Work with LGBTQ+ Western!
Current Openings
LGBTQ+ Western is hiring three student roles. The role will start the week of March 9th.
Apps Monday due February 23rd.
The roles are:
-Community Development Coordinator
-Intersectional Experiences Coordinator
-Media & Outreach Coordinator
Application Process
We have one "common application" so students can apply for multiple positions at once!
Instead of a cover letter, applicants will answer questions required of all candidates, and some supplemental questions based on the roles you are interested in.
Each position has supplemental questions to answer, detailed below.
You can edit your submission up until the due date, February 23rd, and you can return to the app to finish it if you leave the page. However, we recommend writing your answers in a separate document so you don't lose your work!
Application Questions
General Information
- What is your first name?
- What is your last name?
- What is your W number?
- What are your pronouns? (optional)
- What is your email address? WWU preferred
- What is your phone number?
- Have you applied for an LGBTQ+ Western job before? Yes / No
- Why are you interested in working for LGBTQ+ Western? What positions are you most interested in and why?
- What experience do you have engaging with the LGBTQ+ community?
- What is a challenge that LGBTQ+ students may experience at Western and what are three ways you would help address that challenge if you were on our team?
- Each role has 2 students. What do you need from your co-coordinator to be successful and how would you support them?
- Please include a 1-2 page résumé detailing your experiences, including volunteer, academic, and work experience. Top candidates from other searches have detailed transferrable skills from their résumé into their cover letter. Please do NOT include your personal address anywhere in your materials.
- Please attach a copy of your fall quarter class schedule (does not need to include what specific courses) and any other commitments that are not flexible such as other jobs. Can be an image of a calendar or a list of times, preferably broken down each day
- Are you a work study student? Yes / No / Unsure
- If you are are, please upload a copy of your work study award email
Are there any accommodations you will need for an interview? Interview will be over Microsoft Teams or Zoom. You will receive questions 24 hours in advance. Questions will be written in the chat and read aloud to you. You will have time to ask questions at the end--we expect you to be prepared with questions, you are interviewing us too!
Job Descriptions
Department Wide Student Responsibilities
All LGBTQ+ Western student staff members share the following tasks:
- Through performance of job responsibilities, advance the mission and goals of LGBTQ+ Western, the Centers for Student Access, Community, and Intercultural Engagement, Division of Enrollment and Student Services, and the university.
- Engage in work collaboratively within and between departments in The Centers.
- Participate in all required student staff development training, as communicated by one’s supervisor.
- Participate in staff meetings.
- Informed by engagement with peers, share with one’s supervisor what is working well and where students are experiencing barriers to access, equity, and inclusion. Keep supervisor informed as needed to support students’ safety, well-being, and success.
- Assist with event publicity, set-up and take-down, including preparation of event materials, hanging posters across campus to publicize events, room set-up, and post-event clean-up.
- Represent LGBTQ+ Western and The Centers, including by staffing tables for the department at events and visiting classes.
- Hold regular drop-in hours to engage with students, providing peer-to-peer support, referrals, and information
- Support, plan, and deliver educational and social programming
- Serve on committees and work groups as assigned by one’s supervisor.
- Maintain office and community space that is accessible, welcoming, and inclusive to students with multiple marginalized identities.
- Occasionally take photos at events or be in promotional videos/materials for LGBTQ+ Western
- Follow all applicable university policies and laws in the performance of one’s job.
- Assist in informing students about resources at Western and beyond, including scholarship opportunities, the Gender-Affirming Care Team, The Basic Needs Hub, University Residences, the Learning Commons, and Counseling & Wellness Services.
- Other duties as assigned and deemed necessary to meet the department mission
Student staff members must also complete their role responsibilities, detailed in each section below.
Position Specific Job Responsibilities & Preferred Qualifications
Community Development Co-Coordinator
The Community Development Co-Coordinators focus on creating programming that connects LGBTQ+ students with each other, staff, faculty, and the larger Bellingham and Whatcom communities. The Community Development Co-Coordinators split the following responsibilities.
- Coordinate the Queer Guild Council, a collaboration of different LGBTQ+ clubs
- Collaborate with the Queer Guild Council to support LGBTQ+ clubs
- Work with campus partners to plan and host events
- Hold regular drop-in hours to engage with students, providing peer-to-peer support, referrals, and information.
- Assist in planning and hosting LGBTQ+ Western's Signature Events: Queerientation, Trans Week, Trans Day of Remembrance, Trans Visibility Celebration, and Lavender Graduation.
- Support Western’s participation in Whatcom Youth Pride and Pride IN Bellingham
- Assist in the assessment of programming.
Required qualifications
- Demonstrated basic understanding of LGBTQ+ identities and barriers to inclusion experienced by college-aged people who are LGBTQ+.
- Demonstrated interest in advancing access, inclusion, and equity of disabled LGBTQ+ people and LGBTQ+ people of diverse racial and ethnic identities, nationalities, and economic backgrounds.
- Ability to facilitate events and discussions.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate professionally and effectively in a manner that is welcoming to people with varying levels of understanding of LGBTQ+ identities and equity issues.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
- Strong professional judgment, organizational, and time management skills.
