Rights & Special Projects Manager

at  McGill University

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Position Summary:
Reporting to the Executive Director (McGill-Queen’s University Press), the incumbent is responsible for all rights sales, publishing agreements, permission requests and all licenses. Responsible for all aspects of the purchase of foreign rights by the Press, including print and electronic co-publication formats, reprints, and translations. Attend international rights fairs and conferences; liaises and negotiates with foreign publishers to arrange co-publications and translations. Oversee publishing projects undertaken by the Press with third parties from conception to publication. Collaborate with other Press departments for peer-review, copyediting, typesetting, design, production, and marketing and sales. Directly supervise the work of a permissions assistant.
Primary Responsibilities:

Projects

• Manage select book titles through the entire publishing process, from point of acquisition through production and delivery such as production of translations, additional multimedia content related to books and projects outside the MQUP imprint (i.e. institutional histories, service projects, etc.).
• Oversee press wide production of digital and/or multimedia initiatives which may include production process refinement or standalone revenue generating projects. Develop and implement processes to meet accessible production certifications or related standards. Develop and manage digital or multimedia production streams.
• Manage related project budgets, assign and distribute the work to internal or external stakeholders and act as the primary contact for the external partner.
• Draft and negotiate related contracts.
• With the relevant internal and external stakeholders, revise, develop and implement press wide initiatives to meet new standards/certifications and best practices. External stakeholders may include authors, partner publishers or organizations, regulatory bodies, etc.
• Plan and follow up with internal departments regarding timeline and budget; ensure project/book advancement and that deliverables are completed as per set schedule.

Rights

• Attend international rights fairs and conferences; develop and manage international publishing networks.
• Liaise and negotiate with foreign publishers to sell and purchase territorial and translation rights, including co-publications, in print, digital, and other formats.
• Evaluate offers from and make offers to authors/publishers. Make recommendations on rights to purchase and negotiate terms of contracts for sale and/or purchase of rights or co-publication. Collaborate with internal staff and freelancers to administer and execute both sold and purchased co-publications through acquisition and production.
• Advise Press staff and authors on permissions and copyright questions as necessary.
• Stay abreast of copyright law, conventions, practices, and issues from a national and international perspective, including digital rights, open access, and fair dealing/fair use.
• Directly supervise the work of a permissions assistant. Conduct regular meetings, assign and verify work.

Other Qualifying Skills and/or Abilities:

• Bachelor’s degree in Arts or Management, graduate degree and Project Management certification desirable.
• Good knowledge of Microsoft 365. Experience with project management software desirable.
• Familiarity with SQL databases desirable.
• Digital production experience in ebooks, multimedia, and/or audio production desirable.
• Excellent time-management skills and the ability to prioritize tasks.
• Effective interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Accuracy and attention to detail.
• Familiarity with domestic and international copyright law as it relates to publishing.
• Understanding of and ability to draft publishing contracts.
• Knowledge of the publishing process from the proposal to the finished book, including editorial, design, and production.
• Knowledge of scholarly publishing preferred.
• Available to travel up to 2-3 weeks per year.
• Strong spoken and written English. Spoken and written French desirable.

Knowledge of French and English: McGill University is an English-language university where day to day duties may require English communication both verbally and in writing. The level of English required for this position has been assessed at a level 4 (qualifier) on a scale of 0-4.
Minimum Education and Experience:
Bachelor’s Degree 3 Years Related Experience /
Annual Salary:
(MPEX Grade 04) $63,810.00 - $79,760.00 - $95,710.00
Job Profile:
MPEX-COM2A - Internal External Relations - Professional 2
Hours per Week:
33.75 (Full time)
Supervisor:
Executive Director (McGill-Queen’s University Press)
Position End Date (If applicable):
Deadline to Apply:
McGill University hires on the basis of merit and is strongly committed to equity and diversity within its community. We welcome applications from racialized persons/visible minorities, women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as from all qualified candidates with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities. McGill implements an employment equity program and encourages members of designated groups to self-identify. Persons with disabilities who anticipate needing accommodations for any part of the application process may contact, in confidence,
accessibilityrequest.hr@mcgill.ca.

Please refer the Job description for details