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Publishing Assistant (12-month fixed-term contract)
Salary: £30,500
Reports to: Senior Assistant Editor
Application closing date: Wednesday 8 April
Please note we reserve the right to close this vacancy subject to a high volume of suitable applications.
Purpose of job: Administrative support across the journal portfolio in managing the peer review process and in the general running of the editorial offices
Interview Date: Wednesday 29 April
About us
The British Ecological Society (BES) was the first ecology society to be established anywhere in the world.
We are now one of the biggest scientific societies for ecologists, with a membership of over 7,000 across 125 countries. We foster the study of ecology and support the ecology community at all stages of their careers through our journals, meetings, grants, and education and policy work. Our vision is for nature and people to thrive in a world inspired by ecology.
About you
We are seeking an enthusiastic and self-motivated individual to join our friendly publishing team at the British Ecological Society (BES) and support the team in the general running of the BES’ portfolio of ecology journals.
You’ll be looking to build a career in scientific publishing and be eager to learn from a team of internal colleagues and external academic editors. You’ll enjoy staying on top of a range of tasks and be great at working independently and as part of a busy team. You’ll have excellent attention to detail and be effective, friendly, and customer-oriented in your email communications.
The successful candidate will become part of a team seeking to excite and inspire our various audiences in ecology at a time when our science has never been more relevant for society.
About the role
Working across the BES journal portfolio, the Publishing Assistant will:
- Check in new submissions of scientific papers to ensure that manuscripts are complete and authors have adhered to journal policies before passing manuscripts on to Editors for content evaluation.
- In collaboration with the editorial team, monitor progress on manuscripts in the submission system to identify and help resolve potential bottlenecks in peer review.
- Assist in managing the journal inboxes, dealing with straightforward manuscript-related messages from authors, reviewers and external editors.
- Ensure that accurate records are maintained in the submission system on the processing of all manuscripts.
- Carry out post-acceptance checks on manuscripts and liaise with production team when requested, particularly during periods of annual leave for editorial office colleagues.
- Assist in regular performance statistics reporting across the journal portfolio.
- The post holder will also have some opportunity to learn about other aspects of editorial office management, including journal development and marketing and support promotion of articles via social media accounts and press releases.
Requirements
Essential
- Good attention to detail
- Ability to organise time and prioritise tasks effectively
- Adaptable, with good interpersonal skills
- Ability to communicate information clearly both face-to face and in writing
- Capacity to work both independently and within a team
- Experience with MS office products and, ideally, content management systems and databases
- Understanding of, and familiarity with, social media and other digital publishing tools
- Education to degree level (or equivalent)
- An interest in a career in STM journals publishing
Desirable
- An interest in ecological science
- A degree in a relevant subject area
Applicants must have the right to live and work in the UK. Successful applicants will need to provide evidence that they have the right to live and work in the UK. The BES is unable to provide visa sponsorship and unable to hire anyone living outside the UK.
To apply
Please follow the link below to apply for this role, providing your CV and a covering letter detailing why you are suitable for the role, along with answering the application question.
We would also value your time in completing a short EDI survey following your application. This survey is anonymous and plays no bearing in your application, but helps our work in making sure our recruitment is inclusive and diverse.
Benefits
4-day week
The BES offer a voluntary, opt-in 4-day working week model for all full time staff. Staff who opt-in may work 32 hours over 4 or 4.5 days at no loss of salary.
Leave
Employees receive 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 each year to a maximum of 30 days, plus additional leave between Christmas and New Years.
The BES also offers a generous paid sick leave policy.
Pension
The BES contributes the equivalent of 8% of your annual salary into a sustainable pension fund. You are welcome to top this up at with your salary at your own discretion.
Well-being
The Society runs monthly well-being activities, including social trips, creative courses and sustainable gifts.
Hybrid Working
BES staff are based at least 10 days per month at our office near Old Street in London.
We endeavour to make our new custom-designed office a relaxed environment, with a casual dress-code, free coffee, fresh fruit, pastries and toast, and regular social activities.
