Established in 1789, the University of King’s College is Canada’s oldest chartered university and is associated with Dalhousie University. A small and extraordinarily lively academic community located in Halifax (Kjipuktuk), Nova Scotia, King’s is known nationally and internationally for its interdisciplinary programs in the humanities, including its first-year Foundation Year Program, its professional programs in journalism and its fine arts programs in creative writing. King’s is a community in which students, faculty, alumni, and staff work to bring greater understanding, creativity, and compassion to the world.
The University of King’s College School of Journalism, Writing & Publishing invites applications for a three-year appointment to a tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor (Writing & Publishing) beginning July 1, 2026. The appointment could also be made at the rank of Associate Professor, commensurate with experience.
The Assistant Professor, Writing & Publishing, provides graduate-level instruction in writing craft and publishing in a variety of forms of storytelling. Given the current structure of the King’s MFA program, the candidate will be expected to take on the duties of Director of Writing & Publishing in their initial years in the role. Reporting to the Vice-President, the Director supervises the administration and delivery of the MFA programs.
Specific teaching duties will depend on the successful candidate’s background and will range from graduate-level courses in writing craft, publishing and production in fiction, nonfiction, scripted and other forms of storytelling; supervising mentors in mentorship courses; and leading webinars and writing workshops aimed at students, prospective students, alumni, and the general public. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in writing and publishing, with minimum seven years of experience as an editor, author or writing instructor, and minimum seven years of experience teaching at the university level. Their prior work will show evidence of writing craft and storytelling skill; curriculum development; and experience undertaking program and faculty administrative duties. They will be intimately familiar with the creative and business sides of the publishing industry in Canada and the United States; and have extensive and current contacts among top-level authors, editors, publishers and industry organizations.
The ideal candidate will have a graduate degree (preferably a PhD) and will also have experience in the classroom as a lead instructor. They are expected to engage actively in professional activity directly relevant to writing, publishing and storytelling. These duties include:
As the Writing and Publishing programs continue to expand and additional tenure-track professors are hired, the Director role will rotate among full-time professors as it does in other King’s programs.
King’s offers two limited residency Writing & Publishing programs at the master’s level: a two-year Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction degree and a two-year Master of Fine Arts in Fiction degree. Other master’s-level programs may be proposed. It also offers non-credit writing workshops, an alumni writing conference, and other writing and publishing instruction. The programs draw students from across Canada and abroad, from a wide range of ages and backgrounds. The Writing & Publishing program enjoys a national reputation for excellence. In the ten years since graduating the first MFA class, more than 90 students have published or are under contract to publish books developed in the program.
The starting date for this position is July 1, 2026. Salary will be commensurate with academic and professional expertise.
A complete application must include CV; brief teaching and publishing dossier; one sample of creative or scholarly work; a plan for research, creative, or professional work; names of three references; and any other materials that would shed light on applicant suitability.
Interviews with successful applicants will take place the week of April 20, 2026.
Deadline: April 10, 2026
Please submit the full application package via email to:
Dean Jobb,
Professor Emeritus and Cohort Director, Writing & Publishing
School of Journalism, Writing & Publishing
University of King’s College
Dean.jobb@ukings.ca
Questions regarding the position are welcome and should be directed to Prof. Jobb.
The University of King’s College is committed to diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion. We encourage and welcome applications from Indigenous persons (especially Mi’kmaq), persons with a disability, racialized persons, including persons of Black/African descent (especially African Nova Scotians), women, persons of a minority sexual orientation and/or gender identity and all candidates who could contribute to the diversification of our community.