Career Opportunities: Chief Editor, BMC Biology (16842)

"This is an exceptional opportunity for a dynamic, forward-thinking editor to take a flagship open access journal to the next level of success through innovation and strategic journal development.  

BMC Biology is a flagship journal of BioMed Central, and has a mission to publish influential research across all areas of biology. The journal is ranked 3rd among research journals in the Biology category of the Journal Citation Index (JCI) and has an international editorial board of leading scientists. BMC Biology has a track record in innovation in editorial policy and in publishing commissioned content designed to stimulate discussion and debate.  

The Chief Editor will further develop the journal to become a cutting edge forum for publishing research and commentary across the biological sciences. As well as developing the scientific content of the journal, a key aim will be to identify and act rapidly on new opportunities to respond to the evolving needs of the biology community.  

The position is a full-time salaried role based at our office in either New York or London.  

Responsibilities

• Work with the Executive Editor to drive the strategy for BMC Biology in an evolving research and publishing landscape, to attract top-quality authors and content, and to develop the journal’s reputation as an outstanding forum in the field.
• Drive change on the journal to ensure that new opportunities are identified and rapidly acted on.
• Proactively engage with the scientific community as an ambassador for the journal and the company at academic institutions and conferences, and through social media and other communication channels.
• Lead the in-house team of manuscript handling editors, ensuring that they achieve the right balance of time between efficient service to authors and outreach in the community, to attract the best authors and high-quality content.
• Overall responsibility for all aspects of manuscript selection, including peer review, commissioning, and creating editorial material, with final say on decisions to accept or reject material and accountability for published content.
• Foster excellent service to authors, including courteous, constructive decisions and an intelligent and efficient peer review process.
• Implement policies that assure the integrity of the scientific record.
• Use your knowledge of the subject and your personal network to understand developments in biology in order to identify editorial opportunities and inform journal strategy.
• Work with other departments and in-house systems and processes to ensure that the journal is published and promoted efficiently and effectively.
• Ensure that goals for editorial targets, team cost budgets, and other key indicators of performance are met or improved on.
• Other duties as required by manager."