Publishing Operations Editor

Reports to: Publishing Operations Lead

Location: 14-16 Meredith Street, London, EC1R 0AB

1.1 About us

The Microbiology Society is a membership charity for scientists interested in microbes, their effects, and their practical uses. It has a worldwide membership based in universities, industry, hospitals, research institutes, schools, and other organisations.

Our members have a unique depth and breadth of knowledge about the discipline. The Society’s role is to help unlock and harness the potential of that knowledge.

Our commitment to anyone who studies microbes is “whoever you are, wherever you are, we will amplify your voice”.

Read more about our mission and values at microbiologysociety.org

1.2 About you

As our new strategy begins an exciting period of enhanced ambition, the Publishing Operations Editor is the operational lead for a selection of journals, working closely with colleagues across the Society. The postholder provides an essential point of contact for microbiologists in academia, industry, and clinical environments in their roles as authors, reviewers, and members of our Editorial Boards.

This position will allow you to gain valuable experience of all the operational skills required to manage a scientific journal and offers valuable insight into the workings of a journal publisher. This is a unique role in the scholarly publishing industry where production, content management and peer review are often separate roles.

The postholder will contribute to and support the Publishing Operations Lead and Head of Scientific Programmes in the delivery of all Council’s strategic objectives and particularly in relation to the Society’s long-term sustainability by increasing efficiency as well as ensuring that our central services reflect the Society’s values.

1.3 Responsibilities

• Collaborate with editors, reviewers and authors at all stages of the peer review and production workflows to deliver the best possible author experience.
• Ensure the efficient article processing by following and suggesting refinements to our standard operating procedures.
• Work with our external suppliers to ensure that all journals are operating to the highest possible standards, including liaising with our offshore production provider during production of journal articles to ensure high-quality, timely publication.
• Maintain and modify pages on the journal hosting platform, microbiologyresearch.org.
• Use the peer review and production software to provide detailed monthly reports on turnaround times and article numbers in each journal.
• Accurately and promptly process invoices and monitor Article Processing Charge revenues, assessing spend and revenue against budget and flagging potential issues.

Journal Development

• Work with the editorial and communications teams, feeding into journal development plans and projects, journal promotions, and regular reporting on journal activities.
• Provide support for and attend Editorial Board meetings and relevant conferences, including our Annual Conference.
• Collaborate with the wider publishing team on special projects.
• Other duties as determined by the Publishing Operations Lead from time to time.

1.4 Knowledge and skills

Essential

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• First-rate time management and organization skills.
• Computer literate and able to quickly develop expertise in new software.
• Willing to learn and adapt to change.

Desirable

• Experience in journal publishing operations.
• Knowledge of XML, specifically the JATS schema, and HTML.
• Experience of providing high-quality customer service.
• A degree or equivalent in a scientific subject.
• An interest in or understanding of microbiology

To apply for this role, the candidates should please send a CV & covering letter to the HR Team- hr@microbiologysociety.org. Informal enquiries can be made to the same email address.