Sabotage Reviews is looking for a new Managing Director

Hello!

I am Claire Trévien and I founded Sabotage Reviews eight years ago as a blog, which grew into the biggest review website for indie literature in the UK. It is also the home to the public voted Saboteur Awards. You can read more about the Awards on its dedicated website here. The three main helms that we cover are: fiction, poetry, and spoken word. We do not currently review either novels or full poetry collections.

In recent years, I went from being an active editor of poetry reviews to a managing director, responsible for the website as a whole, as well as the organization of the Saboteur Awards (the voting process and the event). Some recent projects have involved our first Anthology Verbs that Move Mountains: Essays and Interviews on Spoken Word Cultures Around the World, and my spotlight on the poetry scene in South Africa. We’ve had two successful bids with Arts Council England for two of our Saboteur Awards events. This year’s awards spanned two days and culminated in the results, which had been voted on by over seven thousand voters.

I am now stepping down from this role to concentrate on other projects, and I am looking for someone to replace me. I hasten to add that this work is currently voluntary and often difficult, but also very rewarding and exciting. There is so much potential for growth and partnership and if your brain is currently whirring away with ideas for what you could do here, then I’d love us to talk.

As the new MD, you would be responsible for the overall running of the Sabotage Reviews website, including helping, where necessary, Sabotage’s team of editors, and the running of the Saboteur Awards. That’s a lot of pressure, but also a lot of freedom.

The role is a voluntary one, but with fundraising and funding bids, it is possible that the new MD could find a way to change this.

Main duties

Yearround:

  • Planning for the future, from one-off projects to long-term ones, including through fundraising efforts
  • Supporting the editors with their work
  • Helping to recruit more reviewers and editors
  • General website maintenance
  • Looking after the Friends’ scheme
  • Staying informed of trends and projects taking place in indie literature
  • Being the first port of call for enquiries

Saboteur Awards

  • Fundraising for the awards and managing any sponsorship and/or partner relationships
  • Volunteer management
  • Project managing the event and delegating roles where appropriate
  • Collaboration with artists and organisations
  • Managing the voting system and liaising with editors over their Editor’s choice
  • Corresponding with artists shortlisted or involved in the event
  • Social media and marketing for each work shortlisted

Desirable experience:

  • Knowledge and passion for the indie literature scene
  • Some basic website skills, particularly WordPress
  • Project management experience
  • Event management experience
  • Marketing and social media experience
  • Any fundraising or bid application experience would be a huge bonus
  • Good at managing conflict/deescalating situations

However, passion for indie literature and a track record of seeing through innovative projects are the most important aspects here, the rest can be learned.

It’s a big job, particularly in the lead up to the Saboteur Awards, and requires a lot of energy. It’s possible for the role to go to two people who know they work well as partnership. I would be particularly keen to hear from applicants that come from traditionally under-represented backgrounds in literature.

If you have specific questions or would like to apply, please email me at [email protected], I will arrange a video call with shortlisted candidates. There is no fixed deadline for this, we are looking to fill this position as soon as possible to allow time for funding applications for next year’s awards.

p.s I wouldn’t just hand you the keys and run away, there would be a crossover training period.

p.p.s this is a work from home situation so can be done from anywhere in the world. However, you should ideally have a link or interest in the UK scene.