Irish Theatre Magazine is currently recuiting a new Editor to succeed Helen Meany, who has held the post since 2005. The closing date for applications is Monday, April 4th, and those interested in applying should refer to the detailed job description and information below:
Editor
Irish Theatre Magazine (ITM) is an online cultural journal providing in-depth critical coverage of theatre and all aspects of the performing arts. It is the only journal of its kind in Ireland, and was founded in 1999. It is funded by the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon.
It is currently recruiting a new Editor to build on the publication’s success and reputation, and lead it into the next phase of its development.
Working with a small team, the Editor is responsible for leading and managing the magazine, and for all of its editorial content.
Overview:
Requirements:
– The position requires a talented and committed editor from either a journalism or publishing background, with at least five years’ experience. Strong commissioning, editing, writing and sub-editing abilities are required, as well as confident independent judgement, imagination and flair.
– a broad knowledge of the Irish arts and cultural scene, with particular knowledge of theatre, and preferably an awareness of international developments in the performing arts and in digital media.
– The role demands flexibility, energy and self-motivation, as well as excellent communication and management skills, to lead the small, highly talented team, and ITM’s pool of contributors.
– The ability to think strategically about future projects and opportunities, to develop new revenue streams and to continue to raise ITM’s profile, build its readership and generate income.
– Thorough knowledge of the Irish theatre sector.
Job Description:
Commissioning: the Editor commissions all feature articles, opinion pieces, blogs, etc., and guides all editorial decisions, whether on Reviews or News. Takes final responsibility for everything published in ITM and on its social networking sites.
Editing: Works closely with a wide range of contributors on drafts, then copy-edits the text. Sub-edits, uploads and publishes the content into the website’s Content Management System (CMS). Sources the accompanying images, and crops and uploads them.
Editorial management: the Editor works closely with ITM staff, the Reviews Editor and News Editor, guiding and advising, to ensure the timely publication of all content, including images and podcasts, as appropriate. Also directs the work of an intern, who is assisting in the first phase of content-gathering for the ITM online archive.
Reviews: regularly advises on review schedules and review commissions with the Reviews Editor, who is responsible for editing all the reviews – with the exception of Dublin Fringe Festival and Dublin Theatre Festival reviews, which are currently commissioned and edited jointly by the Editor and News Editor.
News: commissions news reports and news background articles, and edits the copy currently filed by the News Editor. Knowledge of relevant legal issues is essential.
Budgeting: the Editor is responsible for setting fees for contributors and staying strictly within budgets, as worked out at the beginning of each year, once the publication’s funding allocation is clear. Liaises with the administrator to ensure that payments are made and budgets updated.
Strategy and development: the Editor is responsible for planning the magazine’s future development, consulting regularly with the Board, and in conjunction with administrative and editorial personnel. With the approval of the Board, s/he outlines the future plans and projected budgets annually to the Arts Council for funding approval, and keeps them informed of new developments.
Web development: The Editor liaises with ITM’s web developers in the planned second phase of the website’s development (to incorporate a pay-wall, subscription facility and an online archive of the magazine’s content).
Is responsible for final approval of all new features and upgrades to the site’s functionality and design.
Communication: the Editor publicly represents ITM at events, in the arts sector generally, and with the media, as required. Maintains good relationships with theatre companies, other arts professionals, readers, the Arts Council and all stakeholders in ITM. Uses new media such as Facebook/Twitter to build ITM’s public profile.
Events: the Editor plans and manages the ITM International Critics’ Forum and all other public/or fund-raising events, in partnership with other arts organisations and festivals.
Application procedure:
Please apply with a covering letter outlining your interest and suitability for the post, as well as a C.V. and contact details for at least two referees.
This should be sent by email to: admin@irishtheatremagazine.ie marked ‘Editor Appointment’ by Monday 4th April, 2011.
Interviews will be held in the week beginning 11th April 2011.