The System Office seeks an Assistant Acquisitions Editor to be a member of the acquisition program involved in discussions of focus and direction of publishing program. This position assists acquisitions editors in managing the cultivation of prospective authors, the development and evaluation of manuscripts, and project management entailed in guiding new book projects through all aspects of the publication process. The Assistant Acquisitions Editor serves as the primary point of contact between the acquisitions department and other departments (business, editorial, design, production, and marketing) as well as the author to advise on Press requirements and standards. This work requires mastery of Press requirements as well as mastery of copyright and fair use guidelines, formatting and style requirements, and other protocols.

Additional responsibilities include:

Support list development

1. Prepares reports, data, and information for purposes of assessing potential intellectual property acquisitions, preparing budgets, and presenting projects to internal and external committees.
2. Execute and track the peer review process: research and identify prospective project reviewers, handle correspondence and transmission of materials to reviewers, and coordinate payment with the business office.
3. Deploy expertise on citation styles, copyright law, and fair use to assess permissions and manuscript materials: work with authors to finalize their submissions and determine if materials submitted by author are complete have used proper formatting and that legal requirements for clearance of permissions have been met. Prepare manuscripts and necessary permissions for transmittal to editorial, design, and production.
4. Coordinate evaluation of images with the design department; convey and explain technical feedback to authors; deposit final files and images on server; identify images available for promotional use.
5. Serve as primary point of contact between acquisitions department and business, editorial, design, production, and marketing departments.
6. As directed by acquisitions editor, research book projects, series, and sources of outside funding. Prepare queries and preliminary grant applications.
7. Selectively acquire titles independently: research and recruit potential authors and book projects? convince author to publish with the Press; shepherd project through peer review and contracting process? present projects to internal and external committees.

Support Press operations and outreach

1. Train new acquisitions editors, support staff, and interns on internal processes, systems, and databases. Supervise students and interns on specific tasks.
2. Contribute to Press-wide initiatives and serve as primary department contact on committees. Foster innovation and cross-departmental collaboration at the Press.
3. Schedule and facilitate video conferencing, prepare agendas, and record official notes for both internal committee and faculty board meetings.
4. Attend scholarly meetings and conferences on behalf of the Press outside regular work hours. Serve as positive representative of the Press to the public.

Other

1. Other duties and responsibilities appropriate for an Assistant Acquisitions Editor.

Education and Experience

Required:

1. Bachelor’s degree in humanities, social science, or a related field.
2. A total of one (1) year (12 months) in education, training and/or work experience in publishing. (Note: Master’s Degree in an area consistent with the duties of the position may be substituted for one (1) year of work experience.)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

1. Sharp proofreading skills and the ability to write clearly for a variety of audiences.
2. The ability to work with authors, scholars and other members of the UIP staff.
3. Strong interpersonal communication, organizational, networking, and follow-through skills.
4. Familiarity with manuscript development and preparation.
5. Ability to meet deadlines, prioritize, and work under pressure on multiple projects.
6. Knowledge of copyright and contracts as they relate to book publishing.
7. Proficient word processing, database, internet, and Microsoft computer application experience.
8. Familiarity with all stages of the publishing process.
9. Some travel required.

SALARY AND APPOINTMENT INFORMATION
This is a full-time Civil Service Program Coordinator position appointed on a 12 month service basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after June 10th, 2022. Salary is commensurate with experience.

TO APPLY:

Applications must be received by June 10th, 2022. Apply for this position by going to http://jobs.illinois.edu.  If you have not applied before, you must create your candidate profile at http://jobs.illinois.edu.  If you already have a profile, you will be redirected to that existing profile via email notification.  To complete the application process:

Step 1) Submit the Staff Vacancy Application.

Step 2) Submit the Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability forms.

Step 3) Upload the following documents:

• cover letter
• resume (months and years of employment and education information must be included)
• names/contact information for three references
• OPTIONAL: academic credentials (unofficial transcripts or copy of diploma is acceptable). Academic credentials are verified at the time of hire.

In order to be considered as a transfer candidate, you must apply for this position by going to http://jobs.illinois.edu. Applications not submitted through this website will not be considered. For further information about this specific position, contact Elizabeth Cropper at ecropper@uillinois.edu  For questions about the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

The University of Illinois is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability or veteran status. For more information, visit http://go.illinois.edu/EEO.

University of Illinois faculty, staff and students are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If you are not able to receive the vaccine for medical or religious reasons, you may seek approval for an exemption in accordance with applicable University processes.

The University of Illinois conducts criminal background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer. Convictions are not a bar to employment. Other pre-employment assessments may be required, depending on the classification of Civil Service employment.

As a qualifying federal contractor, the University of Illinois System uses E-Verify to verify employment eligibility.

The University of Illinois System requires candidates selected for hire to disclose any documented finding of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment and to authorize inquiries to current and former employers regarding findings of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment. For more information, visit Policy on Consideration of Sexual Misconduct in Prior Employment

The University of Illinois must also comply with applicable federal export control laws and regulations and, as such, reserves the right to employ restricted party screening procedures for applicants.

College Name or Administrative Unit: System Office
Category: Administrative
Title: Assistant Acquisitions Editor – University Press (161768)
Open Date: 05/16/2022
Close Date: 06/10/2022
Organization Name: University Press

APPLY HERE: https://jobs.illinois.edu/academic-job-board/job-details?jobID=161768&job=assistant-acquisitions-editor-university-press-161768