The office adjoins a beautiful canal where you can watch the local wildlife (currently many varieties of nesting birds!). We have dedicated break-out working space, and a dedicated private well-being room.
Registered Charity
21 - 50
We are working towards a world inspired by #Ecology in which nature and people thrive.
Thank you!
Job title: Editorial Officer
Reports to: Managing Editor
Salary: £32,000 - £35,000 per annum
Hours of work: Full or part-time, depending on candidate
Location: This role is office based located near Russell Square and Chancery Lane, London.
The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH) is a charity and membership society for those working or interested in tropical medicine and global health. We currently have around 2,000 members and Fellows from more than 100 countries, with a network of more than 10,000 involved with our work in some way.
RSTMH currently publishes two peer-reviewed scientific journals, Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (TRSTMH) and International Health. TRSTMH was launched in 1908, is published monthly, and is a hybrid journal. International Health was launched in 2009, is published bi-monthly, and is Open Access. In September 2025, we announced the development of a new journal looking at the use of Artificial Intelligence in Global Health, which will be launching around May 2026. All three journals are published by Oxford University Press (OUP) and are supported by a global team of dedicated Editorial Boad members.
We are looking for an enthusiastic and self-motivated individual with relevant publishing experience to support the operation of our three academic journals. The role will involve providing administrative and editorial support to the Managing Editor, liaising with our authors, reviewers, external editors, and publishing partner, contributing to and - where appropriate - leading on journal development initiatives, and collaborating with internal teams within the RSTMH.
The role
- Check new submissions to ensure that they are in scope and formatted as per journal guidelines, before assigning to handling editors.
- Check revised submissions are formatted as per journal guidelines, before assigning to handling editors
- Check and export accepted manuscripts to production team at OUP, working with the Editors in Chief (EiC) to ensure all required information is included.
- Monitor manuscripts in process, working with editors, reviewers, authors and Managing Editor to identify and reduce unnecessary delays for authors.
- Be the first point of contact for authors, editors, and reviewers by monitoring the journals inbox, helping to resolve any disputes that arise within the peer review process or escalating to Managing Editor, as necessary within agreed timings.
- Help manage the relationships with RSTMH Editorial Boards through regular communication (e.g., Newsletters) in addition to reminders/assignment emails sent through the submission system.
- Assist the Managing Editor with administrative tasks for the journals including coordinating meetings Editorial Boards, publisher, etc., setting up webinars, taking minutes of key meetings.
- Oversee reporting on all aspects of manuscript processing and handling editor metrics (turnaround times, acceptance rates, etc.,) and share these with a number of stakeholders
- Work with Editorial Board to identify articles with wider interest and highlight them to Managing Editor, EiCs, RSTMH team and publisher, and consider ways of further promoting them to raise the profile of the journals and RSTMH.
- Utilise social media and other digital publishing technologies (X, LinkedIn, blogs, podcasts, etc) to promote published articles/new issues and raise the profile of the journals.
- Develop journal news/content for the RSTMH Newsletter website, and social media
- Help ensure the work and outputs of the journals are integrated with other areas of RSTMH, through sharing information across systems
- Support the Managing Editor with the implementation of RSTMH strategic objectives and OUP Development Plans.
- Assist the Managing Editor with new business including researching and identifying authors and groups for potential commissioned articles or supplements
- Support the Managing Editor on journal development initiatives (e.g., Ed Board recruitment, mentoring), taking the lead on projects where appropriate.
- Keep up to date with publishing trends more generally and use this information to make recommendations to Managing Editor/EiCs to improve the efficiency of existing processes.
- Support and contribute to wider RSTMH activities when required to do so (e.g., RSTMH Annual Meeting).
Person Specification
Essential
- Passion and commitment to the work and goals of the Society
- A minimum of 2 years’ experience working in an academic publishing role, in a learned society, membership organisation, or publisher.
- Knowledge of major publishing trends, academic conventions, and editorial processes.
- At least 2 years’ experience of using a journal management system such as Editorial Manager, ScholarOne, etc, as well as MS office products.
- Ability to work effectively, both as part of a team and independently.
- Excellent time-management and organisation skills, with the ability to prioritise workloads and meet multiple deadlines.
