Deputy Editor - Journals

We currently have a fantastic opportunity for a Deputy Editor to join us on a full-time permanent basis.

At the RSC we embrace flexibility and offer hybrid working, which means our teams come together when they need to collaborate. Although this role is contractually based at our Cambridge office, you will be able to work from home within the UK, with the expectation that you will attend the office as needed for your role. In this role it is expected that you will attend the office on an ad-hoc basis. If you need flexible working arrangements, please outline this in your application.

About the Royal Society of Chemistry

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.

About the role

This is a vital role to support the strategic and editorial development of a portfolio of journals, led by an Executive Editor. 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 journals by assisting in the development and implementation of commissioning, visibility and product development plans, engaging with the community and deputising for the Executive Editor.

 Your responsibilities will focus on:

• Supporting the Executive Editor in the creation and implementation of product development plans to maintain or improve the revenue/quality/usage of the journals and deliver journal KPIs.
• Leading the development and implementation of journal commissioning and visibility strategies, overseen by the Executive Editor
• Supervising the development operations work of the team’s Development/Assistant/Scientific Editor(s) and Editorial Assistant, overseen by the Executive Editor
• 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 degree in science is essential (preferably Chemistry)
• 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

At the RSC, we recognise the benefits of a diverse workforce and welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds to apply. We particularly encourage applications from disabled and ethnic minority candidates.

As a part of the Disability Confident Scheme, we endeavour, where possible, to offer an interview to candidates meeting the essential criteria of the role, who has a substantial physical/mental impairment which impacts their ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.

We are committed to making our recruitment processes accessible to all and as part of this, we are flexible in the ways we give and receive information. If you would like to apply using a different format, please contact the Recruitment Team at jobs@rsc.org or on +44 (0) 1223 432229 and we will do our best to put any reasonable adjustments in place.

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