Editorial Assistant

Location

Bristol

Salary and benefits

Competitive and excellent benefits

Job advert description

Editorial Assistant x 3 (1 x 12 months FTC and 2 x permanent)

Job purpose

The Editorial Assistant will provide high-quality and timely service and support for authors, reviewers and in-house Publishing and production staff as articles are driven through the publication process. The job holder will also ensure all our data is of the highest quality and up-to-date at all times.

The Editorial Assistant role is intrinsic to all peer review outcomes and is integrated within the peer review team. Excellent author/reviewer service contributes to the attraction and retention of top authors and this is critical to the future success of IOP’s journal business. As the primary point of contact for authors and reviewers, the Editorial Assistant is in the front line in terms of delivering this service.

Through the administration of one or more journal titles, the Editorial Assistant drives articles through the publication process from receipt to publication.

Editorial Assistants work as part of a team under the supervision of Editors and provide cover at busy times/in the case of absence so that group priorities are met and workloads are managed in the most effective way. Following best practice and procedures is key to this role.

Editorial Assistants are aligned to a portfolio of journals and support in-house Publishing and production staff, as well as maintaining good quality data which is held on our systems.

Key job accountabilities include

• Processing new submissions into the peer review system and providing final checks on accepted content before passing to Production.
• Provides high-quality service to authors and reviewers..
• Follows agreed best-practice procedures to ensure timely and efficient movement of articles through the publication process; minimizes receipt-to-first-decision and acceptance-to-publication times.
• Provides cover within the team as instructed by the Editor/Managing Editor.
• Keeps team informed of any problems which may arise with our systems or issues which will affect the team.
• Ensure a 24-hour response time to customer queries.

About you

Successful applicants should demonstrate the following:

• Computer literate in Microsoft Word, Excel, e-mail; with ability to learn new computer skills.
• Excellent communications skills (both written and verbal).
• Excellent organizational, time and task management skills; methodical in approach.
• Good attention to detail.
• Ability to work collaboratively across the organisation – within Publishing, authors, reviewers, and other departments.
• A well motivated person who can work alone and also as part of a team.
• Prioritisation of own workload on a daily basis to ensure team targets are met.
• Flexible approach to working on a number of titles assigned to the team as directed to achieve Publishing objectives.
• The role is process driven and therefore consistency and attention to detail is key to effective performance in the role, which in turn is vital to the success of IOP’s journals Publishing Department.
• Knowing when to escalate customer queries to Editors.
• Ability to draft appropriate correspondence to customers of all levels.
• Good general education, ideally degree or equivalent.

About the benefits

In addition to a competitive salary, we offer employees a comprehensive benefits package including an excellent pension scheme, discretionary annual bonus scheme, private medical insurance, life assurance and generous annual leave, and a range of flexible benefits including cycle to work and gym membership.

Our modern and contemporary offices are based in the thriving city centre of Bristol, a stone’s throw away from Temple Meads train station, and within walking distance of Cabot Circus shopping centre, and numerous cafés and restaurants. Named on more than one occasion as the best city in the UK to live in, Bristol is a cosmopolitan and creative city boasting a historic harbour, internationally renowned cultural institutions and home to world-class festivals and events.

This role is based at our Bristol office. Blended and flexible working will be considered with regular office attendance informed by business needs and subject to the local COVID-19 situation.

To apply

To apply, please submit your CV and a covering letter through our careers site highlighting your previous experience and how it applies to the role, and why you are interested in this opportunity and IOP Publishing.

About us

IOP Publishing is an international scientific publisher, through which leading-edge research is distributed worldwide. Our rapidly expanding journals programme is published alongside other sources of scientific information in the form of ebooks, magazines and conference proceedings. Other publications include easily accessible community and regional websites. We are a world leader in the development of electronic publishing for the scientific community and have offices in Europe, Asia and the US. Working in the interests of science and scientists, we aim to maximise the impact of the research we publish.

IOP Publishing is central to the Institute of Physics, a not-for-profit society. Any financial surplus earned by IOP Publishing goes to supporting science through the activities of the Institute. With a continuing focus on growth, we recognise that every single person has a real part to play if we’re to achieve our aim of becoming the world’s leading publisher in our field.

We are seeking a diverse range of candidates and particularly welcome applicants from under-represented backgrounds.