Manager (at the rank of Administrative Assistant II)

Manager (at the rank of Administrative Assistant II)inthe Hong Kong University Press(Ref.: 530538), to commence as soon as possible, on a two-year fixed-term basis with contract-end gratuity and University contribution to a retirement benefits scheme, totalling up to 10% of basic salary, with the possibility of renewal subject to funding availability and satisfactory performance.

Hong Kong University Press is a department of the University of Hong Kong and one of the leading English-language academic publishers in Asia. Founded in 1956, the Press publishes up to 30–50 new titles a year across all areas of Asian studies from leading scholars around the world.

The Manager in Digital Publishing team is primarily responsible for the project management, performance, and completion of digital publishing projects, including overseeing the publication of journal issues, books, and digital projects.  They will be responsible for preparing and producing scholarly content for publication online and in print. The Manager will need to be a good team player with demonstrated time- and project-management skills and be able to solve many common problems independently, and is committed to improving efficiency and responsiveness both within and outside the department. This position reports to the Publisher.

Duties and responsibilities include:

• Supervise Digital Asset Inventory and Workflows. Assess and expand HKU Press digital asset inventory, working with key partners including DeGruyter, JSTOR, Clarivate, EBSCO, OverDrive, Kobo, Google Play, Amazon Kindle, Project MUSE, and emerging Open Access platforms. Digitise 300-500 backlist titles to PDF and epub formats where possible, and other formats including audio books where appropriate.
• Develop co-publishing and open access collaborations in mainland China, especially in areas including Science, Tech, Engineering, and Health Sciences, including possible journals publication.
• Develop 5-10 Open Access projects per year, and work to secure adequate external funding for these, typically HK$40,000 per title.
• Work with vendors and publishing partners to define, approve, and manage complex publication workflows and schedules to ensure timely completion of multiple projects.
• Manage all contracts with Authors as well as overseas distribution partners and advise on copyright considerations to promote annual rights licensing revenue growth.
• Create and maintain internal project documentation and records.
• Coordinate tasks with other team members, delegating simpler tasks when appropriate.
• Convert and prepare materials for online publication.
• Write promotional messages announcing new and updated publications.
• Plan and participate in educational workshops and other outreach activities, including occasional conference presentations.
• Contribute to Press-wide initiatives as a member of relevant task forces and committees.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Publisher.

Required Qualifications

• Experience managing projects, prioritizing among multiple projects, and meeting deadlines.
• Ability to work independently and make timely decisions.
• Strong computer literacy skills in desktop word processing and database applications.
• Ability to organize workflow; both write and follow documentation.
• Excellent analytical, oral and written communication skills in English and in Chinese.

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree.
• Written and spoken fluency in English, Cantonese and Putonghua highly desired.
• Experience with academic or commercial publishing digital rights and content dialogues at Beijing, Taipei, Frankfurt and other book fairs and academic conferences.

Successful applicants should have a bachelor’s degree in translation or in a discipline related to language studies, as well as excellent command of written and spoken English and Chinese (Cantonese and Putonghua). They should also have excellent communication, time management, and organization skills, and strong self-motivation and ability to work under pressure and within a team environment. Proficiency in MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, InDesign, XML, HTML or other markup languages and prior internship or experience in book publishing will be an advantage.

A highly competitive salary commensurate with qualifications and experience will be offered, in addition to annual leave and medical benefits.

The University only accepts online applications for the above post. Applicants should apply online at the University's career site (http://jobs.hku.hk), and upload an up-to-date CV. Review of applications will start from December 2, 2024 and continue until January 15, 2025, or until the post is filled.