British Catholic History invites expressions of interest for the new role of 'Editorial Assistant'. 

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Role descriptor for Editorial Assistant position for British Catholic History

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This role would be on a self-employed basis as an Editorial Assistant and Book Reviews Editor, working directly to and under the Editor of British Catholic History and ultimately responsible to the Chair of the Catholic Record Society.

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It is a part-time role with flexibly arranged hours.  The post-holder may need to work more intensively at certain times of the publishing cycle but would have scope to organise their own work hours given the nature of the role, in consultation with the Editorial Board. 

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The role would be renumerated at a rate equivalent to a Research Assistant salary of £34,866/yr. It would require the equivalent of one day’s work (8hrs) a week (0.2 of a full role), equating to 6,973.20.

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The role is offered for 1 year in the first instance.

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The main duties of the role will be carried out remotely. However, any expenses for travel to in-person meetings will be covered. In addition, any postage costs incurred as part of the book reviews editor role will also be covered.

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The major, but not exclusive, focus of the Editorial Assistant role would be as Book Reviews Editor.  With the purpose of maintaining the appropriate level of book reviews, this would involve:

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• Commissioning of reviews (in discussion with the Editor/Editorial Board)

• Liaison with publishers to obtain books for review

• Overseeing the dispatch of books to reviewers

• Keeping a record of all book review transactions and correspondence

• Continued liaison with authors of reviews, to ensure reviews are delivered in a timely manner

• Ensuring the quality of reviews, under guidance of the Editor/Editorial Board

• General administration of content on the ScholarOne system. This may include for example, sending out email requests to reviewers and authors, to ensure deadlines are met, and overseeing the upload and despatch of content in a timely manner

• Sharing of published book reviews with the relevant publishers

• Scoping of opportunities to further publicise the journal, and the work of the Catholic Record Society. This might include, for example, involvement in the commissioning of blogs for CUP’s blog series

• Liaising with the Council of the Catholic Record Society to ensure amplification of the work of the journal across social media platforms

 

In addition, the Editor will assign other tasks as and when needed, provided that the hours of the role are not exceeded.

 

Essential skills

 

Excellent time management skills

Excellent communication skills – to keep in regular contact with publishers, authors of reviews, and members of the Editorial Board

Previous experience of working with (or willingness to learn about) Online Peer Review Systems

 

Desirable skills

Some experience of book reviewing

Some experience of editing academic writing

 

Process for expressions of interest:

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Please send a written expression of interest which engages with the stated skills above (maximum 500 words), and a 1-page curriculum vitae, to Dr Katy Gibbons katy.gibbons@port.ac.uk and Prof Alana Harris alana.harris@kcl.ac.uk, by 5pm on 17th November 2025.

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Those shortlisted will be invited for a short online discussion. The intended date for these discussions is 1st December 2025, and it is anticipated that those shortlisted will be contacted by 24th November 2025.