Position Title:

Developmental Editor

Job Type:

Part-time contract, 15–20 hours per week

Location:

Remote

Compensation:

$3,500 per month

Position Description The Art Canada Institute (ACI) is seeking an accomplished Developmental Editor with a sophisticated understanding of art history and art writing to help shape authoritative, accessible, and engaging publications about Canada’s art and artists. Working closely with authors and ACI’s Publications & Programs team, the Developmental Editor will guide manuscripts from initial concept through substantive revision and approval for production, ensuring that projects meet the highest standards of accuracy, accessibility, inclusivity, and editorial excellence.

The Developmental Editor will work across a portfolio of publications at different stages of development, from reviewing initial outlines and identifying research or content gaps to guiding authors through successive rounds of revision. They will assess the overall architecture, argument, scope, tone, and accessibility of manuscripts while also working closely at the level of individual chapters and passages. The role requires outstanding editorial judgment and intellectual curiosity, sensitivity to differing cultural perspectives, scholarly approaches, and forms of knowledge, and the diplomacy and confidence to provide substantial editorial direction while respecting authors’ expertise and individual voices.

Reporting to the Senior Executive Editor and working in collaboration with the Publisher and freelance editors, the Developmental Editor will manage several manuscripts and author relationships simultaneously, establishing priorities and keeping projects moving toward production. Strong organizational and project-management skills are essential, as is a commitment to advocating for ACI’s readers and editorial standards and a strong interest in Canadian art and in expanding public understanding of its histories.

About the Art Canada Institute The Art Canada Institute (ACI) is a national, not-for-profit organization dedicated to making Canadian art history a contemporary, multi-vocal conversation. We promote the study of an inclusive Canadian art history to as broad an audience as possible.

Through digital and print publications, educational initiatives, and public programming, ACI celebrates the artists and artworks that have shaped Canada’s cultural landscape. The Developmental Editor plays a central role in advancing this mandate by helping to shape original scholarship into authoritative, accessible, and engaging publications for a broad readership.

Key Responsibilities of the Role

Manuscript Development

- Evaluate proposals, outlines, sample chapters, and complete manuscripts for intellectual strength, organization, originality, and suitability for ACI’s audiences.
- Work with authors to define the central argument, scope, structure, and intended readership of each publication.
- Prepare detailed assessments, editorial memos, and “fix notes” for each publication.
- Recommend substantial revisions,



including restructuring chapters, clarifying arguments, expanding or reducing sections, and improving transitions and narrative flow.
- Help authors translate specialized scholarship into clear and engaging language without sacrificing intellectual rigor.
- Ensure that manuscripts provide sufficient historical, cultural, and artistic context for general readers.
- Review revised manuscripts and guide authors through multiple stages of development when required.
- Determine, in consultation with senior editorial staff, when manuscripts are ready to proceed to copy-editing and production.

Author Management

- Serve as a principal contact for authors throughout manuscript development, from initial outline through approval for production.
- Establish clear expectations regarding manuscript scope, structure, length, voice, and revision requirements. Ensure authors are aware of key deadlines and deliverables.
- Provide authors with clear, thoughtful, and constructive editorial feedback, including priorities and direction for successive rounds of revisions.
- Support authors in resolving complex structural, interpretive, narrative, and content-related issues while preserving the integrity of their scholarship and individual voices.
- Maintain productive and professional relationships with authors and substantive editors, adapting the editorial approach to different levels of writing and publishing experience.
- Monitor author progress against established schedules, follow up on outstanding deliverables, and identify potential delays or challenges at an early stage.
- Balance respect for an author’s expertise and perspective with responsibility for ACI’s standards, editorial objectives, and broad readership.
- Collaborate with the Senior Executive Editor and other members of the Publications & Programs team on significant editorial questions and manuscripts requiring additional direction.

Editorial Quality and Standards

- Ensure that manuscripts meet ACI’s standards for accuracy, coherence, accessibility, inclusivity, and scholarly integrity.
- Review manuscripts for unsupported claims, gaps in evidence or context, repetition, ambiguity, and internal inconsistencies that require further attention before production.
- Identify material requiring additional research, fact-checking, scholarly review, permissions, or consultation with subject-matter experts.
- Ensure that key terminology, interpretive frameworks, and scholarly approaches are applied consistently throughout a publication, including across chapters, artwork discussions, chronologies, bibliographies, and supplementary materials.
- Identify editorial, scholarly,



or reputational issues that require review by the Senior Executive Editor or other members of the Publications & Programs team.
- Prepare manuscripts for an effective handoff to copy editing and production, clearly documenting key editorial decisions, outstanding questions, and any issues requiring continued attention.
- Contribute to the development, maintenance, and refinement of ACI’s editorial guidelines, author resources, manuscript standards, and quality-control practices.

Publication Planning

- Participate in editorial planning and commissioning discussions concerning prospective artists, subjects, authors, and publication formats.
- Assist in researching and evaluating prospective authors and other contributors.
- Assist in developing preliminary publication concepts, project briefs, tables of contents, and author assignments.
- Develop and review manuscript schedules, coordinating key developmental milestones and deadlines with ACI’s broader publication calendar.
- Participate in scholarly and peer-review processes, assess external readers’ reports, and help determine how recommendations should be incorporated into manuscript development.
- Provide regular updates to the Senior Executive Editor on projects in development, flagging significant editorial, scope, or scheduling issues that may affect a publication.

Ideal Candidate Profile The ideal candidate will possess:

- At least 5 years of qualified experience in developmental or substantive editing, preferably involving art history, cultural history, museum publishing, scholarly publishing, or illustrated books.
- Master’s degree in art history, Canadian studies, English, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience. A PhD in art history, with a focus on Canadian art, would be considered an asset.
- Demonstrated ability to shape complex manuscripts and strengthen their structure, arguments, clarity, and accessibility.
- Exceptional command of written English and a sophisticated understanding of style, tone, and narrative.
- Strong knowledge of Canadian art, visual culture, museums, or cultural history.
- Experience working effectively with academics, curators, critics, artists, and other expert authors.
- Familiarity with scholarly conventions, citations, bibliographies, peer review, copyright, and publication ethics.
- Knowledge of The Chicago Manual of Style.
- Experience with digital publishing and writing for online audiences is an asset.
- French-language proficiency is an asset.

Application Submission Please submit your CV and cover letter in a single PDF document to [email protected] with the position title “Developmental Editor” in the subject line. Please also paste your cover letter into the body of your email. Applications that do not follow this format will be considered incomplete.

Review of applications will begin after September 18, 2026, and will continue until the position is filled. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

📌 Developmental Editor (Toronto)
🏢 Art Canada Institute
📍 Toronto