Commissioning Editor

Job Scope:
The primary objectives of The Royal Society’s publishing operation are to disseminate high-quality science, to make a positive contribution to the reputation of the Society and to generate a surplus to be used by the Society for the good of science.

The Commissioning Editor is responsible for the overall publishing performance of _Philosophical Transactions A_. This includes contributing to increased profits through the successful implementation of editorial and publishing strategies and delivering the very best academic content with a commitment to ensuring the highest academic standards are met. They are responsible for commissioning high-quality, high-impact content, so that the journal remains a market leader in its field.

The main responsibilities are commissioning content, editorial development and administration of pre
- and post-acceptance of content.

Reports to: Senior Commissioning Editor

Line manages: N/A

Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week

Location: Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AG plus hybrid remote working

Pay Band: D

Salary: £42,477

Contract: Permanent

**Interviews will be held on 15 and 16 January 2025.**

**Please note that we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.**

**Responsibilities**:

- Taking the lead on all publishing aspects of _Philosophical Transactions A_. Responsibility for achieving strategic objectives through agreed tactics. The Commissioning Editor reports to the Senior Commissioning Editor and works with an extended team including members of Production, Sales, Marketing, Design, Finance, and Press.
- Commissioning sufficient content and administration of pre
- and post-acceptance of content to ensure a sufficient and steady flow of high-quality material to Production. Alerting the Senior Commissioning Editor and Head of Editorial & Production to issues with content delivery.
- Liaising with Production to ensure content is delivered in a timely way and published to a high standard
- Taking a proactive approach to the editorial development of _Philosophical Transactions A_ to ensure that it is a leader in its field. This will include:

- Working with the Senior Commissioning Editor, Academic Editors, Editorial Boards, and key Royal Society colleagues to develop a strategic plan for the journal by identifying the publishing needs/trends in the scientific community;
- Development of plans and implementation of agreed tactics to achieve these strategic aims, including coverage of key topics and author marketing initiatives to achieve targets in relation to the publication of high-quality peer-reviewed content;
- Liaison with Marketing staff to ensure: the correct marketing strategy to achieve our editorial and financial objectives; that the marketing messages reflect the status and editorial authority of the journals. Marketing will offer support for author marketing. Beyond this, the Commissioning Editor will carry out a range of marketing initiatives.
- Being the ‘face of the journal’ with top authors and ensuring they publish with us.
- Ensuring high impact and visibility in order that the journal can achieve market-leading positions for subscribers, readers and authors. Exploit opportunities offered by online and interactive publication.
- Ensuring all aspects of the journal run smoothly and in particular that the highest level of author care is met, from initial targeting, to submission, peer-review and follow up.
- Travelling to conferences, seminars and academic departments in the UK and internationally.
- Effective management of costs within agreed budgets.
- Acting as secretary to the Editorial Board which includes arranging Board Meetings, timely circulation of Board Papers, writing minutes and ensuring that action points are executed.
- Circulating and highlighting summaries of newsworthy articles to the Society’s press office.
- Contributing to the on-going financial and editorial development of the Publishing Section as a whole by, for example, making suggestions for improvements to processes, identifying opportunities to launch new products and services.
- Liaising with Sales so they can grow revenues from subscriptions and other streams. Assisting the sales staff in exploiting opportunities for increased sales and renewals.
- The Commissioning Editor may take on specific additional responsibilities (e.g. responsibility for permissions, acting as Secretary to the Publishing Board, etc) as determined by the Head of Editorial & Production.
- Project work as is necessary from time-to-time and any other relevant duties as required.
- Providing appropriate cover for other members of the Editorial team in periods of absence as required.

Key Knowledge and Skills Required:

- Essential
- Excellent, up-to-date product and market knowledge. Thorough understanding of the publishing needs of the research scientist, both in traditional, peer reviewed STM journals and through other means (e.g. social media).
- Essential
- Commissioning expe