Associate Director, Publishing

PLOS

. Provide strategic leadership for the PLOS journal portfolio, aligning portfolio priorities, publishing investments, and journal development strategies with organizational goals and PLOS's mission.

Posted 10/7/2026full-timeRemote • United Kingdom, Germany, United StatesSenior💰 $85,000 - $157,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates strategic leadership in managing a portfolio of Open Access journals, with a focus on aligning publishing strategies with organizational goals and fostering high-performing teams. Exhibits strong commercial acumen, financial management, and stakeholder engagement to drive innovation and growth in scholarly communication.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Strategic LeadershipOpen Access Journal DevelopmentFinancial ManagementTeam DevelopmentStakeholder Management

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

BudgetingForecastingBusiness PlanningP&L OwnershipStrategic PlanningPublishing Data AnalysisMarket IntelligenceJournal EvaluationPerformance ManagementPortfolio Management

Soft Skills

CommunicationRelationship BuildingProblem SolvingCoachingCross-Functional Collaboration

Industry Keywords

STM PublishingOpen AccessScholarly CommunicationPublishing OperationsJournal PositioningAudience EngagementDemand GenerationOrganizational AlignmentChange ManagementGeographically Distributed Teams

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Provide strategic leadership for the PLOS journal portfolio, aligning portfolio priorities, publishing investments, and journal development strategies with organizational goals and PLOS's mission.
Lead and develop a team of Publishers responsible for journal portfolio performance and strategic development.
Serve as primary steward of portfolio-wide publishing performance and translate organizational strategy into priorities.
Use publishing data, financial information, market intelligence, and research community insight to guide decisions, identify growth and innovation opportunities, and manage risks.
Establish goals, priorities, accountability measures, coaching, professional development, succession planning, and performance management for direct reports.
Develop and implement portfolio-wide publishing strategy and differentiated value propositions.
Lead portfolio reviews and recommendations on journal positioning, growth, performance, and future direction.
Evaluate and develop new journals, products, services, and publishing models.
Translate organizational strategy into portfolio priorities, objectives, and plans.
Oversee publishing budgets and forecasts and allocate resources responsibly.
Deputize for the Director, Publishing & Publishing Operations when appropriate.
Build relationships with editors, researchers, institutions, societies, partner organizations, and cross-functional teams.
Partner across Editorial, Publishing Operations, Sales, Global Publishing Development, Product, Technology, Marketing, Finance, and Research Integrity.
Support effective journal policies, processes, services, and quality standards.
Strengthen journal positioning, audience engagement, portfolio visibility, and demand generation.
Drive culture change, cross-functional collaboration, organizational alignment, and accountable change management.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
Business problem solver – operates with curiosity to get to the root of the business problem to ensure the ultimate solution is grounded in PLOS’s strategy and mission.
Substantial experience launching Open Access journals from proposal to publication.
Strong commercial and financial skills, including experience with budgeting, forecasting, business planning and P&L ownership.
Substantial experience in STM publishing with progressively increased responsibility.
Experience managing senior publishing professionals, or comparable portfolio leaders.
Proven ability to develop and execute strategic plans that deliver measurable business and operational outcomes.
Strong track record of leading and developing high-performing, geographically distributed teams.
Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and stakeholder management skills across cultures, disciplines, and organizational functions.
Dedication to open access and transforming scholarly communication, with a genuine interest in engaging productively with the scientific community.
Preferred: Experience leading high-volume journal portfolios and/or megajournals.
Prolonged periods stationary at a desk and working on a computer.
Some national and international travel may be required.
Some flexibility to work across time zones may be required.

Benefits

Comp & perks

US: 401k with employer match
US: Employee sponsored health, dental and vision insurance (Dental and Vision 100% employer paid)
US: Paid Vacation, 11 public holidays and sick leave
US: Parental leave
US: Birthday and three winter holidays days off
US: Short term and long term disability insurance
US: 2 days paid time off for volunteering per year
US: Fully remote work environment with stipend on joining for home office
UK: Private medical insurance
UK: Life assurance
UK: Income protection
UK: Personal accident insurance
UK: Pension with up to 10% employer match
UK: 25 days holidays, market competitive Maternity and Paternity leave
UK: Birthday and three winter holidays days off
UK: 2 days paid time off for volunteering per year
UK: Fully remote work environment with stipend on joining for home office