AELAQ is Seeking an Executive Director
Update: This post is now closed. Thank you to all who applied.
AELAQ is seeking an organized, self-motivated Executive Director (ED) to carry out our mandate of supporting English-language book publishers in Quebec. Reporting to AELAQ’s board of directors, the ED establishes the organization’s priorities, and is the primary coordinator of its activities. This is a unique opportunity to be a voice for Quebec’s English-language publishing industry, and to ensure that our members’ diverse and vibrant authors and books continue to be seen and appreciated around the province, across Canada, and beyond.
This is a permanent part-time salaried position at 25 hours/week, located in Montreal, Quebec.
About the Organization
The Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec (Association des éditeurs de langue anglaise du Québec; AELAQ) is a not-for-profit organization that advances the publication, distribution, and promotion of English-language books from Quebec. We’re a member-driven organization representing a diverse and engaged group of Quebec-based publishers, including publishers of literary fiction and poetry, scholarly works, books for kids, graphic novels, and books covering politics, history, and culture. We support our member publishers through professional development, advocacy, and marketing initiatives. AELAQ also publishes the Montreal Review of Books, a print and online journal published three times a year.
Key duties of the Executive Director include:
- Fundraising and financial management: Grant-writing and reporting; working with the accountant and bookkeeper to ensure all financial duties and reports are done on time; setting the annual budget and project budgets; managing cash flow; seeking new funding opportunities.
- Governance: Reporting to and liaising with the AELAQ Board of Directors; coordinating and participating in board meetings; ensuring the organization follows its bylaws.
- Publishing the Montreal Review of Books: Liaising with the editors, graphic designer, advertising manager, printer, distributors, and other parties; participating in editorial meetings and book selection; overseeing ad sales within Quebec.
- Facilitating members’ professional development: Keeping up-to-date with the publishing industry; establishing members’ needs and coordinating activities such as workshops and seminars (3-5 annually) to make sure they receive the skills they require.
- Increasing visibility of AELAQ members and the books they publish: Co-coordinating AELAQ’s annual Holiday Book Fair; representing AELAQ at book fairs and other public-facing events, including the Salon du livre de Montréal; seeking out new opportunities to raise the visibility of AELAQ members and their books.
- Communication: Responding to queries from members and from the public on the publishing industry; maintaining and developing relationships with other local and national organizations working toward similar goals.
The ideal candidate will have:
- A minimum of 2 years’ experience in a leadership or management position, including financial management;
- Strong knowledge of the Quebec, Canadian, and international book-publishing landscape;
- Strong fundraising skills with proven track record (grant-writing, other types of fundraising);
- Experience with event coordination;
- Familiarity with non-profit governance;
- English/French bilingualism;
- Ability to multitask, think independently, and initiate and execute projects.
Things that will be useful for the selected candidate:
- Graphic design abilities;
- Familiarity with SimplyAccounting, FreshBooks, WordPress, MailChimp, SurveyMonkey;
- Familiarity with social media;
- Driver’s license and vehicle.
Job Conditions:
Permanent, part-time position at 25 hours/week*, with a salary of $28,600 annually. Occasional evenings and weekends are required (a few times a year), as is occasional travel (once or twice a year). Perks include flexible hours and 4 weeks of paid vacation plus paid time off between Christmas and New Years’.
AELAQ is primarily an English-language workplace, but French fluency is key to this position, which involves being in regular contact with Francophone organizations and individuals.
AELAQ’s office is located in downtown Montreal, in a wheelchair-accessible (as of fall 2020) Heritage building with a gender-neutral washroom. At present, the position can be done remotely for the most part, but occasional trips to the office will be required.
*Possibility of becoming a full-time position if funding allows.
How To Apply
Please send a CV and cover letter stating your interest in and competencies for the position as a single document to admin@aelaq.org. Deadline to apply is October 19, 2020. Interviews will take place over Zoom in the first two weeks of November. Position starts January 4, 2021 with two weeks of training.
Recognizing the structural barriers that marginalized people have faced and continue to face in the publishing industry, AELAQ welcomes applications from all qualified individuals, and encourages Indigenous people, people of colour, LGBTQI+ people, people with disabilities, and members of any other marginalized group to self‐identify if they are comfortable doing so.