Job Description

You'll collaborate with cross-functional teams to support the editorial process for the scientific research community. You will correspond with authors, referees, editors and production colleagues throughout the manuscript peer review process to ensure the efficient processing of manuscripts from receipt to publication. You will take ownership of copyright permissions and royalty payments and keep our internal databases and records accurate and up-to-date, as well as generate reports to enable editors to manage the reviewing and decision process effectively.

Responsibilities

• Assist in all manuscript administration, from receipt through to decision
• Secure timely reviews by monitoring the reviewing schedule for all manuscripts and carrying out intensive daily chasing of referees to maintain the journal’s reputation for fast and efficient peer review
• Liaise between authors, reviewers and editors to ensure that manuscripts are processed in a timely and efficient manner
• Carry out pre-acceptance checks on manuscripts in a timely manner to ensure that all manuscript files are production-ready and that the accepted manuscript pipeline is maintained
• Provide all necessary administrative support to editors to ensure a fast and efficient manuscript peer review process
• Co-ordinate administrative support in order to anticipate and manage journal absences
• Order office supplies for team
• Book travel for editors and process editor expenses as needed.
• Send complimentary copies of journals to authors for the special issues
• Seek and obtain copyright permissions from other journals for the usage of figures in the front matter of the journal
• Compile complimentary subscription orders for the front matter of the journal and communicate them to the subscriptions team
• Prepare and update material required for weekly editorial meetings (manuscript status sheets, lists of commissioned articles, information on accepted articles) and distribute to editorial team
• Maintain records of journal pages per issue, number and type of articles published, submission/acceptance dates for published articles
• Maintain permission records
• Maintain records of suggested transfers from Current Biology to other Cell Press journals
• Flag manuscripts with appropriate tags in manuscript tracking system (e.g. with respect to prior manuscript history)
• Provide coverage for absences of Senior Administrator on various production tasks: logging of front matter articles into the production tracking system; uploading of Word and figure files for front matter articles to out-of-house production team for typesetting of front matter articles; downloading of typeset front matter files sent by out-of-house production team
• Assist Senior Editorial and Features Administrator with picture searches for the feature articles if required

Benefits

• Working flexible hours - flexing the times when you work in the day to help you fit everything in and work when you are the most productive
• Generous holiday allowance with the option to buy additional days
• Health screening, eye care vouchers and private medical benefits
• Wellbeing programs
• Life assurance
• Access to a competitive contributory pension scheme
• Long service awards
• Save As You Earn share option scheme
• Travel Season ticket loan
• Maternity, paternity and shared parental leave
• Access to emergency care for both the elderly and children
• Access to employee resource groups with dedicated time to volunteer
• Access to extensive learning and development resources

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• BA/BS relevant degree required
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite: Outlook, Word, Excel, and other databases
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Able to organize and priorities work, with excellent time management skills and ability to work to tight deadlines, accounting for time-zone related constraints
• Strong customer service skills
• Tact and diplomacy
• Excellent attention to detail
• Strong problem-solving techniques and ability to work as a member of a team as well as individually