Description

Bard Graduate Center (BGC) invites applications for the role of Editor. This position will center primarily on the planning, development, and production of exhibition-related materials, including but not limited to print catalogues, gallery interpretation, and digital content. It is a full-time, on-site role at our campus on West 86th Street in Manhattan.

Bard Graduate Center is a graduate research institute in New York City. Our MA and PhD degree programs, exhibitions, publications, research initiatives, and public programs explore new ways of thinking about decorative arts, design history, and material culture. BGC’s acclaimed publications include exhibition catalogues, books rooted in the academic program, and two journals (Source: Notes in the History of Art and West 86th: A Journal of Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture). All prioritize rigorous scholarship while seeking to adhere to the field’s highest standards in production and design. 

As a member of BGC’s Publications department, the Editor will report jointly to the Deputy Director & Chief Curator and Dean of Graduate Studies. Working closely with BGC’s Editorial Director and Director of Rights, Sales, Production, and Promotion, the Editor will help conceptualize and develop new projects, establish and coordinate budgets and schedules, oversee editing and production, and project manage BGC publications—ensuring that they are completed on-time and within budget. He or she will collaborate directly with internal curators and faculty as well contract and oversee external stakeholders, including volume editors, authors, copyeditors, proofreaders, indexers, designers, and vendors. While the position’s responsibilities will center on exhibitions-related content generated by the BGC Gallery, the Editor may also assist or supervise other institutional projects within the Publications department as appropriate and directed by his or her supervisors. 

The successful candidate will demonstrate commitment to fostering meaningful engagement across the institution, such as engaging with work-study students or leading workshops in his or her expertise. 

Primary Responsibilities:

•       Plan and project-manage approximately 2–3 major exhibition catalogues of various sizes (ranging from small booklets to multivolume books with hundreds of illustrations) per year, successfully meeting schedule, budget, quality, and content requirements
•       Provide substantive editing (including manuscript preparation and content/structural review), copyediting, and proofreading for print, digital, and in-gallery texts; edit for readability, accuracy, and style, writing and rewriting as necessary 
•       Coordinate with internal and external collaborators—including Publications team, institutional leadership, authors, volume editors, copyeditors, proofreaders, designers, production managers, photographers, printers, and other vendors—to ensure successful completion of complex projects
•       Establish project-specific guidelines and style sheets, upholding BGC’s standards for content, editing, design, and production quality
•       Develop and maintain schedules, adhering to firm deadlines
•       Solicit bids and prepare contracts for external partners
•       Ensure clear, regular communication with contributors and BGC leadership, defining objectives and deliverables, navigating roadblocks and mitigating risk
•       Schedule and/or attend project-specific meetings as necessary and participate meaningfully in broader conversations concerning the proper functioning of the department and strategies for improved workflow
•       Generate detailed budgets, manage expenses, and maintain accurate financial records
•       Collaborate with Publications colleagues and contributors to ensure that illustrations, credits, and related data are appropriately gathered and tracked, and that reproductions, permissions, and new photography are obtained and/or completed efficiently and cost-effectively
•       Check page proofs, bluelines, and jacket proofs for correctness and compliance with design, printing, and binding specifications in collaboration with internal and external colleagues as appropriate

Qualifications:

•       At least five years of editorial experience in the production of ambitious exhibition catalogues at a major museum or gallery
•       Robust copyediting, proofreading, and publications-specific project management experience 
•       Demonstrated expertise related to professional standards and trends in the field of museum publishing, with deep knowledge of editorial concepts, best practices, and procedures, especially as applied to complex illustrated art books and gallery didactics
•       Familiarity with at least one foreign language and with processes for publishing scholarly text in translation
•       Capacity to identify and navigate copyright infringement issues and/or questions regarding AI-generated content
•       Experience with peer review 
•       Ability to tactfully balance competing priorities, such as authorial objectives, budgetary considerations, scholarly value, and public appeal
•       Exceptional organizational and time-management skills
•       Ability to work effectively and systematically on several projects simultaneously, prioritizing tasks and managing conflicting deadlines
•       Attention to detail, editorial consistency, and unfailing accuracy in presenting scholarly information, spelling, and grammar 
•       Fluency with Chicago Manual of Style
•       Proficiency with Adobe tools, Microsoft Office programs, and other electronic tools 
•       Understanding of design, pre-press, and national and international processes for illustrated books and experience soliciting and interpreting manufacturing estimates and negotiating terms is preferred
•       MA in English, Art History, or related discipline required; MPhil or PhD preferred

We expect the successful candidate to be stronger in some qualifications listed above than others; we are committed to helping our future colleague expand their skills and hope to learn from their areas of strength. 

Candidates must be legally authorized to work full-time in the United States for any employer. Bard Graduate Center will not petition, pay for, or take over an existing visa.

Salary and Benefits:

Compensation: $75,000 - $95,000.

This salary reflects the College's good faith and reasonable estimate of the compensation for the position at the time of the job posting. Salary decisions are dependent on several factors including but not limited to market and organizational considerations, experience, and qualifications of a selected candidate as well as internal and external equity.

Benefits Overview:

We are pleased to offer our full-time employees an excellent benefit package which includes; multiple health insurance options; TIAA retirement plans; generous vacation, sick, and personal time; and more. To learn more about employee benefits and eligibility at Bard College, please visit https://www.bard.edu/humanresources/benefits/. 

To Apply:

Send resume, cover letter, and contact information for three professional references to pub@bgc.bard.edu. An edit test may be required.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. 

Bard College is an equal opportunity employer and we welcome applications from those who contribute to our diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, mental, or physical disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, familial status, veteran status, or genetic information.

Bard is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for all individuals in employment practices, services, programs, and activities.