Director of Public Scholarship – Arts & Sciences

Scheduled Hours
37.5

Position Summary
The School of Arts and Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis is launching an ambitious new initiative in Public Scholarship Program to increase the circulation and adoption of methods, ideas, and practices among the public and the private sector. Arts & Sciences comprises over 40 departments, programs, and centers and spans research and education programs in the humanities, social sciences, behavioral sciences, natural sciences, and performing arts. We seek a dynamic, bold, and creative media professional to partner with the faculty directors of the initiative and play a key role in developing this exciting venture. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in media and publishing. Join us in an unprecedented experiment to build an organization inside a top research university that will unlock its creativity and talent for the benefit of the broader public.

Job Description

This position entails the ability to travel to various on- and off-campus locations.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

Agency Representation:

• Serve as a literary agent representing faculty pursuing high-impact publication projects at scholarly and trade venues and placing those works.
• Work with faculty to generate effective and significant placements in a range of print, broadcast, and electronic media outlets: from general interest books, articles, and reviews, to multimedia and even impactful social media posts.
• Raise the profile of our faculty as expert commentators and potential creative contributors with publishing and media professionals, in key media and publishing outlets, and the general public.

Management and Supervision:

• Recruit, train and supervise two direct reports (media managers).

Talent Management:

• Identify and develop campus talent (faculty and students) by connecting those individuals with media, publishing, licensing, and related opportunities, and develop scholarly research into impactful publications across a range of media outlets (newspapers, magazines, trade books, film, television, film, podcasts, and other relevant media); and to place those works.

Program Development:

• Strategize with co-directors to launch, publicize, and grow initiatives.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in the relevant area plus five to seven years of professional experience.
• Familiarity with scholarly research and publishing venues and practices, among them university presses, journals, and federal/foundation grantmaking agencies.
• Excellent communication, leadership, interpersonal, organizational, and team-building skills.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze and resolve complex problems.
• Proven ability to lead projects and prioritize to meet deadlines and goals.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience in one or more of the following areas: magazine/newspaper publishing, a non-fiction book and feature editing, literary/speaker/talent representation, television/film/radio, or similar areas of media.
• Some management experience, including skills in time management, staff oversight, and budgeting.
• Extensive contacts and relationships in one or more media industries, along with an understanding of the business practices of those media (including commissioning, acquisition, contracts, publicity, subsidiary rights, and so on).
• Familiarity with university research and teaching, and especially with arts & sciences fields.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree with three to five years of related experience or a Master’s with one year of experience.

Grade
G12

Salary Range
$55,600.00 – $94,900.00 / Annually

The salary range reflects base salaries paid for positions in a given job grade across the University. Individual rates within the range will be determined by factors including one’s qualifications and performance, equity with others in the department, market rates for positions within the same grade and department budget.

Pre-Employment Screening
All external candidates receiving an offer for employment will be required to submit to pre-employment screening for this position. The screenings will include criminal background check and, as applicable for the position, other background checks, drug screen, an employment and education or licensure/certification verification, physical examination, certain vaccinations and/or governmental registry checks. All offers are contingent upon successful completion of required screening.

Benefits Statement
Washington University in St. Louis is committed to providing a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to our employees. Benefits eligibility is subject to employment status, full-time equivalent (FTE) workload, and weekly standard hours. Please visit our website at https://hr.wustl.edu/benefits/ to view a summary of benefits.

EEO/AA Statement
Washington University in St. Louis is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity and especially encourages applications by those from underrepresented groups. It is the University’s policy to provide equal opportunity and access to persons in all job titles without regard to race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information.

Diversity Statement
Washington University is dedicated to building a diverse community of individuals who are committed to contributing to an inclusive environment – fostering respect for all and welcoming individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Individuals with a commitment to these values are encouraged to apply.

Applicant Instructions
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