Publishing Assistant (12-month fixed-term)

Publishing Assistant (12-month fixed-term)

Job title: Publishing Assistant (12-month fixed-term contract)

Reports to: Head of Product Development

Application closing date: 18 May 2025

Please note we reserve the right to close this vacancy subject to a high volume of suitable applications.

About Us
The British Ecological Society (BES) was the first ecology society to be established anywhere in the world. We are now one of the biggest scientific societies for ecologists, with a membership of over 7,000 across 125 countries. We foster the study of ecology and support the ecology community at all stages of their careers through our journals, meetings, grants, and education and policy work. Our vision is for nature and people to thrive in a world inspired by ecology.

About You
We are seeking an enthusiastic and self-motivated individual to join our friendly publishing team at the British Ecological Society (BES) and support the team in the general running of the BES’ portfolio of ecology journals. You’ll be looking to build a career in scientific publishing and be eager to learn from a team of internal colleagues and external academic editors. You’ll enjoy staying on top of a range of tasks and be great at working independently and as part of a busy team. You’ll have excellent attention to detail and be effective, friendly, and customer-oriented in your email communications. The successful candidate will become part of a team seeking to excite and inspire our various audiences in ecology at a time when our science has never been more relevant for society.

About The Role
Working across the BES journal portfolio, the Publishing Assistant will:

• Check in new submissions of scientific papers to ensure that manuscripts are complete and authors have adhered to journal policies before passing manuscripts on to Editors for content evaluation.
• In collaboration with the editorial team, monitor progress on manuscripts in the submission system to identify and help resolve potential bottlenecks in peer review.
• Assist in managing the journal inboxes, dealing with straightforward manuscript-related messages from authors, reviewers and external editors.
• Ensure that accurate records are maintained in the submission system on the processing of all manuscripts.
• Carry out post-acceptance checks on manuscripts and liaise with production team when requested, particularly during periods of annual leave for editorial office colleagues.
• Assist in regular performance statistics reporting across the journal portfolio.
• The post holder will also have some opportunity to learn about other aspects of editorial office management, including journal development and marketing and support promotion of articles via social media accounts and press releases.

Requirements
Essential

• Good attention to detail
• Ability to organise time and prioritise tasks effectively
• Adaptable, with good interpersonal skills
• Ability to communicate information clearly both face-to-face and in writing
• Capacity to work both independently and within a team
• Experience with MS office products and, ideally, content management systems and databases
• Understanding of, and familiarity with, social media and other digital publishing tools
• Education to degree level (or equivalent)
• An interest in a career in STM journals publishing

Desirable

• An interest in ecological science
• A degree in a relevant subject area

Applicants must have the right to live and work in the UK. Successful applicants will need to provide evidence that they have the right to live and work in the UK. The BES is unable to provide visa sponsorship and unable to hire anyone living outside the UK.

To apply
Please follow the link below to apply for this role, providing your CV and a short covering letter, along with answering the question on your interest in this career route. We would also value your time in completing a short EDI survey following your application. This survey is anonymous and plays no bearing in your application, but helps our work in making sure our recruitment is inclusive and diverse.

Benefits

• 4-day week: The BES offer a voluntary, opt-in 4-day working week model for all full time staff. Staff who opt-in may work 32 hours over 4 or 4.5 days at no loss of salary.
• Leave: Employees receive 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 each year to a maximum of 30 days, plus additional leave between Christmas and New Years.
• Pension: The BES contributes the equivalent of 8% of your annual salary into a sustainable pension fund. You are welcome to top this up at with your salary at your own discretion.
• Well-being: The Society runs monthly well-being activities, including social trips, creative courses and sustainable gifts.

Hybrid Working
BES staff are based at least 3 days per week at our office near Old Street in London. We endeavour to make our new custom-designed office a relaxed environment, with a casual dress-code, free coffee, fresh fruit, pastries and toast, and regular social activities. The office adjoins a beautiful canal where you can watch the local wildlife (currently many varieties of nesting birds!). We have dedicated break-out working space, and a dedicated private well-being room.

Seniority level: Entry level

Employment type: Contract

Job function: Marketing, Public Relations, and Writing/Editing

Industries: Non-profit Organizations