Intersectional Experiences Co-Coordinator
- Coordinate the Affinity Centered Programs hosted by LGBTQ+ Western in collaboration with other student employees
- Including but not limited Trans Tea, QTPOC, and Love Constellations. For details of these programs, please visit our website
- Support heritage, cultural, and history months facilitated by The Centers to ensure intersectional identities are included in the programming
- This may include:
- Being a member of the planning committee
- Coordinating or hosting a program
- Creating social media and physical media content about intersectional identities in collaboration with other staff across LGBTQ+ Western and The Centers
- Conducting outreach and relationship development with Affinity Housing and other campus partners in collaboration with the Community Development coordinators
- Other duties as assigned
Qualifications:
- Demonstrated interest in advancing the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people of diverse racial and ethnic identities, nationalities, abilities, and economic backgrounds.
- Significant experience working effectively and collaboratively within communities of color.
- Strong public communication skills, including the ability to facilitate small and large groups and communicate effectively with people with various levels of familiarity with LGBTQ+ topics.
- Ability to use Instagram and other social media for professional purposes.
- Strong professional judgment.
Media & Outreach Coordinator
- Collaborate with other LGBTQ+ Western staff to create materials on social media platforms including but not limited to Instagram, Discord, TikTok, etc.
- Maintain and update the LGBTQ+ Western website with guidance from professional and administrative staff
- Create physical and digital ads for LGBTQ+ Western events in collaboration with the team and official university services. Software can include Canva, Photoshop, InDesign, etc.
- Create and maintain outreach campaigns such as interviews in Red Square, social media takeovers, Graduate Profiles, and other materials.
- Collaborate with other Western Washington University social media coordinators and Marketing and Communications team including other departments, clubs, and orgs
- Be the primary communicator for the team on social media platforms
- Support university web accessibility standards, including training other staff
- Serve on planning committees for events such as Pride Celebration, Queerientation, Student Staff Training, etc. (specific committees to be decided)
Required qualifications:
- Demonstrated basic understanding of LGBTQ+ identities and barriers to inclusion experienced by college-aged people who are LGBTQ+.
- Experience using social media platforms for text posts and videos
- Experience using software to design digital ads and edit images. Can include Canva, Photoshop, InDesign, etc.
- Demonstrated interest in advancing access, inclusion, and equity of disabled LGBTQ+ people and LGBTQ+ people of diverse racial and ethnic identities, nationalities, and economic backgrounds.
- Ability to facilitate events and discussions.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate professionally and effectively in a manner that is welcoming to people with varying levels of understanding of LGBTQ+ identities and equity issues.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
- Strong professional judgment, organizational, and time management skills.
Qualifications
Qualified candidates for these roles will demonstrate the following in their application materials and interview:
Required for all roles:
- Demonstrated basic understanding of LGBTQ+ identities and barriers to inclusion experienced by college-aged people who are LGBTQ+.
- Demonstrated interest in advancing access, inclusion, and equity of disabled LGBTQ+ people and LGBTQ+ people of diverse racial and ethnic identities, nationalities, and economic backgrounds.
- Ability to facilitate events and discussions.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate professionally and effectively in a manner that is welcoming to people with varying levels of understanding of LGBTQ+ identities and equity issues.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
- Strong professional judgment, organizational, and time management skills.
Preferred Qualifications for all roles:
- Have been a student at Western for one full academic year
- Have experience working directly with LGBTQ+ populations (volunteer or paid)
- Experience with the LGBTQ+ programs, clubs, and services at Western Washington University
- Proficiency in Spanish or other languages
Specific Preferred Qualifications are posted in the descriptions above.
Eligibility
All students must meet and maintain the following to be employed at Western:
- Must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative and term GPA
- Must be enrolled with at least half time which is 6 credits for undergraduate and post-baccalaureate and 4 credits for graduate students through the entire time of employment aside
- from summer quarter
- Student employees must maintain employment eligibility as described in Section 5 of Western’s Student Employee Handbook
- Work Study Students must also maintain work study eligibility as detailed in the Work Study Handbook
- Follow expectations of the Student Affairs Division and The Centers employee handbooks (these materials are currently being updated and should be ready by start date)
Hiring Timeline
Application Open
Application Review
Interviews
Hiring Paperwork and First Day
Employment Details
LGBTQ+ Western roles start at Level 1 at $19.79/hr. Please see student salary schedule for more details on Western student salaries.
Most weeks average 10-15 hours; busy weeks with events such as rehearsal week, audition week, and week of the show will usually reach the full 19 hour per week maximum per student employee.
Students not taking classes during intersession are eligible to work up to 40 hours. Scheduling dependent on needed tasks and budget.
Work in the office is usually 10am-4 or 5pm. All staff will participate in occasional night and weekend work based on events and services.
Start date: March 9th-March 13th
Final Date: June 12th, 2025 unless otherwise approved for summer and 2026-2027 employment. Most students return the following year
All LGBTQ+ Western student staff are Operational Student Employees and receive benefits following Human Resources policies and guidance. 2025-2026 benefit informational is still being organized for publication. LGBTQ+ Western will inform applicants when this guidance is released.