NATURE AND SCOPE OF POSITION

The Program Manager of the Institute for Louisiana Culture and History and 64 Parishes encyclopedia is a member of the Division of Public Programs and is responsible for overseeing planning and implementation of statewide educator workshops designed to support professional development of Louisiana social studies teachers. The Institute for Louisiana Culture and History is a new addition to the LEH's programming activities. The ideal candidate will be able to identify experts in the field who are well suited to contributing to the encyclopedia and delivering talks and workshops to history teachers on a variety of Louisiana/US history topics. The Program Manager is also responsible for overseeing workflow, deadlines, deliverables, and coordination of the 64 Parishes online encyclopedia of Louisiana history and culture, which receives more than 1 million page views per year. The Program Manager will work with scholars, peer reviewers, contract editors, archival image specialists, and the 64 Parishes editor-in-chief to ensure that encyclopedia content is of the highest quality and is delivered on schedule and within budget. The ideal candidate will have advanced knowledge of Louisiana history and historiography as well as best practices in historical research and the digital humanities. This role requires excellent project management skills, outstanding communication and writing skills, the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously, and the ability to be flexible. The Program Manager will work closely with the Vice President of Public Programs/Editor in Chief of 64 Parishes as well as the Public Programs Coordinator.

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JOB FUNCTIONS

ESSENTIAL

• Identify regional partners to support, host, and promote teacher workshops, working with staff from local colleges and universities, teacher training programs, and the Louisiana Department of Education to create and implement workshops that are responsive to social studies teachers’ professional development needs.
• Identify and conduct outreach to scholars and experts on a range of Louisiana and US history topics to participate in teacher workshops and contribute to the 64 Parishes encyclopedia.
• Work with the LEH public programs team and external partners to develop a longitudinal evaluation plan for measuring the success of the Institute’s workshop planning and implementation processes.
• Oversee the development and, beginning in 2023, implementation of four regional social studies teacher workshops and one summer intensive workshop per year. Workshops will build on the resources and scholar network tied to the 64 Parishes encyclopedia and focus on use of the encyclopedia in the classroom.
• Assess current and future 64 Parishes encyclopedia content development needs in collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Education and 64 Parishes editor in chief.
• Manage author, scholar, and partner relations, engaging in high-quality and timely communication that sets clear expectations for program standards and delivery.
• Oversee the production of 50-100 new encyclopedia entries per year, shepherding new entries through every step of the publication process, including setting and tracking deadlines and workflows, issuing contracts and payments, ensuring entries meet quality and content standards through editorial and peer review, communicating clearly and effectively with authors and editors, sourcing and licensing images, tracking files, and publishing final images and entries via WordPress to 64parishes.org.
• Identify encyclopedia entries on 64parishes.org in need of revision and work with editor in chief, authors, new scholars, and peer reviewers to revise or rewrite entries as needed.

OTHER

• Provide courteous and prompt service to all internal and external clients. Prioritize and address requests and assignments in a professional manner to develop cooperative relationships and to ensure that client confidentiality is assured.
• Work interdepartmentally to ensure cohesion between and among LEH initiatives.
• Assist co-workers in the completion of tasks and assignments to ensure continuity of service. Orient new co-workers and actively support teamwork throughout the organization.
• Perform other duties as required.

PRIMARY QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• Master’s degree in US history or a related field required; ABD or PhD preferred.

Work Experience:

• 2-4 years research experience in primary and secondary source materials.
• 1-3 years of editing and publishing experience in print and/or digital formats.
• 1-3 years of image research experience, specifically rights and knowledge of archival sources for Louisiana content, preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in project management, preferred.
• Experience in K–12 social studies teaching or curriculum development a plus.

Core Skills:

• Ability to synthesize research in writing as well as in public presentations.
• Strong grasp of Louisiana history and current cultural and historiographic landscape with a preference for research specialization in 19th and/or 20th century history.
• Mastery of research capabilities, including use of research databases.
• Familiarity with open-source and permissions-based image archives and repositories as well as image copyright and licensing requirements.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; ability to write clear, structured, articulate, and persuasive proposals or reports and deliver polished presentations to internal and external stakeholders.
• Proficiency in copy editing (Chicago style) and WordPress with a willingness to achieve mastery.
• Strong ability to edit, guide, mentor, and collaborate with internal and external contributors, including authors, scholars, peer reviewers, archivists, librarians, curators, editors, and fellow LEH staff members.
• Comfortable with public speaking and communicating in person as well as by email, phone, Zoom, or text as needed.
• Mastery of MS Office, including Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with colleagues and partners.
• Extremely organized and detail-orientated, with superior follow-through.
• Ability to engage in positive public interaction with multiple stakeholders, including LEH colleagues, scholars, teachers, partners, editorial staff, and consultants.
• High degree of integrity and work ethic.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion.

Knowledge/Skills:

• Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Knowledge of digital humanities, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Ability to problem solve independently before seeking assistance from peers and supervisors.
• Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• Ability to communicate effectively and appropriately. Speaks and writes in a clear and credible manner, while selecting the right tone for the situation and audience.
• Ability to use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of projects, proposals, conclusions, or approaches to problems and to propose solutions or improvements to the same.   
• Ability to adjust quickly and effectively to changing conditions and demands.
• Handles multiple assignments and priorities yet still fulfills all commitments.

Travel:

• LEH is a statewide organization; travel may be required.