The Journal of Western Archives is seeking a new managing editor. The managing editor is responsible for the overall quality of the intellectual content of the journal and works closely with the editorial board to ensure that the needs of the professional community (including the journal’s four regional sponsors) in the western United States are met. If you are interested in this position, please submit a CV and a letter of interest to journal director Gordon Daines at gordon_daines@byu.edu by Tuesday September 5th, 2023 at 5:00 pm MST. The successful applicant will assume their duties on January 1st, 2024 and receive a yearly honorarium of $500.00. The initial term will be for three years with the opportunity to renew once.

Job Description

The Editor is responsible for the overall quality of the intellectual content of the journal and for overseeing the review process to ensure it is thorough, fair, and timely. The Editor is responsible for upholding the mission and scope of the journal and for selecting papers that provide new, original, and important contributions to knowledge.

Responsibilities

1. The Editor oversees the mission and scope of the journal in consultation with the journal director and the editorial board.
   1. The Editor ensures that the papers published are consistent with the editorial mission.
   2. The Editor works with the journal director and the editorial board to determine if thematic issues should be published. The Editor identifies and invites potential guest editors for these issues.
   3. The Editor works with the technical editor/layout specialist to ensure that content is visually appealing and readable.
2. The Editor is responsible for overseeing the peer review process.
   1. The Editor selects editorial board members to shepherd potential articles and case studies through the peer review process.
   2. The Editor and assigned editorial board members will use the BePress platform to conduct the editorial review process.
   3. The Editor will review the feedback from peer reviewers and the assigned editorial board member and will make the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles and case studies.
   4. The Editor will ensure that the peer review process is completed in a timely way and that authors receive constructive feedback about papers submitted.
3. The Editor is responsible for overseeing the copyediting process
   1. The Editor will work with the journal’s contract copyeditor to ensure that articles and case studies are copyedited in a timely fashion.
   2. The Editor has final authority on all copyediting decisions.
4. The Editor will seek opportunities to promote the journal.
   1. The Editor will seek to speak at conferences and other events about the purpose and values of the journal, inviting potential contributors to consider submitting papers to the journal.
   2. The Editor will encourage editorial board members to speak at conferences and other events about the purpose and values of the journal, inviting potential contributors to consider submitting papers to the journal.

Qualifications

Required

• Excellent oral and written communications skills
• Must have the technical capacity to work in a fully electronic environment
• Experience in conducting and writing research, sufficient to enable the individual to solicit and select research that will result in a high-quality publication that addresses the diverse interest of the readership
• Dynamic, self-motivated individual
• Ability to delegate
• Strong organizational skills
• Ability to set and meet firm deadlines
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a team environment

Preferred

• Experience with the peer review process as both a peer reviewer and an author
• Membership in one of the four sponsoring regional associations (Conference of Intermountain Archivists, Society of Rocky Mountain Archivists, the Society of California Archivists, or the Northwest Archivists, Inc.
• Familiarity with and ability to use the Chicago Manual of Style