Please see the BARS Blog post here for more information on how to apply for these roles.
President
The President works with the Executive Committee in overseeing the strategic direction of BARS, new projects and research funding initiatives, future planning, and liaising with external partners. One of the core roles of the President is liaising with the organisers of the Society’s International Conference, ensuring that the needs of BARS Members are met with due diligence. The President also chairs regular meetings of the Executive Committee. The President also works with the Executive in identifying and filling any vacancies on the Committee, including elections, appointments and co-options, as appropriate.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Act as a voice for Romantic studies both nationally and internationally, advocating for the interests and the wellbeing of BARS Members.
- Maintain the commitment of BARS to the principles of inclusion, diversity and equality, making the Society a welcoming and safe space for all of its Members.
- Oversee the strategic business, constitutional and recruitment matters of BARS.
- Work with the Executive in all aspects of BARS regular business in support of its Membership.
- Chair the regular Executive Committee meetings (3–4 times/year).
- Liaise with the organisers of the two major BARS conferences and other regular or one-off events.
- Ensure that the BARS operating budget remains healthy, balancing need with financial security.
- Resolve any critical issues or challenges in a timely, transparent and collaborative manner.
- Develop new partnerships, initatives and funding sources.
Key Activities
- Working with the Vice President and the Past President, plan the strategic aims of BARS and their implementation for the current cycle.
- Working with the Secretary, coordinate the routine business of BARS.
- Working with the Treasurer, ensure that the Executive maintains a careful balance between expenditure and income, as well as dealing with any banking issues raised by the Treasurer.
- Working with the Membership Secretary and PGR/ECR Representatives, review all Members’ needs, requests and feedback.
- Working with the Communications Officer, ensure that important information is conveyed to the Membership in a timely and effective fashion.
- Working with the Website Editor, to ensure that outward facing information is appropriate, updated and effective.
- Working with the BARS Review Editor, ensure that each issue of the BARS Review is published as required.
- Working with the Bursaries Officer, review current funding mechanisms, revising them as necessary and implementing new schemes that support BARS values.
- Working with the Research Officer, review the state of the field, the relationship of Romantic studies to institutional and governmental agendas, and ensure a responsive approach to the challenges facing our discipline.
- Oversee the recruitment of new members of the Executive and associated Officers.
- Provide mentoring and continuing professional support to fellow members of the Executive if they desire it.
- Prepare and oversee the selection of the BARS International Conference, including paying a site visit to the selected host and liaising with the conference organising team.
- Working with the Digital Events team to ensure that BARS is represented fairly, engagingly and equitably in the programme of activities.
- Working with the relevant Committee members (e.g. Impact & Outreach, Internationalisation, Non-Academic and Schools Officers) and other partners, oversee new strategic partnerships and outreach activities.
- Oversee the appointment of the Book Prize Chair, and receive regular updates from the Chair once appointed.
- Attend to any constitutional and practical issues relevant to BARS and its Members.
Treasurer
The Treasurer oversees all aspects of the Society’s financial management, working closely with other members of the Executive Committee to develop͕ maintain and safeguard the Society’s finances. While the Treasurer ensures that these responsibilities are met, work can be delegated as appropriate to the Bursaries Officer, the Membership Secretary and ad hoc sub-committees (e.g. for conferences and other events, projects or partnerships).
Roles and Responsibilities
- Oversee general finances of the Society.
- Oversee financial planning, budgeting and fundraising.
- Manage the Society’s bank account and financial records͘.
- Control any of the Society’s assets, stock and sources of income͘.
Key Activities
- Oversee and present budgets, accounts and financial statements to the Executive Committee and Members of the Society.
- Liaise with designated members of the Committee and ad hoc partners (e.g. conference organisers) about financial matters.
- Ensure that appropriate and robust financial systems and controls are in place.
- Ensure that record-keeping and accounts meet statutory or best-practice expectations.
- Liaise with the Membership Secretary in processing Members’ dues, including shared oversight of the Society’s PayPal account.
- Liaise with the Bursaries Officer in the disbursement of any funding for Fellowships.
- Disburse non-Fellowship claims that have been approved by the Executive Committee.
- Disburse any other moneys that have been approved for expenditure by the President and/or Executive Committee.
- Advise on the Society’s fundraising strategies͘.
- Ensure use of funds complies with conditions set by relevant legislation, financial control systems and organisational bodies.
- Prepare and present budgets for new and ongoing projects.
- Prepare and present regular reports on the Society’s financial position (e͘g͘ at the Executive Committee meetings͕ at the Society’s Biennial General Meetings).
- Manage bank and other financial accounts.
- Set up appropriate systems for book-keeping, payments, lodgements and cash disbursements.
- Ensure everyone handling money keeps proper records and documentation.
Review Editor
Applications welcome for the role of Editor of The BARS Review, the online journal of the British Association for Romantic Studies.
The BARS Review is published biannually (Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter issues). Please see: http://www.bars.ac.uk/review/index.php/barsreview
The Editor is the main point of contact for publishers, the reviewers and the production team.
The Editor is expected to:
• order books from publishers
• ensure that books are promptly allocated for review by scholars with recognised expertise in the area
• ensure that reviewers stick to the agreed timeframe
• review and edit submitted manuscripts
• identify emerging trends in scholarship [for the Spotlight section]
• ensure that the journal has sufficient articles per issue, and that these are published to academic standards
• send the final issue to publishers and reviewers
• report to the BARS Executive to ensure ongoing development of the journal
Website Officer
The BARS Website Officer is expected to:
- Handle the technical maintenance of the main BARS website, the BARS Blog and The BARS Review, periodically updating the designs and installations.
- Update the BARS sites with information as required by the officers of the Exec.
- Maintain the domain registrations and hosting account employed for BARS’ web presence (including working with the Treasurer to make payments).
- Serve as Technical Editor of The BARS Review, conducting final checks for articles, creating and uploading galleys, and setting up and publishing issues (using Open Journal Systems).
- Work with the Communications Officer and Assistant(s) on the digital aspects of BARS communications.
- Serve on BARS committees (such as Digital Events) as required.
- Play a full role in the Exec’s activities and discussions.
For this role, experience working with WordPress or a similar content management system is essential; experience with Open Journal Systems or the willingness to learn how the system works is essential; and some previous experience of website administration (via hosting tools and phpMyAdmin) would be an advantage.
Schools & Education Liaison:
The BARS Schools & Education Liaison Officer is expected to:
- To promote BARS and the study of Romantic-period literature to school teachers and pupils
- To liaise with schools and related organisations to encourage engagement with Romantic-era literature
- To work with external partners in the education sector to promote outreach and widening participation activities that relate to Romanticism.
- To engage with Examination Boards in ensuring the provision of Romantic literature within the UK National Curriculum.
- To work with others in developing pedagogic resources for teachers and pupils.
Please see the BARS Blog post here for more information on how to apply for these roles.