Managing Editor

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is the world’s largest scientific membership association, with a mission to “advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people”.

ACS Publications is a Division of the ACS and has all the characteristics of a medium-large scientific and technical publishing organization. It is one of two Divisions charged with serving the dual function of generating a reliable annual surplus to support the Society’s programmatic activities, while also fulfilling a core goal of the Society in advancing knowledge in the field of chemistry and the chemical enterprise. The Division publishes 85+ high-quality peer-reviewed journals covering the breadth of chemistry and allied fields, as well as numerous other high-quality products and services of benefit to the global community.

The Publishing Group consists of six main teams: Business Intelligence & Analytics, Chemical & Engineering News, Global Editorial Operations, Global Editorial Strategy, Global Production Operations, and Strategic Partnerships, China. These teams collaborate to optimize the editorial direction and production of our journals, and to ensure that our authors and reviewers have a positive publishing experience. In support of that mission, the Global Editorial Strategy team focuses on the effective operations and strategic development of the suite of ACS Publications’ journals, both hybrid and open access titles. This team delivers new products on an annual and ongoing basis based on an assessment of the existing portfolio relative to the research landscape. The Global Editorial Strategy team also provides strategic guidance to ACS Editors-in-Chief to maximize the impact and success of the journals and is central to ensuring the Editors and editorial direction of the journals optimally serve the mission of the ACS.

Job Description

The Assistant Managing Editor is responsible for the day-to-day management of a portfolio of three organic/inorganic portfolio journals. They will work with ACS staff and Editors to develop and implement publishing strategies and editorial initiatives to sustain and enhance the journals’ standing within the global chemistry community to ensure their continued growth and success. They will ensure that the publications are produced on time, on budget, and with appropriate levels of quality. The Assistant Managing Editor will collaborate with the Editors in planning, recruiting, and editing commissioned content, and monitor progress of the journal against competitors. They will work with ACS staff from Global Production Operations; Global Editorial Operations; Digital Strategy and Publishing Platforms; and Marketing and Sales to implement strategic initiatives for the journal. The Assistant Managing Editor will represent the journal(s) within the scientific community through laboratory visits and conferences, both domestic and international.

The incumbent reports to an Associate Publisher, Global Editorial Strategy (based in USA).

Responsibilities:

• Define and drive strategic growth of a segment of journals in the organic/inorganic chemistry journal portfolio through development and management of editorial initiatives; monitor competitor journals and industry developments, and report on issues/trends to Editors and ACS staff at regular intervals, including during annual Editors’ and Editorial Advisory Board Meetings; develop and implement near and long-term strategic plans and priorities.
• Identify, implement, and promote strategies for the assigned journals to grow authorship, personalize outreach to key communities, establish the role of the journals within the organic/inorganic chemistry portfolio, and monitor emerging trends to identify new opportunities for collaboration among sister and related journals.
• Identify, build relationships with, and recruit new authors and research communities for the assigned journals to commission high quality content, including reviews, research articles, invited content, front matter, and special issues. Collaborate with the Editors, ACS Publications staff, and other stakeholders to identify new and emerging areas of content for the journal, and solicit and track submissions in these areas.
• Effectively represent the journals in correspondence and at outreach events, site visits, strategic scientific conferences, and exhibits to acquire and maintain a deep understanding of the needs and trends within the communities served by the journals and publications portfolio.
• Collaborate with the Editors-in-Chief to identify and recruit new Associate Editors and Editorial Advisory Board members for the journals.
• Using established best practices, monitor journal and competitor statistics, prepare data reports for internal and external reporting, and draft monitoring reports under guidance of ACS Publications staff.
• Coordinate with other departments (Global Production Operations; Global Editorial Operations; Business Intelligence & Analytics; Marketing; Digital Strategy and Publishing Platforms; and Sales amongst others) to ensure efficiency, timeliness, and overall high quality of the published product and to move forward strategic initiatives.
• Assist ACS Publication staff with developing and implementing features, products, and services for journals and supporting the overall portfolio as necessary.

Required Skills:

• Ph.D. in Chemistry with a focus on in catalysis, inorganic chemistry, or related fields [Experienced candidates who meet the remaining job qualifications and have submitted their Ph.D. thesis are considered eligible to apply].
• Excellent written and verbal communication abilities with both technical and nontechnical audiences is required.
• Dynamic and proactive self-starter with strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to make well-reasoned strategic decisions based on information available.
• Strong relationship building capabilities.
• Ability to influence diverse stakeholders and communities.
• Ability to relate successfully to a variety of people externally and internally and form effective working relationships with other members of staff, authors, reviewers, and editors, to influence diverse stakeholders and communities, contributing to and collaborating with cross-functional teams.
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills are required, together with the ability to multitask and work in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities, ability to manage one’s own workload, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines, balancing both long term goals/projects and day-to-day deliverables.
• Fluency in English with good verbal and written communication skills (good use of language, grammar, and syntax).

Required Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant training and experience in an academic or industrial setting required. Experience in STM publishing, trends in publishing, funding/publishing policy, and publication ethics is required to be considered for the Assistant Managing Editor position.
• Experience in using computer software, including word processing, spreadsheets for data analysis, and slide preparation for presentations with the acumen to quickly learn and apply additional computer-assisted tools.

Travel Expectations:

• Some travel (up to 15%) within country. Occasional international travel may be required with advanced notice.