Reader Programs Coordinator in Boston, Massachusetts at The Boston Athenaeum

The Boston Athenaeum's member discussion groups are among the most beloved programs we offer. They are varied, intellectually engaging, and popular. The Reader Programs Coordinator will build and run the operational engine behind the discussion groups.

This is a part-time role sitting within the Events & Programming team, working in close partnership with the Head of Reader Services. The successful candidate will bring an enthusiasm for books and reading culture alongside the organizational discipline to manage a growing portfolio of groups, a rotating roster of volunteer moderators, and an active list of members eager to participate. Because these programs are exclusively available to Athenaeum members, this role carries responsibility for the member experience, where every interaction is an opportunity to reinforce why membership here is something people value deeply. There is meaningful process-building ahead, and the right candidate will find that energizing.

What You'll Do

• Partner with Reader Services to deliver programs that are social, engaging, and responsive to members’ reading interests

• Participate in the design and maintenance of the operational systems that keep discussion groups running smoothly, including enrollment, scheduling, room coordination, communications, and record-keeping

• Manage member enrollment and the waitlist with care and consistency

• Support and steward a community of volunteer moderators — onboarding new ones, maintaining strong relationships with returning ones, and managing the full range of volunteer dynamics with care.

• Track group health metrics (attendance, waitlist demand, moderator retention) and flag trends or needs to the Manager of Events

• Coordinate the launch of new groups as the program continues to grow

• Handle member-facing communications and customer service with warmth and professionalism, recognizing that participants in these programs are among our most engaged members

Who You Are:

• A book lover with curiosity about the broader literary and reading community

• An operational thinker who finds satisfaction in building a well-run system that makes a good conversation possible

• Skilled at customer service and comfortable managing competing requests from members, moderators, and internal stakeholders

• Detail-oriented and proactive, with good judgment about when to act independently and when to escalate

• Proficient in Salesforce or eager to become so

• Comfortable working within a small, mission-driven team where flexibility matters

About the Boston Athenaeum

Founded in 1807, the Boston Athenaeum is one of the oldest and most distinguished independent libraries in the United States. Membership is central to our identity and our model — our members are scholars, writers, artists, and curious minds who choose to make the Athenaeum part of their intellectual life. The Reader Programs Coordinator plays a direct role in delivering on that promise, connecting members to one another and to the rich resources of the institution through thoughtfully run programming.