Publishing Clerk

Job Title: Publishing Clerk

Department: Marketing | UBC Press

Compensation Range: $4,281.00 - $4,386.00 CAD Monthly

Posting End Date: July 12, 2024

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date: At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff, and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Description Summary: This full-time position provides general customer service (digital and in-person) and clerical duties for UBC Press. The Publishing Clerk offers the marketing department critical support for a wide variety of tasks in sales, marketing, and promotion. Duties include: acting as a receptionist both in-office and online; handling courier/mail preparation and distribution; preparing brochures; maintaining the book review database; processing and reconciling in-person, online, and telephone orders; helping to prepare materials for conferences and exhibits (in-person and digital); preparing awards submissions; acting as a liaison with Building Operations; and responding to and solving customer service requests and complaints. In addition, this position assists the Assistant Director, Marketing and Business Development with clerical tasks.

Organizational Status: Reports to the Assistant Director, Marketing and Business Development, and ultimately the Director. Receives initial instructions and then minimal supervision on new tasks and priorities from M&P staff.

Work Performed:

1. Responds to customer service queries and resolves problems relating to book orders, which may involve working with one of our three international warehouses or our ebook management system.
2. Processes book purchases and reconciles cash, credit card, and debit balances.
3. Receives and directs visitors, telephone calls, email queries, and mail sent to UBC’s front desk.
4. Collects and processes outgoing mail and courier packages; may undertake delivering packages on campus.
5. Assists the Assistant Director, Marketing and Business Development, with clerical tasks including research, document preparation, data entry, emailing, and scheduling.
6. Prepares and distributes Author Order Forms for each new UBC Press title.
7. Provides customer service (to authors, reviewers, etc.) by telephone, email, mail, and in-person.
8. Prepares review slips for new publications and mails/emails review copies to appropriate journals and media.
9. Maintains review database, distributes reviews to management team and to authors, and selects appropriate quotes for entry into the marketing database.
10. Assists with orders for print and digital review copies and examination copies.
11. Attends, participates, and takes minutes for the bi-weekly staff meetings.
12. Orders office stock to and from the Press’s distributors.
13. Organizes and processes honoraria orders (from acquisitions to peer reviewers).
14. Assists in mailing the seasonal catalogues and individual brochures.
15. Maintains UBC Press Library/Marketing display area.
16. Maintains storeroom/photocopy room.
17. Contacts and follows up with building services when issues arise relating to the physical structure of UBC Press’s offices.
18. Performs other administrative tasks for the department as needed.

Consequence of Error/Judgement: Poor time management and inability to prioritize and meet deadlines results in the delay of information to appropriate journals, media, authors, customers, and faculty, which may lead to loss of revenue and reputation. The inability to work well with people and to relay accurate information to authors, customers, and co-workers adversely impacts customer satisfaction and the reputation of UBC Press. Failure to be adaptable in a demanding work environment and the inability to take direction reduces the efficiency of a busy department.

Supervision Received: Operates independently with minimal direct supervision and reports directly to the Assistant Director, Marketing and Business Development, and ultimately the Director. May receive indirect supervision from other M&P staff on specific tasks.

Supervision Given: Occasionally provides training to work study students undertaking Marketing Department functions. Indirectly may be required to supervise other clerical staff in database management and other marketing-related tasks.

Minimum Qualifications:

High school graduation, plus one year of related post-secondary education, plus three years of related experience.

• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own.
• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Preferred Qualifications:

Training in office procedures and practices.

Experience using the Microsoft Office Suite including MS Word, Excel, Outlook, etc. at an intermediate level.

Experience with Adobe InDesign and Photoshop preferred.

Effective oral and written communication, organizational, and inter-personal skills.

Ability to type 50 w.p.m. and to operate a normal range of office equipment.

Ability to manage time effectively and to multitask.

Experience in the Canadian book industry is an asset.

Ability to prioritize work and meet deadlines.

Ability to work as a supportive member of a publishing team.