Editorial Assistant/Associate (M/F/D)

The Max Planck Society is Germany’s premier research organization. The eighty-six Max Planck Institutes conduct research at highest levels, in the service of the general public, in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, and the humanities.

The Lise Meitner Group “Decay, Loss, and Conservation in Art History,” led by Dr. Francesca Borgo, at the Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History in Rome seeks to appoint a part-time (75%):

Editorial Assistant/Associate (M/F/D)

The post is tenable starting February 1, 2025, for a fixed-term contract of one year with the possibility of extension. The title (assistant or associate) of the selected candidate is dependent upon qualifications.

What we’re looking for:

We are seeking a reliable, flexible, and creative colleague with a genuine interest in academic work, excellent editorial and communication skills, and the ability to work in a team. You should have experience in editorial tasks and management in an academic environment, native English language competency, and ideally a working knowledge of Italian and/or German. You should have a very good command of IT programs for tasks such as revising texts, formatting, marking up proofs, editing images, and creating promotional material.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in the humanities (preferably in art history but not essential); MA preferred
• Experience in publishing within an academic setting, preferably at a museum, research institute, or university press
• Native fluency in English. Reading or conversation skills in German and/or Italian

Your knowledge and skills:

• Strong writing competency, with an ability to craft informative texts and convincing arguments; you can also adapt the tone of your writing to different contexts, moving from complex scholarly texts to short-form content for online platforms
• Sharp editorial skills, including an excellent sense of language and grammar, understanding of the written differences between US and UK English, and familiarity with inclusive editorial practices
• Familiarity with the Chicago Manual of Style (along with the ability to follow a new style sheet) and understanding of the conventions of academic writing
• Knowledge of how to obtain image/contents licenses in the publishing process
• Proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, Adobe (Reader, InDesign, Photoshop), and cloud platforms
• Ability or interest in working with image and video files (psd, eps, jpg, png, tif, mp4, mov) to produce the required formats and crops
• Organizational and interpersonal skills, with proven ability to give and receive feedback diplomatically and communicate collegially and professionally
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with staff throughout the institute as well as external contacts

Your responsibilities:

• Managing the academic publication projects of the research group, in particular the book series of the Lise Meitner Group, which is published annually
• Editing, proofreading, and copyediting texts to ensure clarity and conformity with editorial standards
• Communicating with authors, rights holders, and publishers, both domestic and international
• Sourcing and purchasing reproduction-quality images for publication, reviewing image files for content and quality, and ensuring payment of photography and licenses
• Assisting in development, preparation, and delivery of reports, grant applications, proposals, presentations, calls for papers/conferences, letters of agreement and invitation, and official correspondence
• Managing any public-facing content that represents the research group, most importantly through writing, editing, and maintaining the website and social media content to reflect the research group’s work and engage our primary audience of cultural heritage professionals
• Collaborating with the public relations department of the institute
• Coordinating with the executive assistant of the research group
• Creating bibliographies and indexes
• Managing files and the group’s database
• Coordinating selection of applicants for open positions
• Fielding questions or requests sent to the research group, forwarding to the group leader when appropriate

What we offer:

We offer a modern, well-equipped, prestigious, and intellectually stimulating workplace with an international academic atmosphere. The institute is located in the city center and easily accessible by public transport. Salary and social benefits for this position are in line with the remuneration scheme of the German Embassy in Rome; the salary of the selected candidate is commensurate with qualifications. We promote an open and welcoming workplace culture, support work-life balance, and offer flexible working hours.

The Max Planck Society is committed to fostering equal opportunities and diversity and welcomes applicants from all parts of society, regardless of gender, ethnicity, disabilities, or sexual orientation.

How to apply:

The candidate must upload the following documents as separate PDF files to the application portal: https://recruitment.biblhertz.it/position/15237124

• Cover letter
• CV, including the contact information of 2 referees (no reference letters needed at this stage)
• One sample of your writing and/or editorial work

Deadline:

Your application must reach us by September 22, 2024, at 23:59 CEST.

Inquiries: 

For questions regarding the position or the Lise Meitner Group, please contact Editorial-LMG@biblhertz.it.