Publications Conversion Specialist (FT Temp.)

POSITION DESCRIPTION: 
NCHC is seeking a Publications Conversion Specialist to lead the digital migration of NCHC's peer-reviewed publications catalog from the BePress Digital Commons platform to Tizra, NCHC's new digital publishing platform. This is a temporary, fully remote, full-time position with an initial 12-month appointment and the possibility of extension based on project progress. The Publications Conversion Specialist reports directly to the Executive Director (ED) and works in close coordination with the Publications Board, Blackout Design (NCHC's design and layout partner), and Tizra's conversion team.

Blackout Design, NCHC's design and layout partner, is rebuilding the publication PDFs and uploading them to Tizra. The Specialist's work begins with the scholarly infrastructure that follows: establishing NCHC's CrossRef membership, assigning Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) to every article, collecting and registering author ORCID iDs, writing and standardizing metadata, remediating accessibility, and coordinating NCHC's applications to JSTOR, Scopus, and Clarivate. This work will give NCHC a persistent, fully controlled digital home at www.nchchonors.org and the scholarly infrastructure needed to measure and grow the impact of honors education research.

The ideal candidate will have strong experience in digital publishing, metadata, or digital archives; meticulous attention to detail; the ability to manage a large, long-running technical project independently; and a demonstrable commitment to the mission of the National Collegiate Honors Council. Experience in honors education or scholarly publishing is valued.

The scope of the project is substantial. NCHC's repository includes the Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council (JNCHC), Honors in Practice (HIP), and the NCHC Monograph Series, representing more than 26 years of peer-reviewed scholarship and more than 18,000 pages.

ABOUT NCHC: 
The National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) focuses on supporting honors education among colleges and universities. It serves as a professional association for honors programs and colleges and students, providing resources, support, and networking opportunities for educators involved in honors education. NCHC aims to advance honors education by fostering collaboration among honors programs, sharing best practices, and promoting excellence in teaching and learning.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Coordinate the migration of all content from the BePress Digital Commons platform to Tizra, working with Blackout Design (which is responsible for rebuilding and uploading the publication PDFs) and with Tizra's conversion team
• Establish and manage NCHC's CrossRef membership and oversee DOI assignment across the full backfile and all new content
• Collect ORCID iDs from current and past authors and register each against their respective DOIs through CrossRef
• Collaborate with publication authors to write abstracts for the backfile, including pre-2019 issues and non-native PDFs, and assign keywords selected from the existing Honors Education keyword set developed by NCHC's Metadata Specialist
• Write, clean, and standardize metadata across the full repository to enable proper indexing
• Rebuild accessibility standards across all digital content
• Route all links from the Digital Commons infrastructure to new DOI-based addresses
• Update bibliographic records in NCHC's library indices (EBSCO, Cengage/Gale, and ERIC) to include persistent DOI links
• Support the creation of dynamic cross-reference links (internal and external) throughout the catalog
• Maintain clear documentation of conversion workflows, metadata standards, and project status so that NCHC staff can sustain the work after the appointment concludes
• Coordinate the JSTOR application process and subsequent submissions to Scopus and Clarivate
• Support NCHC's later evaluation of rebuilding publications as re-flowable digital content once the DOI and metadata work is complete
• Provide regular progress reports to the Executive Director and the Publications Board
• Other duties as assigned

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• A bachelor's degree in library or information science, digital humanities, English, communications, publishing, or a related field (or equivalent professional experience);
• Demonstrated experience in digital publishing, digital archives, metadata creation, or a similar technical editorial role;
• Working knowledge of scholarly metadata and persistent identifiers, including DOIs, CrossRef, and ORCID;
• Demonstrated experience with document and PDF remediation, including digital accessibility standards (such as WCAG);
• Exceptional attention to detail and the ability to manage a high-volume, multi-year project independently and to deadline;
• Excellent collaboration, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with remote partners and external vendors;
• Candidates should possess a strong commitment to NCHC's mission and to higher education more broadly

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• A master's degree in library and information science or a related field;
• Experience with a digital publishing or content management platform such as Tizra, BePress, or other similar tools.
• Experience with HTML, XML, or JATS and with metadata standards for scholarly publishing;
• Familiarity with the indexing and application requirements of JSTOR, Scopus, and Clarivate;
• Experience working with a scholarly journal, university press, or professional association publications program;
• Experience in honors education

COMPENSATION:

This is a temporary, fully remote, full-time position with an initial 12-month appointment and the possibility of extension based on project progress. The position carries an annual salary of $68,000. Employer-sponsored health benefits are not included.