget.
• Distribute meeting minutes to committee members to ensure to-do items and decisions are recorded.
• Solicit corporate support.
• With other committee members, select a location for the awards celebration and coordinate related activities such as negotiating the menu and cost of the celebration (request the president's signature on the contract) and displaying winning entries.
• In September / October, prepare a budget of expenses and income for the year ahead (a sample budget is available).
• Guide members of the committee so that all committee duties are fulfilled.
• Assume the responsibilities of any leadership roles that aren't filled.
• Attend monthly board meetings to provide updates on the competition.
• Write and send out letters (with the judges evaluation sheets) to all submitters notifying them if their entry won an award or not.
• Work with the Locations Manager on how award certificates will be distributed at the Awards Celebration.
• Send qualifying entries to the international competition entries manager along with an inventory and proper entry fee by the necessary deadline (if applicable).
• Find and purchase gifts for judges and volunteers-or designate this task to the recognitions manager.
• Preside over judging and awards events.
• Resolve any issues that arise during the competition process.
• Submit a monthly status report by email to the President and Vice-President (or post to the Admin Council Group's monthly status reports files) regarding all current and upcoming committee activities.
• Prepare a final report for the records.
• Find a judging exchange partner and serve as liaison to the partner (if chapter decides to participate in judging exchanges for the year).
• Assemble and relay all pertinent information, records, and recommendations to the next Competition Committee Manager.

Experience and Skills

• Familiarity with Facebook and Twitter use
• Familiarity with LinkedIn and other social media outlets
• Experience with online project planning and scheduling (the project is planned out using Basecamp)
• Ability to post status updates to social meda, the website, or to the administrative council.
• Ability to lead a team and to work on a team
• Previous experience managing a committee is a plus
• Good time management
• Strong communication / interpersonal skills
• An outgoing and friendly personality
• Good organizational skills
• Able to meet deadlines and able to identify and report problems with meeting those deadlines; willing to ask for help when needed

Equipment

• Computer with reliable Internet access
• Email address (Google is preferred for working with Google calendar, Basecamp, and other tools)
• Word processing software
• HTML / CSS / PHP text editor

Optional items that may be helpful:

• FAX or scanner
• Acrobat Pro
• Adobe PhotoShop
• Adobe Illustrator

Time Commitment

Approximately 12-15 hours per month between July / August through mid-April. Approximately 8 to 10 hours to scout and interview prospective employers and news media to promote and support the competition.

Contact

If you are interested in serving the chapter as a volunteer, please fill in the Chapter Volunteer Signup Form.

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