Executive Editor, Journals
| Posting date: | 25 April 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £60,000 per year |
| Additional salary information: | Plus benefits |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 08 May 2025 |
| Location: | Cambridge, Cambridgeshire |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 5 days per week |
| Company: | Royal Society of Chemistry |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 2025-3669 |
Summary
The Royal Society of Chemistry has an exciting opportunity to join our Publishing team as an Executive Editor, Journals on a full-time basis.
About the RSC
The Royal Society of Chemistry publishes over 50 world-leading journals that span the core chemical sciences and related fields. Known for rigorous, fair peer review and fast publication times, our journals publish the best science, from original research articles to authoritative reviews. As a not-for-profit publisher, we reinvest surplus funds back into the global scientific community, supporting our mission to help the chemical science community make the world a better place.
The role:
This Executive Editor role will lead our Chemical Science team, devoted to our flagship journal. Compared to many other STM Executive Editor positions, this role at the RSC is at a senior level within the Journals department and has significant responsibilities. The successful candidate will lead a team of 9 individuals (managing 3 direct reports) and will be responsible for setting the journal’s strategy, in consultation with the Publisher and Head of Open Access Journals, as well as delivering that strategy.
As an Executive Editor you will be a highly motivated publishing professional with strong strategic acumen and excellent communication and interpersonal skills. You will also have a high level of external contact with the relevant research communities and will use this market information to develop strategic priorities.
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 once per month. If you need flexible working arrangements, please outline this in your application.
What we are looking for:
Essential:
- Significant experience in STM journal publishing, including commissioning; an excellent understanding of the peer review process, editorial policy and marketing.
- A good honours degree in science (chemical sciences normally preferred).
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Strong influencing and negotiating skills.
- Proven ability to lead and motivate a team.
- Good organisational and time-management skills are required together with the ability to work under pressure and to meet deadlines.
- Willingness to travel extensively nationally and internationally.
- Up-to-date knowledge of and passion for the chemical sciences.
- Enthusiasm for open access and open science.
Desirable:
- Previous experience with Editorial Boards.
- Contacts with the relevant communities.
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, as a cover letter (in no more than 500 words), tell us about your relevant knowledge, skills and competencies and why you are applying for this role.
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
About the RSC
The Royal Society of Chemistry publishes over 50 world-leading journals that span the core chemical sciences and related fields. Known for rigorous, fair peer review and fast publication times, our journals publish the best science, from original research articles to authoritative reviews. As a not-for-profit publisher, we reinvest surplus funds back into the global scientific community, supporting our mission to help the chemical science community make the world a better place.
The role:
This Executive Editor role will lead our Chemical Science team, devoted to our flagship journal. Compared to many other STM Executive Editor positions, this role at the RSC is at a senior level within the Journals department and has significant responsibilities. The successful candidate will lead a team of 9 individuals (managing 3 direct reports) and will be responsible for setting the journal’s strategy, in consultation with the Publisher and Head of Open Access Journals, as well as delivering that strategy.
As an Executive Editor you will be a highly motivated publishing professional with strong strategic acumen and excellent communication and interpersonal skills. You will also have a high level of external contact with the relevant research communities and will use this market information to develop strategic priorities.
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 once per month. If you need flexible working arrangements, please outline this in your application.
What we are looking for:
Essential:
- Significant experience in STM journal publishing, including commissioning; an excellent understanding of the peer review process, editorial policy and marketing.
- A good honours degree in science (chemical sciences normally preferred).
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Strong influencing and negotiating skills.
- Proven ability to lead and motivate a team.
- Good organisational and time-management skills are required together with the ability to work under pressure and to meet deadlines.
- Willingness to travel extensively nationally and internationally.
- Up-to-date knowledge of and passion for the chemical sciences.
- Enthusiasm for open access and open science.
Desirable:
- Previous experience with Editorial Boards.
- Contacts with the relevant communities.
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, as a cover letter (in no more than 500 words), tell us about your relevant knowledge, skills and competencies and why you are applying for this role.
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
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.