Senior Electronic Publishing Specialist

Department

Press Journals Publishing Technology

About the Department

The University of Chicago Press Journals Division publishes more than 90 scholarly journals that span a wide range of disciplines, from the humanities and the social sciences to the life and physical sciences. The Publishing Technology department manages software and processes used in all phases of journal publishing, including peer review, copyediting, production, and online publication.

Job Summary

Reporting to the Electronic Publishing Technology Manager, the Senior Electronic Publishing Specialist will use commercial and custom software to post journal issues to our online platform, draw on in-depth knowledge of XML to troubleshoot markup and display issues, and guide production staff to resolve posting problems. The specialist will support in-house XML-based copyediting, including software installation, troubleshooting, and improvement of copyediting processes through custom feature development. We seek candidates with experience in XML-based scholarly publishing, a demonstrated ability to apply new technologies to complex problems, excellent written communication skills, and a knack for independent problem-solving.

Responsibilities

• Post full issues for 90+ journals, comprising ~290 issues per year.
• Troubleshoot single-article posting errors for production staff.
• Post full issues of newly acquired journals’ back content.
• Give feedback to vendors about markup problems, display bugs, or new requirements.
• Install and support Arbortext Editor software for in-house copy editors.
• Work with copy editors to modify existing customizations' to Arbortext Editor or develop new ones.
• Train junior staff on Arbortext Editor support.
• Collaborate with IT staff to manage the Arbortext license server.
• Identify opportunities to optimize our software and procedures and implement improvements.
• Serve as a resource for colleagues on XML markup and parsing issues.
• Ensures integrity by implementing appropriate routine software and hardware solutions. Conducts routine hardware and software audits of workstations, backing up all information.
• Maintains complex system and network administration functions. Works with moderate guidance to administer simple systems and assists in the administration of larger systems.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

---

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree.

Experience:

• 5-7 years of experience in publishing, software development, or tech support.

Technical Knowledge or Skills:

• XML markup in general, JATS in particular.
• Arbortext Editor, Arbortext Command Language.
• Running Unix commands and using shell or Perl scripts.
• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Teams).
• HTML and CSS.
• Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat).
• Audio and video conversion software (e.g., Handbrake).
• Jira issue-tracking system.

Working Conditions

• Press offices are on the University of Chicago’s Hyde Park campus.
• A hybrid in-office and from-home work schedule is permitted, or fully remote for experienced staff.

Application Documents

• Resume ( required)
• Cover Letter (required)

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Information Technology

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

​
FLSA Status

Exempt

​
Pay Range

$60,350.00 - $78,100.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, r