Call for Applications: Editorial Assistant, Africa in Words

By Africa in Words on 8 January , 2014 • ( 0 )

Call for Applications: Editorial Assistant

Africa in Words (www.africainwords.com) is a successful blog focusing on cultural production and Africa. The blog covers books, art, film, history, music, theatre, ideas and people and the ways they interact, through their publication and circulation, with societies, economies and space. We are looking for an Editorial Assistant to join our small team of volunteers.

Africa in Words has an average of 2000 readers each month from over 100 countries, with our largest readerships based in the UK, US, South Africa and Nigeria. Started by five PhD students working with Prof. Steph Newell at the University of Sussex, we have grown into an independent voluntary organisation, run by a team of Editors from across a range of universities and locations beyond the academy.

The Editorial Assistant will provide administrative and editorial support to the Editors of Africa in Words.

Key responsibilities include managing editorial processes (including scheduling and monthly meetings), preparing content for publication, sharing Africa in Words related material via social media, updating the Africa in Words blog pages and databases, promotion, and dealing with email queries and comments on the blog.

This is an ideal position for an undergraduate or postgraduate student in the Arts, Humanities, Media or African Studies interested in gaining relevant experience for a future career in publishing, the creative industries or academia.

Applicants should ideally be able to volunteer 5 hours per week to work on Africa in Words and can be based anywhere in the world.

The ideal applicant for this role will:

be able to organise and prioritise numerous tasks
have good communication and inter-personal skills in order to liaise with editors, authors, readers, publishers and arts organisations
be computer-literate, with access to a computer, a reliable internet connection and a familiarity with social networking sites including Twitter and Facebook
have strong research skills and an attention to detail
be self-motivated (the majority of work will be done remotely via email and Skype) and enthusiastic about developing new skills
have an interest in blogging, culture and Africa.

To apply, please submit your CV and a covering letter to: africainwords@gmail.com

Closing date: Thursday 30th January 2014