Postdoctoral Teaching Associate

About the Opportunity

The College of Social Sciences and Humanities and its ten tenure units are the home of the Experiential Liberal Arts. Through its research, teaching, and engagement missions, the college collaborates across the university, the Northeastern network, and partners around the globe.

The Writing Program at Northeastern University, housed in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities and the English Department, invites applications for multiple Postdoctoral Teaching Associate appointments on our Boston campus, starting August 17, 2026. The appointment will be for one nine-month academic year contract (2026–27), with an opportunity for renewal for an additional academic year (2027–28).

These full-time, benefits-eligible positions provide health insurance coverage. Candidates may be eligible for hire as part-time lecturers for the 2027 summer terms on a per-course basis.

Responsibilities

Postdoctoral Teaching Associates teach 3 in-person courses per semester in First-Year Writing and Advanced Writing in the Disciplines. While instructors have freedom to structure their individual courses to meet our 12 Learning Goals, all courses focus on the teaching of genre and audience awareness across diverse disciplinary discourse communities.

As members of our collaborative Writing Program, Postdocs may participate in activities that support their teaching, research, and professional development. Our program offers Postdocs job market support and Postdocs may engage actively in department-wide committees, workshops, reading groups, and other pedagogical training offerings. Postdocs also have opportunities to collaborate with Northeastern’s centers for student and faculty advancement, including the Writing Center, Digital Integration Teaching Initiative, Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning Through Research (CATLR), and the Office of Faculty Development (ADVANCE).

We welcome applicants with recently-awarded PhD, EdD, or related doctoral degrees (2023 or later) from the humanities and social sciences who have demonstrated training, scholarship, and/or pedagogical investment in the teaching of writing.

We are especially interested in candidates who seek further specialization in the following:

●     Business, technical, scientific, and professional writing

●     Multilingualism and translingualism

●     Digital and multimodal literacies

●     Alternative assessment and non-traditional grading practices

●     Human composition in the age of artificial intelligence

Northeastern University’s dynamic Writing Program houses a mix of full-time teaching professors, graduate students, part-time lecturers, and tenure-stream faculty. Named a Writing Program of Excellence by the Conference on College Composition and Communication in 2015, we offer interdisciplinary undergraduate courses that complement the university’s unique experiential learning curriculum. Our diverse faculty, with MFAs and PhDs from across the disciplines, are actively engaged in teacher-scholar research, professional development, and curricular innovation.

Minimum Qualifications

● Doctoral degree in Rhetoric and Composition, Writing Studies, English, Communication, Education, Linguistics, or related fields, in hand by the employment start date.

● Experience independently instructing first-year and/or upper-division undergraduate students in writing-intensive courses.

Desired Qualifications

● Familiarity with professional and/or industry writing that is relevant for students who undertake co-op assignments (6-month full-time employment), internships, and careers in the natural sciences, business, engineering, and computer science

● Evidence of commitment to writing across the curriculum (WAC) and/or writing in the disciplines (WID) scholarship and pedagogies.

● Active record of collaborating with colleagues in institutional and professional settings, including service at the department and university levels.

Documents to Submit

Applicants should submit prior to March 27, 2026, the following documents via Northeastern’s Workday portal:

● Cover letter (2 pages maximum)

● Curriculum vitae

● Teaching statement that articulates your pedagogical philosophy along with practical applications in the classroom (1 page maximum)

● Upon request, candidates may be asked to provide names and contact information for at least two professional references from whom letters of recommendation can be solicited as needed.

Please address inquiries about the position to Search Committee Co-Chairs, Olivia Ordoñez ([email protected]) and Talia Vestri ([email protected]).

Position Type

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.  

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Pay Range:

With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.