Acquisitions Assistant
UNC Press seeks an energetic and intellectually curious candidate for the position of acquisitions assistant. The acquisitions assistant will provide administrative support and project management for multiple (usually two) acquisitions editors across fields and disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. An acquisitions assistant has a hand in all aspects of the book acquisitions process, and some of the job duties include:
Responsibilities:
- assisting in the fielding and assessment of initial inquiries
- facilitating peer review of manuscripts
- using database tools to track manuscripts through the review process
- maintaining all project files
- creating project descriptions, memos, and other copy for internal and external use
- conducting marketing and other research regarding prospective projects
- managing the routine correspondence with authors and outside advisors
- transmitting accepted manuscripts for copyediting.
Preferred applicants will have a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience. We also seek applicants who have demonstrated interest in publishing, communications, and/or serious scholarship and who are ready to learn about the business of scholarly publishing. Candidates must have superb writing and proofreading skills, excellent oral and interpersonal communication skills, demonstrated ability to organize and manage multiple tasks successfully under deadline pressure, and working familiarity with Microsoft Office software. Priority will be given to candidates with evidence of interest or subject knowledge in one or more of the following fields: American studies, Black studies, gender and sexuality studies, history, literary studies and literary nonfiction, or religion. No subject expertise is necessary to apply. This is an entry-level, full-time, in-office position with starting annual salary of $41,000 and excellent state benefits.
To Apply:
Provide a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three professional references to Adele Sommerville, Chief Human Resources Officer at asommerville@uncpress.org. The review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled, with preference given to applications received by January 15, 2025. Only finalists will be contacted.
About UNC Press:
UNC Press is a nonprofit publisher of both scholarly and general interest books and journals, affiliated with the University of North Carolina System. From its early days, the Press adopted the principle that its books should not merely observe but seek to understand, explain, and thereby improve our world. In keeping with that principle, UNC Press became the first scholarly publisher to develop an ongoing program of books by and about African Americans, beginning in the late 1920s, and was at the vanguard of the interdisciplinary field of gender and women’s studies in the 1970s. In addition to works on global history, religion, politics, and culture, the Press pioneered one of the earliest and strongest regional publishing programs in the country, publishing books on the people, culture, and environment of the South, cultivating a vital legacy for the future. The Press is also a leading publisher of works of Indigenous studies and histories of the carceral state, among other subjects that engage with pressing issues of social concern. The Press’s offices are located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in the thriving Research Triangle region of North Carolina. To learn more about the Press, visit www.uncpress.org/about.
UNC Press values equity in word and deed. The work we publish reflects a commitment to engaging diverse voices and experiences and bringing them to the widest possible audience. Similarly, we value a workplace that welcomes different perspectives to enhance the quality of our decision making as we carry out our work. We are strategically engaged in creating and enhancing policies and practices that will build upon our past efforts to attract, retain, and develop a staff that is diverse along many dimensions.
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER M/F/D/V