Publications and Support Specialist

Description

PKP is currently seeking a talented, full-time Publications and Support Specialist to assist with our PKP’s Publishing Services , to provide support on the PKP Community Forum , and to  assist with our other projects. This is a people-oriented service position, and the successful candidate will be an outgoing individual who enjoys working with others and helping them use OJS and other PKP software.

Experience with PKP software would be an asset. A strong willingness to learn is essential.

As a member of the PKP team, you will be able to work where you want, anywhere in the world.  Apart from some regularly scheduled team meetings and client service hours, PKP’s work environment is very flexible. You will have opportunities to travel, participate in conferences and workshops, and interact with a growing international community of users in the academic, software development, and publishing worlds.

Duties:

• Provide technical and general user support to PKP|PS clients and the PKP user community on the PKP software suite including Open Journal Systems (OJS) 2.x & 3.x; Open Conference Systems (OCS) 2.x & 3.x; Open Monograph Press (OMP) 1.x; Open Harvester Systems (OHS) 2.x; and other PKP software;
• Monitor the PKP Community Forum and reply directly to user queries and issues, or refer them to other PKP team members;
• Work in concert with other PKP|PS team members to troubleshoot and provide ongoing operational support.  Create, update, refer, and close issues using a combination of trouble ticket and customer relation management software;
• Maintain a record of common, recurring user-reported problems for enhancing user documentation, developing training materials, or improving software interfaces;
• Identify potential partnerships or volunteers from the community;
• Provide online and in-person workshops and other training activities on the use of PKP software;
• Work closely with current and prospective PKP|PS clients to determine their requirements including provision of appropriate hosting options, and assist in the preparation of statements of work and cost estimates;
• Assist in the overall operation and coordination of the PKP Community Forum;
• Assist in the operation of PKP|PS hosting and custom support services including provisioning of appropriate technical infrastructure;
• Prepare operational reports, statistical reports, briefs, position papers and grant proposals as required;
• Promote the PKP and PKP|PS through active participation in external meetings, conferences, workshops, and other venues;
• Serve on PKP committees and working groups as required; and
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Post-secondary degree, diploma, certificate, or equivalent;
• Relevant experience in client support, preferably in the academic and/or scholarly publishing sectors;
• Experience with technical evaluation, implementation and troubleshooting (including bug testing, basic familiarity with web standards like HTML, CSS, basic familiarity with tools such as FTP/SSH) is also an asset;
• Familiarity with publishing workflows, software, and platforms, preferably with OJS, OMP, and/or OCS;
• Ability to quickly learn new software interfaces and experiment with emerging technologies;
• Commitment to high quality community and customer service and a strong interest in helping others solve their technical issues;
• Demonstrated ability to initiate, maintain, and develop strong professional relationships with a diverse, multicultural, global community of stakeholders in both face to face and distance environments;
• Demonstrated ability to maintain effective working relationships across multiple and diverse institutions, across levels within organizations from specialist to executive level;
• Experience with a software development project and/or a project undertaken in a primarily remote environment;
• Demonstrated ability to adapt to changing environments and multiple deadlines, and to work well under pressure with discretion, tact, and good judgement;
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written; and
• High level of initiative. Demonstrated ability to recognize and anticipate what needs to be done.

Interested applicants should send the following:

• a cover letter containing a summary of their experience, and at least two references; and
• a copy of their resume.

to Brian Owen, Associate Dean of Libraries and PKP Managing Director  (brian_owen@sfu.ca). Posting will remain open until filled.

Background Information

The Public Knowledge Project (PKP) is a research and development initiative based at Simon Fraser University with many development partners and supporters around the world. PKP has been developing free, open source software for the management, publishing, and indexing of journals, books, and conferences for over 15 years. The PKP software suite is comprised of four modules: Open Journal Systems, Open Monograph Press, Open Conference Systems, and Open Harvester Systems; as well as a variety of supporting software projects. Visit PKP at http://pkp.sfu.ca/ and have a look at the software and other services.