- Strong and proven communication skills, both written and verbal, good attention to detail, and the ability to converse professionally with a range of stakeholders.
- Educated to degree level (or equivalent), ideally in a relevant subject.
Desirable
- Interest in science communication and experience using social media and other digital publishing technologies (X, LinkedIn, blogs, podcasts, etc) to communicate complex information to a range of audiences.
The deadline for this role is Friday May 1st, 2026
Please click the apply button and send your CV and a supporting statement of up to 1,000 words detailing how your experience matches the duties and skills for the role.
Please insert your supporting statement where it asks for your cover message/covering letter.
N.B. Applications submitted without a supporting statement may not be considered.
No agencies please.
Please send your CV and supporting statement of up to 1,000 words to include how your experience matches the duties and skills for the role, it will be sent automatically to us. Applications submitted without a supporting statement may not be considered.
Thank you!
We’re looking for a Stories and Content Officer to join our team
Salary: Circa £32,000
Base: Central Edinburgh/hybrid
Hours: Full time and permanent. 35 hours a week over core working hours of 10am - 3pm, Monday to Friday, with a one-hour lunch break. The office is open 8am - 7pm daily and our hybrid working policy requires all full-time employees to work at least two days a week in the Edinburgh office. Working hours can be adapted for the right candidate.
Benefits: 10% employer pension contribution; private medical insurance; employee assistance programme and counselling service; enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption pay; enhanced sick pay; 31 days’ paid holiday/year plus four paid winter public holidays; 2-weeks’ fully remote working/year; three days’ paid carer leave/year; death in service benefit; cycle to work and travel season ticket schemes.
To support the team’s work-life balance, we work a nine-day fortnight where the charity is closed every second Friday.
About the role and why we need you
We’re looking for a talented storyteller to join our team; to create compelling content that brings human experiences to life and connects meaningfully with our audiences. You’ll lead on interviewing and capturing powerful, real-life stories with empathy and respect, translating complex topics into clear, engaging narratives.
Working across a range of marketing and communications channels, you’ll produce high-quality copy for websites, social media, and media releases, tailoring content to platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and TikTok. You’ll also collaborate with and manage external creatives, including photographers, videographers and copywriters.
With excellent editorial judgement, you’ll identify stories that align with our mission and resonate with diverse audiences. Highly organised and collaborative, you’ll manage projects to deadline while maintaining professionalism, confidentiality and sensitivity at all times.
This is a rewarding opportunity to use your creativity and compassion to make a genuine impact. We encourage applications from candidates at all stages of their careers, including those who meet the criteria but may be in an unrelated role at present, or those returning to the workplace after a break.
Who are we?
At Worldwide Cancer Research, we start new cures. Cancer is still one of the leading causes of death worldwide, but cutting-edge science can give us hope. Discovery research seeks to uncover new knowledge that could change the way we think about cancer. It reveals new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer that can save lives.
We fund discovery research into any type of cancer, anywhere in the world. Discovery research is the critical first stage of the research journey, creating a pipeline for future breakthroughs. By funding it, we can transform our understanding of how cancer works and start new cures, because no one should lose a loved one too soon.
Our vision is of a day when no life is cut short by cancer. Anyone that shares that vision and helps bring forward lifesaving breakthroughs – including our staff, supporters, and the researchers we fund – is a Curestarter. Are you?
As a charity, we are committed to opportunity without barriers, and we are striving to seek, value and learn from different perspectives and experiences. We want Worldwide Cancer Research to be an inclusive organisation – where everyone can be themselves and feel valued – as diverse as the scientific community we fund and the families whose lives we impact.
We are committed to ensuring that we provide equal opportunities to every applicant regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. We aim to ensure that our recruitment process is unbiased and that everyone is treated equitably because our team members are at the heart of everything we do to start new cancer cures around the world.
To help start new cancer cures and save lives, we are looking for a Stories and Content Officer to join the busy Marketing and Fundraising team at Worldwide Cancer Research, to help the charity run its multi-million-pound funding programme for discovery cancer research.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.