Editor in Chief

Job Posting Title:

Editor in Chief

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Hiring Department:

UT Press

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

Purpose:

To lead the editorial department and acquire book projects for publication for the University of Texas Press.

Responsibilities:

• Manages editorial team (four editors, two assistants), plans seasonal lists, and maps strategy for editorial and financial growth. Works with the director and the editors to establish departmental and individual editors’ goals and meets regularly with each editor to assess progress. Assists each editor in building list portfolios. Analyzes sales and other measurable criteria for each list portfolio. Manages departmental budget. Develops and implements policies and procedures.
• Solicits or commissions appropriate scholarly and trade book projects in the humanities and social sciences, including American studies and history (border, Western, Texas, African American, sport, and other areas TBD). Identifies and acquires 20 to 25 such projects each year.
• Assesses manuscripts and proposals. Advises authors on project development. Arranges for the formal external review of manuscripts by qualified readers and guides authors on appropriate revisions.
• Prepares project dossiers, book budgets, and sales projections for internal review and approval. Negotiates contract terms and schedules with authors. Presents projects to the Faculty Advisory Council for approval. Evaluates final manuscripts prior to transmittal.
• Meets regularly with UT faculty and administrators in key subject areas. Serves as Press liaison with UT campus. Seeks out prospective authors by making visits to college campuses and attending scholarly conferences. Networks with people in appropriate fields, encourages project submissions, and stays abreast of trends in publishing. Develops and maintains working relationships with authors and advisors in appropriate fields and solicits expert advice on current trends in those fields.
• Works closely with other UT Press departments to bring projects to publication. Acts as liaison between author and staff members. May prepare grant proposals or participate in other fundraising activities.
• Works closely with the management group to discuss list-building goals and to implement other elements of the Press’s strategic plan.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree; seven years of editorial experience with a commercial or university publisher, with demonstrated records of achievement in acquisitions and project management in appropriate fields; familiarity with trends in scholarly publishing and best practices in peer review; strong skills in time and deadline management, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to work cooperatively with internal staff and authors; strong organizational and administrative skills; familiarity with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Filemaker Pro; ability to travel to conferences on a regular basis.

Preferred Qualifications

Advanced degree; ten or more years of editorial experience with a commercial or university publisher; management experience; experience working with budgets; acquisitions experience in US history, American studies, and related fields. Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Salary Range

$75,000+ depending on qualifications and experience

Working Conditions

The position is based in Austin, TX. UT Press has a hybrid work environment, with some days in the office and some remote.

Work Shift

Monday thru Friday, 8am-5pm

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented

to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer , complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]
• E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031 .

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the 2021 report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe, Suite UTA 2.206, Austin, TX 78701.