Associate Director of Publishing - Journals

Redwood is very excited to be exclusively partnering with a prestigious London-based Society publisher in the medical sciences field, to recruit their next Associate Director of Publishing. This is a fabulous opportunity for a highly experienced journal publishing professional to shape the future direction of a growing, high-quality journal portfolio. As Associate Director of Publishing, you will be responsible for the strategic leadership, management and development of the Society’s publishing portfolio, developing and articulating the publishing strategy, identifying opportunities for innovation and expansion, and overseeing successful delivery of the publishing programme, working closely with the Society’s publishing partners, Editors-in-Chief, Editorial Boards and the wider research community.

Acting as the Society’s ambassador for its journals, you will build and nurture influential relationships with key stakeholders internally and externally, enhancing the visibility, reputation and influence of the journals. You will lead and develop a publishing team, own the budget and ensure the portfolio continues to grow in quality, reach and financial sustainability. This role offers hybrid working with 2 days in the London office weekly.

Key Responsibilities of the role will include, but are not limited to:

• Leading the editorial growth strategy for the journal portfolio, delivering content quality and growth, while meeting agreed financial targets for each journal.
• Advising on and updating the Society’s publishing policies, considering new developments, including the use of Artificial Intelligence.
• Benchmarking journal features, coverage and service levels against other biomedical publications.
• Collaborating with key stakeholders, including the Chair of Publications Committee, publishing partners and Editors-in-Chief to develop new journal strategies, and launch new titles, including product development and monitoring profitability.
• Establishing and reporting on annual performance targets, including submissions, decisions, transfers and turnaround times.
• Working with the Publisher to design and deliver a strategic plan for journal permissions.
• Engaging with the research community to track disciplinary trends, competitor activity and international research funding trends.
• Managing relationships and service level agreements with publishing partners, and collaborating closely with each Editor-in-Chief, and senior editorial management.
• Holding responsibility for the annual publishing department budget.
• Leading and managing the publishing team.

Skills and Experience

You will be educated to degree level or equivalent, preferably in a bio-medical subject, as this role will involve managing key relationships with high-profile science professionals and editorial boards, as well as being an ambassador for the Society. You will have a thorough understanding of the needs of editors, authors and referees as key customers, and demonstrable experience of leading a team within a scientific/academic publishing environment. Excellent stakeholder management and strong people skills are a must for this role, as is substantial experience of scientific journal development, management and publishing processes, from new title launches to improving financial performance. You should possess strong analytical and financial acumen, with sound commercial judgement, and proven experience translating market opportunities into profitable business models.

This role carries an excellent salary, along with very substantial company benefits.

If you are ready for the next step in scientific journals publishing, we would love to hear from you.

For further details, please send your CV with a short cover letter for a confidential chat.