Editor, BMC Series - Open Access

BioMed Central (BMC) is a large portfolio of peer-reviewed open access journals for Science, Technology and Medicine. The journals span all areas of biology, medicine and health, including broad interest titles such as BMC Biology and BMC Medicine alongside specialist journals, such as Malaria Journal and BMC Infectious Diseases.

Job Duties

The Editor will be responsible for the performance and success of a portfolio of journals within the BMC series. This includes overseeing and developing their content, driving their growth, and optimizing editorial standards and policies. Communication is a key part of this role as excellent and productive relationships with the external editors who manage the peer review process and with internal teams responsible for journal editorial office support, marketing, PR, etc. will need to be built. A proactive approach must be taken to organizing work and a through monitoring the content and performance of the journals in order to identify and implement changes to maximize both. Specific responsibilities include:

Journal Development

• Plan and implement a suitable journal development strategy for each journal in the portfolio, taking into account individual journal performance and development needs, as well as the overall strategy of the BMC series.
• Work with colleagues on related journals published by BioMed Central to build an understanding of the fields and develop a cross-portfolio subject strategy.
• Monitor journal performance to identify areas for improvement and take action as appropriate.
• If required, launch a new journal to fill a gap in the BMC series portfolio: coordinate all aspects of journal set-up and launch, including defining appropriate sections and recruiting Editorial Board Members, as well as implementing the journal development strategy after launch.
• Work with Editorial Board Members to identify and commission appropriate reviews, commentaries, editorially-led thematic series and supplements, and liaise with the appropriate in-house teams to take these forward.
• With the Editorial Board Members, identify need for new sections or the need for sections to be split, as well as any changes needed to the section or journal scopes.

     Peer Review Quality

• Take overall editorial responsibility for journal content of most or all the journals in the portfolio, with decision-making responsibility delegated to Section Editors and Associate Editors.
• Ensure that appropriate editorial standards are upheld by having oversight of submissions and published articles, and regularly auditing content to ensure that the journal scope, BMC series ethos, and BioMed Central policies are maintained. Take ultimate responsibility for investigating issues relating to peer review or publication or research ethics, and resolve in consultation with the relevant Editorial Board Member and senior in-house staff as appropriate. Step in on manuscripts where required. Ensure that the journal appeals process is followed by all editors.
• Ensure that all members of the Editorial Board are fully aware of the ethos and editorial policies of the journal and the BMC series, and have all necessary training and information to perform their roles.
• Develop field-specific policies for each journal in consultation with the Editorial Board Members and senior in-house staff as appropriate.
• Monitor author satisfaction and recommendations, and take action when issues are identified. Respond to pre-and post-publication concerns raised.

     Editorial Board Management 

• Build excellent communications and relationships with Editorial Board Members and authors. Have a specific communication plan for each journal to keep in contact with all the external editors as appropriate. 
• Call Section Editors individually and for conference calls to discuss journal policy, specific content-related issues, editorial board recruitment etc.
• Ensure that the Editorial Board Members are performing well, and that their workloads are appropriate and manageable. Take action where necessary. Work with Section Editors to recruit Associate Editors and new Editorial Board members.
• Host regular Section Editor and Editorial Board Meetings, either in person on via teleconference/WebEx.
• Visit suitable academic institutions as appropriate to meet Editorial Board Members.

     Journal Awareness

• Build journal content by identifying and contacting senior researchers to encourage submissions. Work with Editorial Board Members and related contacts to increase submissions.
• With the marketing team, ensure that the journal has a clear marketing strategy, approve marketing materials and ensure that suitable USPs are available to the marketing team for use in campaigns.
• Develop journal website content and features that are of interest to the community and raise the profile of the journal websites in the online environment.
• Attend conferences to promote the journals and develop a network of contacts within relevant fields.

    Content Showcasing

• Write blogs and participate in social media activities on both journal content and developments in the field to raise the profile of journals and their content to the appropriate audiences.
• Identify content suitable for press release or for highlighting in Biome; work with the PR and Biome teams to promote journal content.
• Identify and write Editors’ picks; select and write image highlights for websites.

Other duties as required.

Job Requirements

• Educated to PhD level (or equivalent) in biomedical field
• An interest in open access publishing
• Scientific editorial/publishing experience (or equivalent)
• Knowledge of editorial process and related matters
• Excellent communication and influencing skills
• Excellent organizational ability
• Excellent time management and prioritization skills, able to balance short-term deadlines with long-term goals
• Highly customer focused
• Analytical/critical appraisal skills
• Able to respond to non-routine circumstances
• Self-starter with a positive, can-do approach to problem-solving
• Ability to complete allocated tasks and work to deadlines
• Ability to work cooperatively with colleagues at all levels; team orientation
• Willing to travel occasionally and represent BioMed Central at external events

If you are an internal candidate please inform your line manager of your application.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

- Medical, Dental and Vision
- Life and AD&D
- 401(k)
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Transit Accounts
- Tuition Assistance
- Summer Hours

Springer Nature is an Equal Opportunity Employer that complies with the laws and regulations set forth in the following EEO Is The Law Poster:

http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf.

Springer Nature is a leading global research, educational and professional publisher, home to an array of respected and trusted brands providing quality content through a range of innovative products and services.

Springer Nature is the world’s largest academic book publisher, publisher of the world’s highest impact journals and a pioneer in the field of open research. The company numbers almost 13,000 staff in over 50 countries and has a turnover of approximately EUR 1.5 billion. Springer Nature was formed in 2015 through the merger of Nature Publishing Group, Palgrave Macmillan, Macmillan Education and Springer Science+Business Media.