Acquisitions Editor

Job Description

Job Description

Company Description

The University of Notre Dame, founded in 1842 in Notre Dame, Indiana, is a premier American research university. As a Catholic institution, it uniquely blends faith with intellectual inquiry, striving for excellence in teaching, research, and serving the common good. Notre Dame offers a dynamic and rewarding environment for its diverse community of students, faculty, and staff, who are all dedicated to fostering an inclusive campus and being a force for good in the world. With world-class facilities, acclaimed academic programs, and a strong commitment to innovation and ethical leadership, Notre Dame is an ideal place to make a meaningful impact.

The University of Notre Dame Press invites a creative, experienced, and forward-thinking Acquisitions Editor to join our dynamic publishing team. In this role, you will champion the publication of 15–20 high-impact scholarly and trade books annually, guiding projects from initial pitch to bound book.

This position offers a unique blend of creative autonomy and deep collaboration. Working hand-in-hand with the Director and the Editor-in-Chief, you will have the agency to define, shape, and grow your own distinct editorial list, drawing on the press’s core areas of history, theology, religion, philosophy, political theory, Latin American studies, and medieval studies.

You will collaborate daily with talented colleagues within the Acquisitions department with professionals across all departments of the Press—including marketing, production, and design.

Core Responsibilities & Depth of Impact

• List Growth & Curation: Acquire 15 to 20 scholarly and trade books a year in chosen areas, developing a strategic plan for lists in the chosen areas to advance the publishing program and meet revenue goals

• Project Development: Effectively manage a pipeline of projects, including evaluating manuscripts and proposals, recruiting qualified peer reviewers, and presenting publishable projects to the Faculty Editorial Board. Analyze publishing and scholar trends in areas and evaluates the performance of previously published books, while guiding authors on manuscript development, preparation, revisions, and formatting

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with press colleagues to craft successful production, publication, and promotion strategies for projects, including, copyediting, design and packaging, and promotional copy and strategies

• Community & Field Presence: Represent Notre Dame Press at major academic conferences, campus events, and within the broader publishing community

What We Are Looking For  

An Editorial Visionary: You possess a keen eye for exceptional scholarship and compelling narratives, have direct acquisitions experience, and a track record of successful titles.

A Collaborative Partner: You thrive in an environment built on mutual respect, open communication, and shared goals, working effectively alongside both your immediate acquisitions peers and the wider press staff.

An Industry Professional: You bring a deep understanding of university press publishing and meaningful acquisitions experience.  

• Education Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree (4 years)
• Experience: 5 to 6 years
• Skill Qualifications: Strong verbal and written communication skills, sound editorial judgment, and the ability to build and maintain professional relationships with authors, scholars, peer reviewers, and colleagues, including the ability to manage multiple book projects at different stages of development. Excellent attention to detail, strong negotiation skills, comfort working with contracts and publishing workflows, and the ability to use standard computer systems and publishing-related tools effectively. Experience in acquisitions, scholarly publishing, list development, and revenue growth.

Please submit a resume, cover letter, and list of acquired titles with your application. Please add in the attachments section of your application.

Please submit your application by July 20th.

Benefits page: -compensation/

The University of Notre Dame seeks to attract, develop, and retain the highest quality faculty, staff and administration. The University is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or age in employment. Moreover, Notre Dame prohibits discrimination against veterans or disabled qualified individuals, and complies with 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-300.5(a). We strongly encourage applications from candidates attracted to a university with a Catholic identity.