Associate Director, Publishing

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States, +9 more locations.

📋 Description

• Provide strategic leadership for the PLOS journal portfolio, ensuring that portfolio priorities, publishing investments, and journal development strategies are aligned with organizational objectives and the mission of PLOS.

• Lead and nurture a team of Publishers accountable for the performance and strategic progression of the journal portfolio.

• Act as the primary steward overseeing portfolio-wide publishing performance.

• Translate organizational strategies into clear priorities while ensuring effective coordination throughout the organization.

• Utilize publishing data, financial insights, market intelligence, and insights from the research community to inform strategic decisions, establish priorities, identify opportunities for growth and innovation, and manage risks.

• Mentor, develop, and support senior publishing professionals.

• Set goals, priorities, and accountability measures that are in line with both organizational and portfolio strategies.

• Provide coaching, professional development, succession planning, and performance management for team members.

• Formulate and execute a comprehensive portfolio-wide publishing strategy.

• Conduct portfolio reviews and provide recommendations regarding journal positioning, growth prospects, performance, and future directions.

• Assess and develop new journals, products, services, and publishing models.

• Oversee publishing budgets and forecasts, resource allocation, and business planning activities.

• Act on behalf of the Director, Publishing & Publishing Operations when necessary.

• Foster partnerships across Editorial, Publishing Operations, Sales & Global Publishing Development, Product, Technology, Marketing, Finance, Research Integrity, and other departments.

• Maintain relationships with Editors-in-Chief, Editorial Board members, researchers, institutions, societies, and partner organizations.

• Collaborate with Marketing and Communications to enhance journal positioning, audience engagement, portfolio visibility, and demand generation.

• Drive organizational change, promote cross-functional collaboration, and ensure alignment and accountability.

⛳️ Requirements

• A bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.

• A business problem solver who operates with curiosity to identify the core of business challenges, ensuring solutions align with PLOS’s strategy and mission.

• Significant experience in launching Open Access journals from initial proposal through to publication.

• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including experience with budgeting, forecasting, business planning, and P&L ownership.

• Extensive experience in STM publishing with progressively increasing responsibilities.

• Experience in managing senior publishing professionals or comparable portfolio leaders.

• Proven track record of developing and implementing strategic plans that yield measurable business and operational results.

• A strong history of leading and developing high-performing, geographically distributed teams.

• Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and stakeholder management skills across diverse cultures, disciplines, and organizational functions.

• A commitment to open access and transforming scholarly communication, with a genuine interest in engaging productively with the scientific community.

• Some national and international travel may be necessary.

• Flexibility to work across time zones may be required.

🏝️ Benefits

• 401k with employer match.

• Employee-sponsored health, dental, and vision insurance (with 100% employer coverage for dental and vision).

• Paid vacation, 11 public holidays, and sick leave.

• Parental leave.

• Birthday and three winter holiday days off.

• Short-term and long-term disability insurance.

• Two days of paid time off for volunteering each year.

• Fully remote work environment with a stipend upon joining for home office setup.

• Private medical insurance.

• Life assurance.

• Income protection.

• Personal accident insurance.

• Pension plan with up to 10% employer match.

• 25 days of holiday, along with market-competitive maternity and paternity leave.

• Birthday and three winter holiday days off.

• Two days of paid time off for volunteering each year.

• Fully remote work environment with a stipend upon joining for home office setup.