CODESRIA
Vacancy Announcement
Director of Publications

The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) invites applications from suitably qualified African professionals to fill the vacant position of Director of Publications in its pan-African Secretariat located in Dakar, Senegal. The position is a senior one and the successful candidate will work as a member of the Secretariat management team under the overall supervision of the Executive Secretary of the Council. The ideal candidate will combine a robust experience in academic publishing with a solid training in the social sciences/humanities.

The CODESRIA Publications Programme has, over the last three and half decades, undergone considerable expansion, earning its place as a leading Africa-based multilingual scholarly publisher with over 300 books and monographs, 10 scholarly journals and periodicals, and several award-winning titles in its lists. The post of Director of Publications is a new one that has been created with the aim of consolidating the successes that have been registered within the Programme to date and taking the Programme to new heights. More information about CODESRIA and its Publications Programme can be obtained from the Council’s website:www.codesria.org.

Among other responsibilities, the successful candidates for the position of Director of Publication will be called upon to:
• Play a critical role in defining and implementing the objectives and targets of the CODESRIA Publications Programme according to the demands of changing contexts and requirements;
• Provide direct and hands-on leadership in all aspects of the Programme’s publishing operations, including commissioning, editorial, production, distribution, marketing, customer service, and list management functions;
• Develop proposals for new publications and titles, doing so in direct and interactive collaboration with the other CODESRIA scientific programmes;
• Strengthen the CODESRIA book, monograph and journal publishing brands;
• Expand the on-line presence of CODESRIA journals, monographs, occasional papers, and research and policy briefs;
• Promote innovative and cost effective approaches to both traditional print and electronic publishing;
• Manage a team of in-house editorial staff that includes managing editors, editors, and editorial secretaries;
• Supervise and liaise with a team of freelance editorial service providers that range from printing presses, translators, proof-readers, and copy-editors to typesetters, indexers, web administrators, and distributors;
• Liaise and work with authors, peer-reviewers, editors-in-chief of various journals, professional associations, researchers, publishing houses, editors, copy-editors and production teams;
• Coordinate translation, co-edition, co-publication and reprint rights and permissions;
• Seek and share information and opinions about the CODESRIA Book Series, CODESRIA Monographs, CODESRIA journals, CODESRIA Occasional Papers, and CODESRIA Research and Policy Briefs;
• Keep the African and broader international social research communities informed about new CODESRIA publications;
• Initiate collaboration with other publishers and organisations, and assess the scientific and financial viability of such collaborations;
• Develop links with Africa-based publishing houses;
• Prepare for and attend major publication events, such as book fairs, scholarly association meetings and forums; and
• Play an active part in the realisation of all the other aspects of the scientific mandate of the Council.

Qualifications
Applicants must:
1. Have a solid professional training and background in academic publishing and marketing;
2. Have a sound university education, preferably in the Social Sciences or Humanities, and at a postgraduate level;
3. Have a good knowledge of CODESRIA and possess a demonstrable ability to promote the work of African researchers;
4. Be familiar with the African and international scientific community;
5. Have a first-hand knowledge of the African scholarly publishing environment;
6. Have a proven experience of management in an academic environment;
7. Be experienced in resource management and the preparation of reports;
8. Have a record of intellectual engagement with the challenges and opportunities in African and international scholarly publishing; and
9. Be fluent in English, French or Portuguese and have a good working knowledge of at least one of the other languages.

It is CODESRIA policy to reflect the disciplinary, gender, generational and linguistic diversity of the African social science community in its structures. In this connection, female candidates and younger professionals meeting the qualifications set out are especially encouraged to send in their dossiers for consideration for this post.

Working Conditions
The salary level that will be offered will depend on the successful applicant's experience and qualifications, and will be broadly comparable to those of similar posts in other international organisations.

How to Apply
All applicants wishing to be considered for any of the two posts are required to supply the following documents:
1. A written application;
2. A detailed CV describing the candidate’s professional experience;
3. Three reference letters, two of which must come from people living in countries other than the applicant’s country of residence; and
4. A sample of any published reflection produced by the candidate.

The reference letters in support of candidates must be sealed and sent under separate cover and marked “Confidential Reference”. The application letters and other supporting documents of candidates should be sent in a sealed envelope marked “Application Documents”. Both the applications and the reference letters should be sent to:

The Executive Secretary
CODESRIA
Av. Cheikh Anta Diop x Canal IV
BP 3304, CP 18524,
Dakar / SENEGAL
Closing Date
All applications must be received by 31 October, 2008. Any application received after this date will not be considered.