The position is located in the Publishing Office of the Center for Exhibits and Interpretation in the Office of the Librarian. The incumbent will report to the Director of Publishing.
The incumbent serves as a Team Lead and works closely with the Director of Publishing and ensures that the editorial operation of the Library of Congress Publishing Office follows best practices in research, scholarship, writing and publishing. The incumbent oversees the editorial work of staff writer-editors, editorial assistants, freelancers, temporary employees, interns and fellows, guiding their projects and professional interactions with authors, co-publishers, Library staff and other stakeholders in the Library’s cooperative publishing program.
The incumbent oversees editorial content for a diverse portfolio of publishing projects that include books written by Publishing Office writer-editors, books written by other Library Staff, and books written by authors who do not work for the Library. The portfolio also includes nonbook items with significant editorial content. These items are known within the publishing industry as “sidelines,” these products include calendars, note cards, flash cards, puzzles, posters and other products that feature images of Library collections with accurate interpretive captions.
The incumbent plays an essential role in coordinating and balancing a challenging workload among a small staff of experienced writer-editors to meet the Publishing Office’s mission of showcasing the collections and services of the Library of Congress with creativity, innovation, accuracy and the highest levels of integrity in scholarship and editorial practice.
Serves as a Team Leader. Articulates and communicates to the team the assignment, project, problem to be solved, actionable events, milestones, and/or program issues under review, and deadlines and time frames for completion. Identifies, distributes, and balances workload and tasks among employees in accord with established workflow, skill level, and/or occupational specialization. Makes adjustments to accomplish the workload in accord with established priorities to ensure timely accomplishment of assigned team tasks. Monitors and reports to the supervisor on the status and progress of work, checking on work in progress and reviewing completed work to ensure instructions on work priorities, methods, deadlines, and quality have been met. Answers questions from team members on procedures, policies, regulations, etc.
Prepares reports and maintains records of work accomplishments and administrative information, as required, and coordinates the preparation, presentation, and communication of work-related information. Estimates and reports to the team on progress in meeting established milestones and deadlines for completing assignments, projects, and tasks. Ensures all team members are aware of and participate in planning for achievement of team goals and objectives.
Manages a diverse portfolio of projects assigned to a small staff of writer-editors, editorial assistants, freelancers, occasional employees, interns, and fellows. Consults routinely with the Director of Publishing and editorial staff to ensure that editorial projects are assigned appropriately, managed efficiently, and delivered within established deadlines. Serves as lead editor for select publications and handles writing assignments as necessary.
Works with Director of Publishing, editorial staff, and Administrative specialist to help ensure that print and digital project files include essential records and archives of essential components, including final manuscript, final print-ready PDFs, art logs, permission grants, citation records and other essential research notes, and copies of high-resolution art files. Works with Editorial Assistant to gather and organize files near the completion of each project and with the Administrative Specialist to periodically review/cull files and transfer appropriate documents to Records Management.
Oversees the Publishing Office project database, archives, and library. Works with Editorial Assistant, Administrative Specialist, warehouse, and the Library Shop to monitor inventory of active titles and ensure adequate quantities are on hand for use by the Librarian’s Office, the Development Office, Exhibitions, and other stakeholders. Works with Administrative Specialist and others as needed to initiate the purchase of additional inventory.
Assists Director of Publishing with the development, negotiation, and successful execution of co- publishing agreements. Works with the Office of General Counsel to ensure that agreements reflect appropriate deadlines for the submission and review of content. Works with administrative specialist to ensure that all contracts are properly distributed and filed.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Relocation expenses will not be authorized for the person(s) selected under this vacancy announcement.