Administrative Asst Logistics Coordinator

Overview

The Massachusetts Historical Society, America’s oldest historical society, is seeking a full-time Administrative Assistant to work with its Publications Department in the Collections and Content Development division. The Publications Department of the MHS manages the publication of the Society’s annual journal (MHR), printed books and multivolume editions, and digital editions, as well as other projects. The Administrative Assistant is a key member of the Publications Department, whose administrative and technical support ensures timely, accurate, and complete production of the MHS’s various publications.

This is an early-career position for a person who enjoys administrative organization work and is interested in a career in nonprofit or academic print and digital publishing.

The Administrative Assistant (AA) provides administrative support to the MHS Collections and Content Division (CCD) by facilitating the production of the MHS’s digital and print publications. The AA coordinates the administrative functions necessary to the department’s editorial workflow, print and digital production, permissions management, distribution and royalties, inventory, and internal and external communication. The Administrative Assistant will work primarily in the Publications Department, with occasional assistance provided to the Adams Papers Editorial Project and Collections Services.

As Logistics Coordinator for the Primary Source Cooperative, the AA also participates in a cooperative publishing platform for digital scholarly editions, hosted by the MHS.

This is a grant-funded position-- funding after July 2029 is not guaranteed.

• Manage all book and periodical stock, sales, and royalty tracking, including managing vendor, permissions, and subscriber relations and communications.
• Manage publications queries and publications permissions requests.
• Support Publications Department meetings and meetings with internal and external publications and project partners.
• Support administrative aspects of production, including managing CIP, BIP/Bowker, and copyright filing information; illustration and image file research, permissions requests, and documentation.
• Participate in collation, verification, and proofreading in accordance with in-house style sheets in furtherance of editorial quality control and historical collation.
• Provide daily administration of the Publications Department’s data, systems, and reporting, including meeting minutes, web analytics, expenses, invoicing, royalties, and filing and organization systems.
• As Logistics Coordinator, Primary Source Cooperative: provide primary administrative support for the Society’s digital edition publishing cooperative, working across MHS departments and with the editors of the cooperative editions.

• Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred, in history or related field (applicants without a degree but with four or more years of direct experience providing administrative assistance to a publication are welcome to apply).

• Experience in office administration, especially for publishing, with strong background in research and writing skills
• Experience working with a variety of computer programs, especially to manage data and generate reports
• Experience working in publishing, non-profit, or academic environments preferred

• Proficient in Adobe Suite, Microsoft Office Suite and/or cognate document suites
• Strongly proficient in MS Word, Excel, Outlook (calendaring and email), and Zoom
• Some familiarity with XML, HTML, CSS, web analytics
• Prior experience working with database systems to manage publishing inventory, subscriptions, and distribution/royalty data
• Ability to learn new technical systems
• Attention to detail and ability to manage multiple project timelines and details
• Prior experience working with external vendors and/or project collaborators
• Strong communication and relationship management skills
• Familiarity with style guides (especially Chicago Manual of Style) and strong grasp of grammar
• General knowledge of Massachusetts and American history; prior knowledge of MHS publications and collections preferred but not required