Director, Virginia Center for the Book

The Director of the Virginia Center for the Book at Virginia Humanities supervises all projects and activities related to the Center, including the Book Arts program, Virginia Festival of the Book, digital programs throughout the year, programs conducted in affiliation with the Library of Congress Center for the Book, and related statewide reading and literacy projects. The Director is responsible for supervising and managing capacity of Center staff while coordinating efforts with Virginia Humanities program, communications, finance, and advancement staff. The Director organizes the plan for a statewide mission to unite communities of readers, writers, artists, and book lovers through year-round programs and partnership initiatives.

 

Seasonally, the Director will coordinate programming and promotion in conjunction with staff assigned to Virginia Festival of the Book in March (also seeking applications, reference R0036711). At other times of the year, the Director will produce, partner on, and support an array of programs in venues throughout the state; a number of programs hosted in the Virginia Center for the Book’s printmaking studio in Charlottesville; the annual Book Arts Raucous Auction; and an endowed book artist residency.

 

The Director reports to Virginia Humanities’ Chief Operating Officer and is responsible for upholding all policies of Virginia Humanities and the University of Virginia; supporting Virginia Humanities’ strategic plan; gathering data and evaluations for compliance with UVa and federal reporting; devising and coordinating with Advancement staff on robust fundraising and communications plans for all Center programs, including the Virginia Festival of the Book; and working in collaboration with a variety of stakeholders, committee members, hosting organizations, and sponsors.

 

Virginia Humanities is the state’s humanities council headquartered at the University of Virginia, an equal opportunity employer, in partnership with a nonprofit Board (Virginia Foundation for the Humanities). The Board collaborates and participates with staff to serve all Virginians. The dynamic organization includes the weekly public radio show "With Good Reason," the online Encyclopedia Virginia, and statewide Grants & Fellowships, among other programs.

 

At Virginia Humanities, we are wholly invested in cultivating a staff that embodies our commitment to inclusion and equity, which is increasingly reflected in our cultural programming statewide. We deeply value the voices and work of marginalized communities and strongly encourage applicants who represent the diverse and intersecting identities that contribute to the fabric of Virginia.

 

Qualified candidates must have a master’s degree with at least seven years of experience.   Candidates will possess superb organizational skills, attention to detail, the ability to work with a wide array of stakeholders, and excellent written, verbal, and public communication skills. A specialty in a book- or publishing-related field will be a plus.

 

For additional information about the position, please contact Kevin McFadden, Chief Operating Officer, Virginia Humanities, at kmcfadden@virginia.edu

 

The Director will undertake statewide travel as necessary and be afforded opportunities for conference travel and training. This position will require the ability to move equipment up to 30 pounds for various events, travel some distance to attend meetings and the ability to do repetitive tasks in and out of the office setting. The Center’s office suite is within the Virginia Humanities work site in Charlottesville; flexible remote work options are available but fully remote work is not possible.

 

The anticipated start date is August 1, 2022.  This position is a restricted position and is dependent upon project need, availability of funding and performance.  Anticipated Hiring Range: $80,000-$85,000 commensurate with education and experience. This is an Exempt level, benefited position.  For more information on the benefits at UVA, visit hr.virginia.edu/benefits. 

 

This position will remain open until filled.  The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment. 

 

To Apply:

Please apply through Workday, and search for R0036705. Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile by searching 'Find Jobs'.   Complete an application online with the following documents:

• CV/Resume

• Cover letter that includes a personal statement about diversity, equity, and inclusion

• Two writing samples related to events and funding proposals

Upload all materials into the resume submission field, multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Alternatively, merge all documents into one PDF for submission.  Applications that do not contain all required documents will not receive full consideration.

 

References will be completed via UVA’s standardized process Skill Survey.  A total of five references will be requested via Skill Survey during the final phase of the interview process.

 

For questions about the application process, please contact Ashley Cochran, Senior Recruiter at alc6dk@virginia.edu.

 

For more information about UVA and the Charlottesville community please see http://www.virginia.edu/life/charlottesville and https://embarkcva.com/.