Deputy Editor - Journals

About the RSC

The Royal Society of Chemistry is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to advance the chemical sciences. As a not-for-profit publisher, we reinvest surplus funds back into the global scientific community, supporting our purpose to help the chemical science community make the world a better place.

The RSC strives to continuously innovate its products and services to adapt to market and customer needs, maintain relevancy and diversify revenues from print journals. This requires a market-led and ‘outside-in’ thinking approach to product and service innovation.

The role

This is a vital role to support the continuing development of RSC Medicinal Chemistry, in our Organic & Chemical Biology Journals team. This role will contribute to community engagement, commissioning and achieving our ambitious growth targets. We are looking for an ambitious publishing professional who wants to develop their career with the Royal Society of Chemistry. Your key role will be to contribute to the growth, quality, and usage of the journal by assisting in the development and implementation of commissioning and product development plans and deputising for the Executive Editor.

Your responsibilities will focus on:

• Assisting in the creation and implementation of product development plans to maintain or improve the revenue/quality/usage of the journal and deliver journal KPIs through effective Editorial policy, commissioning and marketing plans.
• Commissioning articles via desk-based research and attendance at scientific conferences.
• Contributing to the development of the Editorial and Advisory Boards such that they provide the maximum benefit to the journal and have strong interactions with their communities.
• Assisting the Executive Editor in the identification and recruitment of external Associate Editors.
• Developing and maintaining good relationships with existing/potential authors and referees.
• Monitoring the demands of market forces and advising the Executive Editor and Publisher of future trends, risks and opportunities.

We are looking for:

• A good honours degree in science is essential
• Previous experience in STM publishing with significant Journal development experience
• Well-developed communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work independently
• Good organisational and time-management skills, together with the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Ability to prioritise and delegate work tasks. Previous experience of supervising team members is desirable and advantageous
• Willingness to travel

The contractual base for this role is our Cambridge office, however we are currently embracing hybrid working, and therefore you will have the opportunity to work from a location other than this, as agreed with your line manager. Applicants should be aware that there is an expectation that employees will attend the offices as needed for their role. This is a part time, 0.5 FTE role (17.5 hours a week), with flexibility on working pattern. However, there is a preference for the role holder to work on Wednesdays.

If you are interested in this role, please apply before the end of the closing date. When applying, you will need to provide an up-to-date CV and a supporting statement (no more than 500 words) indicating how your skills/expertise match the competencies outlined in the Job Description.

Download full job description here.

Visit our Work For Us website to learn more about us, our benefits and Equal Opportunities Statement and Inclusive Culture Pledge.

If you have any questions, please contact us at jobs@rsc.org