Assistant product manager jobs in Bristol

The essentials …

• Permanent, full-time (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
• £27,000 per year
• Hybrid working with 2 days a week in our Bath office

The Geological Society Publishing House has an exciting opportunity within our publishing team to provide wide-ranging administrative support for editorial development team activities and project work. Utilise Editorial Manager and online content platform systems to support provision of guidelines for contributors and setting up of new titles and collections.

Who are we?

Founded in 1807, we are the oldest geological society in the world. Today, we are a world-leading communicator of Earth science – through publishing, library and information services, cutting-edge scientific conferences, education activities and outreach to the general public. We also provide impartial scientific information and evidence to support policy-making and public debate about the challenges facing humanity.

We have a membership (Fellowship) of c. 12,000, more than 2,000 of whom are based outside the UK. Approximately 3,000 are Chartered Geologists or Chartered Scientists - professionals who have demonstrated a high level of technical competence in their field and a commitment to professional ethics.

We have been a major publisher within the community since 1811. An independent and international publisher, we are dedicated to providing a high-quality service to geoscientists globally and any surplus is invested to support our discipline. We publish a diverse range of books and journals on the Lyell Collection, with over 10,000 pages of new peer-reviewed geoscience literature being made available every year.

Overall responsibilities / requirements … 

Editorial development:

Wide-ranging support for staff and activities, to include:

• Support for commissioning processes, to include:
  • Research and data collection
  • Profiling online sources such as conference schedules, departmental websites …
  • Identifying and collecting contact details for potential leads
  • Use of bibliographic databases such as Dimensions (for data collection)
  • Reporting (data collection and compilation): annual reports, reports for partners, read and publish usage, Top Reviewers, and others
• Support for meetings of Editorial Boards and Publication and Information Committee: coordinating meeting dates, compiling meeting papers and resources, recording meeting minutes
• Gathering feedback from external collaborators, including administration of editor surveys
• Proposal review process for new books and thematic collections: researching and inviting reviewers and collating comments from reviewers and editors

Editorial projects and resources:

• Coordinating the process for contracting new book volumes, in collaboration with Books Commissioning Editor
• Setting up new book volumes and journal thematic collections via Editorial Manager system and Lyell Collection online platform
• Support the provision of editor training on use of EM, in collaboration with Publishing Coordinators and Journal Development Editor / Commissioning Editor
• Support maintenance of online guidelines for editorial contributors via Publishing Support Hub, in collaboration with Pub Hub Advisory Group
• Ad hoc support for copyright permissions process, including liaising with authors towards clearing figure and personal communications, as required
• Market research and data collection for editorial projects. Examples may include AI for publishing, research integrity, tenders and proposals, new partnerships (books)

General:

• Support for Editor and Authors newsletters – coordinating schedule and content, liaising with editorial and marketing colleagues
• Any other tasks that can be reasonably requested

What we’re looking for …

• Educated to A-level or degree level
• Good IT proficiency (particularly spreadsheets) and full familiarity with the normal range of office software
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Excellent administrative, organisational and time management skills
• Some general knowledge of, and interest in, the publishing process would be helpful

The duties and responsibilities highlighted in this Job Description are indicative and may vary over time. As required, post holders are expected to undertake other duties and responsibilities relevant to the nature, level and scope of the post.

A bit about us …

The Geological Society is a registered charity and employs just under 60 staff at its offices in London and Bath. The Society Publishing House is based in Bath, from where we provide a full publishing service to an international geoscience community across a portfolio of books, journals, and associated products.

As an employee conscious company, we invest in our staff by emphasising training, growth and progression in every role. We firmly believe in creating a positive workplace wellbeing culture and offer a range of benefits to our staff including:

• 25 days basic holiday entitlement, increasing up to 30 days with continued service (pro-rated for part-time staff)
• Option to purchase up to 2 days extra holiday days per year
• Contributary pension scheme with 10% employer contribution
• Access to 24/7 online GP with mental health & wellbeing counselling
• Free premium Headspace account for you and 2 members of friends/family
• Discounts and recognitions scheme
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Season Ticket Loan scheme
• Life Assurance and Income Protection schemes
• Free access to Royal Academy exhibitions
• Free Geological Society Fellow membership for qualified staff

The Society is committed to fostering an inclusive culture that promotes equality, values diversity and maintains a harmonious inclusive environment in which the rights and dignity of all its members visitors and staff are respected. We are an equal opportunities employer and the post-holder will be expected to adhere to and support the Society’s commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion.

How to apply …

To apply for this position, please click the 'Apply' button to be re-directed to our website. Please ensure that your cover letter highlights your experience in no more than 500 words.

As part of our inclusive recruitment initiative, we have introduced the concept of anonymous recruiting in order to evaluate applicants solely on their skills and experience. With this in mind, we encourage you to:

• Anonymise your application by stating only your initials in your CV (including your file name) and cover letter
• State your initials only and job title you are applying for in the subject line when sending your application
• Ensure that you have included your contact email and number, as well as dates when you will not be available or might have difficulty with the indicative timetable

Please let us know if you will require any special provisions to be made should you be called for an interview. We regret that unsuccessful candidates will not be contacted.

All applicants must have the right to work in the UK.