Amherst College invites applications for the Assistant Editor position. The Assistant Editor is a full-time, exempt, year round position, job group and level PT-3. Amherst College has profoundly transformed its student body in terms of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and nationality, among other areas. Today, nearly one-quarter of Amherst’s students are Pell Grant recipients; 45 percent of our students identify as domestic students of color. Our expectation is that the successful candidate will excel at working in a community that is broadly diverse with regard to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, and religion.

The Assistant Editor is as a key member of two scholarly publishing teams, the Amherst College Press and Lever Press. The Assistant Editor functions as an acquiring editor and the operations manager to ensure editorial processes are developed, implemented, and tracked along the path of each title’s development. Working alongside the Director of the Press, the Assistant Editor is responsible for establishing basic elements of the peer review process for both proposed works and complete manuscripts, and assuring the implementation of these elements, as appropriate, in the case of each title. In addition, the Assistant Editor is principally responsible for maintaining the digital presence of the Amherst College Press and Lever Press, working collaboratively with the Office of Digital Programs in the Amherst College Library.

The Assistant Editor takes appropriate actions to support a diverse workforce and participates in the College’s efforts to create a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming work environment.

Key Responsibilities

Acquiring Editor

• Research, identify, and recruit scholars as peer reviewers, assigning manuscripts to reviewers.
• Develop and implement internal processes for the performance of peer review, contracting, and vendor relationships.
• Acquire four to five titles per year for the Amherst College Press. Through these choices, assist in shaping the editorial program of the Press.
• Acquire four to five titles per year for Lever Press.
• Attend scholarly meetings and independently initiate contact on behalf of the Press with potential authors.
• Participate in meetings of the Level Press Operations Group.

Operations Management

• Manage the contracting process with authors including establishing deadlines for performance, assuring completion of reviews by deadline, and overseeing payments of honoraria.
• Prepare minutes of meetings of the Amherst College Press Editorial Board.
• Develop, prepare and distribute materials for meetings of the Amherst College Press Editorial Board as well as the Lever Editorial Board.
• Maintain and enhance the Amherst College Press website and social media.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree
• Five years of experience in the setting of a scholarly press.
• Demonstrated time management and organizational skills.
• Experience working with a diverse community.

Preferred

• Graduate training in a discipline of interest to the editorial program of the Press.
• Demonstrated experience working effectively with distributed teams.
• Experience using web-based project management tools, e.g Asana.

Interested candidates are asked to submit a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information (email and/or telephone numbers) for three professional references. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.

ABOUT AMHERST COLLEGE

Amherst College, one of the premier liberal arts colleges in the nation, is located in Amherst, Massachusetts, a town of approximately 35,000 residents in the western part of the state. The college’s community is composed of about 1,800 students from 48 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and 54 countries around the world, and about 1,000 staff and faculty. The college’s scenic 1,000-acre campus includes a 500-acre wildlife sanctuary and the Book & Plow Farm; three museums: Emily Dickinson Museum, Beneski Museum of Natural History and Mead Art Museum; and multiple educational and cultural venues and resources through the Five College Consortium. The town of Amherst offers an amazing variety of coffee shops, restaurants and entertainment, and a very active outdoor life. Our vibrant campus, diverse community and beautiful surrounding, makes Amherst College and the Town of Amherst the perfect place to work, learn and live!