Jobs
The closing date has now passed.
Dictionaries of the Scots Language: Job advertisement
Position: Various (up to four posts available)
Salary: £24,750 – £28,150 (or part-time equivalent), depending on skills and experience
Contract duration: 12 to 18 months
Start date: 15 January 2024
About us
Dictionaries of the Scots Language SCIO is funded by the Scottish Government to maintain and develop Dictionaries of the Scots Language Online, the nation’s authority on the meaning, history and forms of the vocabulary of Scots from its earliest beginnings to the present day.
Our plans
We are about to embark on an exciting programme of work: (a) to transform the online Scottish National Dictionary and Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue into modern, flexible dictionaries suitable for all levels of user and all types of device; (b) to prepare for the addition of new content. In support of these goals we envisage numerous projects, for example:
- Assessing how the presentation of different categories of information can be improved.
- Reviewing and editing sensitive content in accordance with present-day standards.
- Designing a simpler, future-proof schema for the regional provenance of data and planning its implementation.
- Refreshing our editorial policies.
We are now assembling a brand-new team of talented language enthusiasts to help us with these and other projects. We are keen to attract a broad range of skills, knowledge and experience in line with the diversity of the tasks.
What to expect
We are delighted to offer this unique chance to help shape the way in which the definitive record of the Scots language is presented. The many projects we’re planning will suit a wide variety of interests and will really make a difference to this nationally important record.
You’ll have a say about which projects best suit your skills, knowledge and experience and you’ll help us figure out how best to tackle and monitor that work. You’ll work on our projects as part of a team, coordinated and supervised by our Managing Editor, and you will have opportunities to tackle some solo projects too. We’ll teach you how to use our dictionary-writing system (DPS©), which you’ll use alongside Trello© to manage workflow and to track and report progress.
You’ll work from home and we’ll keep in touch via email, text chat and video-calls. We’ll meet in person occasionally too, e.g. for training. You can work full time (35 hours per week) or part-time and we’ll give you as much flexibility as we can in terms of your working pattern.
Essential attributes
The successful applicant will possess the following attributes:
- Commitment to and understanding of our mission.
- An interest in how language and language change is tracked, recorded, structured or described.
- A keenness to champion the needs and experience of dictionary users.
- An eye for detail and a determination to get things right first time.
- An ability and willingness to see things from the perspective of others.
- An immediate affinity with any of the projects mentioned under ‘Our plans’ above.
- Proficient at gathering, organising and categorising information.
- A talented problem-solver with the ability to combine creativity and pragmatism and an understanding of the importance of first gathering all relevant facts.
- Confidence to ask questions when things are unclear.
- Great interpersonal skills and a confident, effective communicator.
- Competent user of productivity apps such as Microsoft Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Word and Excel.
Desirable attributes
The successful applicant may additionally possess the following attributes:
- A demonstrable interest in the language or linguistics of Scots or English or any of their regional or historical varieties. Note that a degree in Scots language or linguistics is not a prerequisite.
- Skilled at gathering, organising and categorising linguistic data in particular.
- Experience of professional lexicography or reference publishing.
- Competent user of modern publishing technologies, especially DPS©.
Benefits
- 30 days’ annual leave and 4 public holidays (or part-time equivalent) per year.
- We may award a market supplement depending on your skills, experience and location.
- We will provide you with a computer and any essential software, hardware and apps.
- Reasonable travel and subsistence payments for business trips.
Application requirements
Please send your CV (no more than two pages) plus covering letter/email (no more than 500 words) to jobs@dsl.ac.uk by 22 August 2023. Your covering letter/email must specify your preferred number and pattern of working hours. We are unable to accept applications from candidates who cannot demonstrate their eligibility to work in the UK.
Other information
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an initial interview (in person or online) and may be asked to complete a short aptitude test involving the drafting of definitions for a set of quotations. A second round of interviews may follow. We may bypass all or part of this process for candidates with exceptional relevant experience.
