The MIT Press welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds. Candidates who have significant personal experience or engagement with low-income communities or communities that are underrepresented in scholarly publishing are strongly encouraged to apply.
Open Positions:
Senior Acquisitions Editor for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering
To commission and develop twenty-two new books each year on significant topics in physics, astronomy, chemistry, materials science, neuroscience, mathematics, statistics, and engineering. With a focus on high-impact trade books, research monographs, and textbooks, will establish robust relationships with MIT faculty members and wider networks of advisors and prospective authors; work with peer reviewers and authors to develop the highest quality manuscripts for the widest possible readerships; and manage a backlist in these areas and serve as the primary point of contact for their authors. Other responsibilities include conducting market research; evaluating queries, proposals, and manuscripts from authors and agents; building the Press’s networks in science, mathematics, and engineering; seeking out diverse and underrepresented perspectives; drafting and preparing external contracts; consulting on the potential and costs for prospective projects; preparing production estimates, P&Ls statements, and publishing plans ensuring the efficient production of projects; presenting book projects to the Press editorial board and its marketing and sales staff; and performing other duties as requested.
Job Requirements
Required: bachelor’s degree in a related field; at least five years of relevant journalistic or editorial experience; track record of book acquisitions, including textbooks in science, math, engineering, or a related field (preferably with five years’ experience); excellent negotiation and written and verbal communication skills; knowledge of publishing contracts and terms and of the higher education community; ability to work with academic authors; and discretion and judgment with confidential information and/or issues.
Preferred: advanced degree in a related field and knowledge of LaTeX.
The position involves travel to key campuses and academic conferences to meet with authors and represent the list.
The MIT Press is based in Cambridge, MA and offers both in-office and remote working options to employees in the USA and United Kingdom.
5/24/23
Managing Editor, Imaging Neuroscience
The Imaging Neuroscience Managing Editor will support the Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editors to ensure that submissions are reviewed and prepared for production in a smooth and timely manner. Using Editorial Manager, the Managing Editor will oversee the editorial process from submission to acceptance and release of manuscripts for production.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities
Workflows, processes, and systems (80%)
- Manage the online submission system, Editorial Manager
- Implement best practices, ensure that relevant change sand developments are made in a timely manner
- Provide assistance to editors, reviewers, and authors throughout the submission and reviewing stages
- Train editors to use the system effectively
- Stay up to date on Editorial Manager release notes and training opportunities
- Perform checks on manuscripts
- Work with the editors to proactively troubleshoot and improve processes, policies, and workflows to support better user experience
- Liaise with an MIT Press Journals Production Coordinator
Editorial team support (10%)
- Plan and manage daily operations
- Assist in the preparation for editorial board and other meetings as required; take minutes and coordinate follow-up actions
Communication and reporting (10%)
- Prepare journal-level reporting and performance analytics, tracking journal, reviewer, and editorial board members
- Serve as a key point of contact for editors, authors, reviewers, and the Press
Job Requirements
Education: Bachelor’s degree in a related field preferred.
Skills and Experience: Minimum two years of administrative and/or project and editorial management experience, especially with journals; high-level verbal and written communication skills; experience with web manuscript management and/or peer review platforms; competence with Microsoft programs required; familiarity with LaTeX preferred; and discretion and judgment in dealing with confidential information.
6/13/23
To apply, please email a cover letter and CV to Rachel Besen, Journals Production and Publishing Technologies Manager, at rbesen@mit.edu.
Social Media Coordinator
To plan and create social media content to build brand awareness and support audience growth and sales of all products (trade books, academic books, textbooks, journals, MIT Press Direct, and other institutional products), collaborate on producing compelling written and visual content for all MITP social media channels, and monitor platforms to engage with online communities. Responsibilities include responding to comments and DMs, fielding inquiries, monitoring trends, and leveraging influencer and network outreach; creating on-brand, engaging, and accurate visual and written content; creating and managing a social media content calendar; coordinating Reddit “Ask Me Anything” sessions for authors; monitoring and reporting on campaign performance and metrics; designing and creating campaign graphics; collaborating on setting growth benchmarks; and performing other duties as necessary.
Job Requirements
Required: bachelor’s degree in a related field; three years’ communications and/or marketing experience, preferably in a book publishing/media environment; knowledge of social media and best practices for content; experience with photography, videography, and graphic design; experience implementing social media campaigns; proficiency with current and emerging social media and digital platforms; experience with social media scheduling and calendar tools; excellent analytical, editing, organizational, and verbal and written communication skills; experience analyzing digital metrics; and ability to work strategically, independently, and as a team member.
Preferred: experience implementing social media campaigns, preferably at a trade publisher, university press, or other media environment; experience with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere, and/or other applications for creating visual social media content; experience using content management systems, e.g., Airtable, WordPress, or Drupal; basic knowledge of HTML and CSS; familiarity with Medium; and experience with Google Analytics.
6/15/23
Junior Designer
To join a fast-paced design department and work under the supervision and art direction of the design manager. Will convert book jacket files into paperback cover files; review page proofs for template format titles; integrate text and images to lay covers for frontlist titles and follow established circulation and approval procedures for these covers; maintain Press database with specs and schedule updates; upload files to Press internal archive in a timely manner; routinely run a script that coordinates uploads of outside-designed covers to Press website and distributor; correspond and work closely with the Editorial, Production, and Acquisitions departments; use Macintosh computer and InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe Acrobat, and Word software; and utilize the Press’s database and content management systems.
Job Requirements
Required: high school diploma or its equivalent; three years’ related experience; interest in graphic design and book publishing and a related portfolio; proficiency with InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Adobe Acrobat, and Word; strong organizational and verbal and written communication skills; attention to detail; and ability work independently and collaboratively within a team.
Preferred: BFA in graphic design or certificate in graphic design.
This is a full-time (35 hrs/wk) entry-level position. Starting salary is $22.37 – $25.00 per hour.
6/27/23
To comply with regulations by the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), the principal duties in job descriptions must be essential to the job. To identify essential functions, focus on the purpose and the result of the duties rather than the manner in which they are performed. The following definition applies: a job function is essential if removal of that function would fundamentally change the job.
The MIT Press welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds. Candidates who have significant personal experience or engagement with low-income communities or communities that are underrepresented in scholarly publishing are strongly encouraged to apply.
Please apply for these positions with a cover letter, on the MIT Careers Site using the job cart portal.