Book Editor at Amref Kenya

Job Description

Are you an experienced editor with a fervent dedication to the art of storytelling and an exceptional aptitude for meticulous refinement? Do you possess the skill to convert unprocessed content into sophisticated and impactful narratives? If so, we are pleased to present a remarkable opportunity for you to participate in a substantial undertaking. Amref Health Africa is seeking a book editor to develop, and edit an Amref Book - detailing six decades of knowledge and experience in creating a lasting health change in Africa.

This book is not just a publication, but a testament to Amref Health Africa’s enduring commitment to health development across subSaharan Africa. By joining our team as an Editor, you will play a pivotal role in shaping this historical record and ensuring its accuracy and impact.

Reporting Relationship

Will directly report to the Group Director, Partnerships and External Affairs.

Scope of the Job

The ideal candidate will be a meticulous and creative editor and prompt and thorough communicator with great attention to detail. The Editor’s mission will be to edit and refine the draft content to produce the final chapters of the book. These will include maintaining a high standard of accuracy and consistency throughout, while also ensuring that the content reflects the dynamic social, political, economic, and global health context in Sub-Saharan Africa. You'll work closely with the author and researcher to enhance the book's structure, eliminate redundancy, and provide essential socio-political and historical context where necessary.

The candidate’s linguistic prowess will be key in polishing grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure while preserving the author's unique style. The candidate will collaborate with the team to select visuals and oversee the book's layout and design. Your guidance will extend to references, bibliography, indexing, footnotes, and endnotes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Ensure that the content of the book reflects the social, political, economic and global health context in Sub-saharan Africa. A few examples: The impact of colonization and structural changes needed for building health sub-systems and access to the most marginalized area in Africa. The political landscape and how it shaped the establishment and growth of Amref; the health conditions and prioritization of programming to respond to urgent health gaps. the Alma Ata Declaration was a major milestone in 1978 which identified primary health care as the key to attaining health for all; UHC2030 and the leadership role that Amref played as co-chair. The role of the Non-Aligned Movement in galvanizing consensus and solidarity for vaccine access and climate justice for the non-aligned nations (most African countries are in this category); the leadership role Amref has taken with Africa CDC, WHO Afro and other partners. The global health financing landscape and the evolution we are seeing with respect to shifting to prioritize global south support. The role of conflict and the ability of African countries to build health systems and deliver access to equitable health for their populations, etc. The thought leadership journey of Amref from the first AHAIC in 2017 to current
• Examine the overall structure of the book and help to reorganize the content (chapters and content within chapters).
• Help the author fill in gaps in information and remove repetition or unnecessary details.
• Work with the editor and researcher to provide the socio-political and historical context where necessary to give readers a better understanding of the setting and background of events described in the book.
• Check content for errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure ensuring that the content flows while preserving the author’s style of writing.
• Revise headlines and sub-heads in consultation with the author.
• Ensure that content is factual.
• Work with the author and researcher to revise book content in line with recommendations by the Editorial Committee.
• Work with the author and researcher to select photographs, maps, documents, other illustrations, and content for augmented reality, and to write appropriate captions, for reproduction of the book and decide how they will be displayed.
• Work with/supervise the publishers for the layout and design of the book, including selecting fonts, paper, binding, promotion.
• Provide guidance for and ensure proper presentation of references/bibliography, indexing, footnotes, and end notes.

Basic Qualifications:

• Minimum of 10 years of book publishing experience.
• Strong editing capabilities.
• Broad knowledge of book production workflows and best practices.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and presentation skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the proven ability to collaborate.
• Proven ability to set priorities under pressure and multi-task effectively.
• Excellent attention to detail. Adept in the English language, with a track record in writing and editing.
• Strong familiarity with technical terms related to health and healthcare.
• Demonstrates a track record of successfully publishing books, and has extensive hands-on experience within the publishing industry.