Senior Publishing Manager, Nature Masterclasses

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Job Title: Senior Publishing Manager, Nature Masterclasses

Location: London, Hybrid

Fulltime, Permanent

The Senior Publishing Manager will be responsible for the content delivery and strategy of the growing portfolio of Researcher Training Services products (with a special focus on online learning content and other parts of the wider portfolio, as required), supporting the Head of Publishing to achieve ambitious growth targets.

The ideal candidate will be passionate about the effective training of researchers, with excellent content-development, project management, team management and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

Product Strategy

Support the Head of Publishing to develop business strategy, defining and preparing a roadmap for development of training services and new content  Work independently to identify and drive forward specific projects that align with the goals and strategies of the Researcher Training Solutions team  Support the Head of Publishing in developing and delivering on tactical implementation plans to drive forward Researcher Training Solutions goals  Monitor competitors and carry out market intelligence research to gain an understanding of the competitive landscape, and make recommendations to the Head of Publishing on product development in light of this  Offer insight and suggestions to support the Head of Publishing in optimising and streamlining systems and processes within the publishing team to ensure efficiency and rigour  Support the Head of Publishing in identifying opportunities to ensure the growth of the portfolio and new revenue streams. 

Quality & customer satisfaction 

Lead on the development and maintenance of suitable quality standards and ensure these are maintained within course content  Develop an awareness of the various Springer Nature brands and reputation and apply this to content development  Support the Head of Publishing in identifying and driving forward continual improvements to content output to maintain quality and customer satisfaction in keeping with the identity of our prestigious brands  Ensure the training is engaging and continues to meet the diverse and changing needs of today’s researchers and customers Work closely with the Learning Design Manager to ensure that learning objectives are appropriate and meet the needs of the audience and that pedagogical features are high quality  Support the Head of Publishing in setting, identifying, monitoring and reporting on key performance indicators.

People

Line manage the Associate Publishing Manager role and offer insight and suggestions to support the Head of Publishing in making improvements to team structure and cohesion Support the Head of Publishing in representing Training Solutions mission and products within and beyond Research Solutions, including leading and championing change. Ensure key internal stakeholders are consulted and informed of plans where necessary Support the professional development of the Associate Publishing Manager and support the Head of Publishing in ensuring that the team’s skills are aligned with the needs of the researcher training solutions department Where required, support the Head of Publishing with training new staff to the necessary standards Support the development and implementation of diversity, equity, inclusion & accessibility measures for the publishing team’s contribution to the training team portfolio.

Content development

Pro-actively support the Head of Publishing in leading, devising, proposing, piloting, evaluating and implementing new products and innovations, including those which blend live and on-demand training Manage the annual NPD process for new courses, including devising and amending the questions to ensure all the relevant information is acquired Support the Head of Publishing in creating course development budgets; ensure that planned projects are delivered within these budgets Research, identify and propose subject area and coverage for new training courses Identify and commission subject matter experts to develop and review content for new training courses Work closely with subject matter experts to draft, review and refine course outlines Review, edit and provide detailed feedback on drafts of course content and liaise closely with subject matter experts, instructional designers and development editors to resolve queries Ensure that projects are delivered within agreed timelines Manage copy-editing and proofreading of content; define and follow best practice for quality assurance review and lead on rights and permissions Pro-actively identify and pre-empt potential problems with content and provide clearly thought-out suggested solutions, without prompting by senior managers.

Content development

Pro-actively support the Head of Publishing in leading, devising, proposing, piloting, evaluating and implementing new products and innovations, including those which blend live and on-demand training Manage the annual NPD process for new courses, including devising and amending the questions to ensure all the relevant information is acquired Support the Head of Publishing in creating course development budgets; ensure that planned projects are delivered within these budgets Research, identify and propose subject area and coverage for new training courses Identify and commission subject matter experts to develop and review content for new training courses Work closely with subject matter experts to draft, review and refine course outlines Review, edit and provide detailed feedback on drafts of course content and liaise closely with subject matter experts, instructional designers and development editors to resolve queries Ensure that projects are delivered within agreed timelines Manage copy-editing and proofreading of content; define and follow best practice for quality assurance review and lead on rights and permissions Pro-actively identify and pre-empt potential problems with content and provide clearly thought-out suggested solutions, without prompting by senior managers.

Sales & marketing

Pro-actively build relationships with key colleagues in sales and marketing teams Work with marketing team to create promotional product collateral Deliver information and training to Sales and Sales Ops teams on new product developments  Act as point of first reference for all content-related enquiries, including contact with clients as and when required.

Experience

Essential:

Some experience of line management  Experience commissioning freelancers (. SMEs, proofreaders) Experience working within higher education, scientific research, scientific or educational/academic publishing, science communication and/or educational/training product development Strong project management experience: running projects, controlling costs and hitting deadlines Some prior experience in publishing and product development  Experience at Publishing Manager level (or equivalent) in STM publishing or science communication.

Desirable:

Significant experience in publishing and product development  Significant experience in, or demonstrable understanding, of education and training techniques, the online learning landscape and instructional design for eLearning. 

Skills

Essential:

The confidence to deliver clear presentations and to lead meetings with peers Excellent written and verbal communication skills  Strong analytical and problem-solving skills  Sound commercial instincts A passion for excellence in scientific research  A passion for editorial excellence and superb attention to detail  Ability to work to tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment. 

Desirable:

A good understanding of the Springer Nature Brands  The confidence and ability to lead projects, influence stakeholders and chair meetings comprising colleagues at all levels  Numeracy and comfort creating and working with usage data analyses  Credibility with regard to researcher training and editorial teams  Significant experience in, or demonstrable understanding of, the research environment and the needs of researchers and institutions as key customers  Thorough understanding of the scientific process as it pertains to STM publishing  An understanding of the language needs of non-native English speakers

Qualifications

Essential:

Good graduate degree in the sciences or equivalent experience in publishing 

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