Assistant/Associate Editor for Africana Studies

The University of Virginia Press (UVAP) seeks an innovative and productive Assistant or Associate Editor to acquire and develop 8-12 new book projects each year in the areas of African, African American, and African diaspora studies. This full-time staff position reports to the Press Director. 

UVAP has a deep backlist of high-caliber books in these subject areas and within series including the Carter G. Woodson Institute Series; New World Studies; CARAF Books: Caribbean and African Literature Translated from French; Race, Ethnicity, and Politics; and Reconsiderations in Southern African History, as well as in recently launched series such as The Black Soldier in War and Society and Race, Place, and Space. The Africana studies editor will work with the acquiring editors for these series to enhance this list with new acquisitions in Black history, literature, and culture in multidisciplinary and diasporic perspective to raise the profile of UVAP in the field of Africana studies. 

The assistant or associate editor will be responsible for soliciting, reviewing, and developing proposals and manuscripts for exceptional scholarly and trade books in Africana studies, managing all aspects of the editorial process, applying for grant monies, and overseeing the books through the entire course of publication. 

The assistant or associate editor should have a good knowledge of the field and develop a dynamic and forward-looking vision for the Press’s list, should cultivate and maintain a broad familiarity with the significant literature in the field, and will be encouraged to develop projects with gifted new authors and diverse voices.  A great alternative career for junior publishing professionals or Masters/PhDs in relevant fields, the qualified candidate will have plenty of opportunity to learn scholarly publishing and develop professionally. 

Responsibilities Include

• Working with the Press Director to create a strategic plan for developing the Africana Studies list. 
• Collaborating with outside editors of assigned series.
• Helping conceptualize new projects and identifying appropriate authors.
• Managing the peer review process. 
• Presenting projects to the in-house publication committee, as well as to UVAP’s faculty editorial board. 
• Applying to appropriate grant-making sources for book and series support, when available. 
• Negotiating, in collaboration with the Director, publication contracts. 
• Working with authors and the Acquisitions Coordinator on manuscript development, preparation, revisions, and formatting.
• Collaborating with Editorial Design and Production Manager and staff on copyediting, design, and production. 
• Working with Sales and Marketing on concepts for packaging, reviewing catalog and jacket copy, and strategizing with Publicity for promotion of all assigned titles.  

Desired Qualifications

•  Bachelor’s degree is required and at least three years of experience.
• Graduate work in African, African American, Afro-Caribbean, or African diaspora studies is preferred, along with a keen and proven interest in these fields. 
• One to two years of book publishing experience at a university press, scholarly publisher, or a trade publisher with a complementary list is preferred, but not required, if the candidate has sufficient education or experience in the scholarly field.
• Excellent verbal and written communications, with strong teamwork and interpersonal skills are required. 
• Experience with Microsoft Word and Microsoft Outlook preferred. 

More Information

ABOUT THE PRESS: The University of Virginia Press was founded in 1963 to advance the intellectual interests not only of the University of Virginia but of institutions of higher learning throughout the state. A member of the Association of University Presses, UVAP currently publishes seventy to eighty new titles annually and operates a successful digital imprint, Rotunda. UVAP is located in beautiful Charlottesville, Virginia, a historic and diverse intellectual and entrepreneurial community near the Blue Ridge Mountains with exceptional music, arts, food, sports, and other cultural resources.

We are currently following a hybrid work schedule requiring attendance two days per week in the Charlottesville office.

This position will remain open till filled. Review of applications will begin on March 15, 2023 with a start date of on, or before, June 15, 2023. This is an Exempt level, benefited position. Salary is commensurate with education and experience.  Relocation funds are available. The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment.  For questions about the position or the application process, please contact Jonathan Freeman, Academic Recruiter at jf2sw@virginia.edu. 

For questions about the position or the application process, please contact Jon Freeman, Academic Recruiter at jf2sw@virginia.edu.

Anticipated Hiring Range: $43,000-$58,000 commensurate with education and experience.  

This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings, and programs. 

Apply

Process for Internal UVA Applicants: Please apply through your Workday Home page, search “Find Jobs”, and search for “R0044635“ 

Process for External Applicants: Please visit UVA job board at https://uva.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UVAJobs and search for “R0044635”. 

Complete an application online with the following documents:

• CV
• Cover Letter

Upload all materials into the resume submission field, multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Alternatively, merge all documents into one PDF for submission. Applications that do not contain all required documents will not receive full consideration.

References will be completed via UVA’s standardized process Skill Survey. A total of five references will be requested via SkillSurvey during the final phase of the interview process. 

For questions about the application process, please contact Jon Freeman, Recruiting Specialist, at jf2sw@virginia.edu  

For more information about UVA and the Charlottesville community please see http://www.virginia.edu/life/charlottesville and https://embarkcva.com/. 

Please visit the UVA COVID-19 Job Requirements and Guidelines webpage prior to applying for current information regarding vaccination requirements and guidelines for employment at UVA.

The University of Virginia, including the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff.  We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences.  We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.