We are the world’s largest university press. We have both a worldwide reach and a personal understanding of local needs, partnering on the ground to adapt publications and resources to meet the individual needs of communities, societies, and countries. We partner with researchers, educators, and technology partners to stay ahead of the changing ways people around the world are accessing and sharing knowledge. With a presence in more than 50 countries and millions of customers around the world, an idea launched at OUP can have a global impact.
More about OUP
Advancing Knowledge and Learning
ABOUT THE ROLE
OUP is a mission led organization delivering excellence in education around the globe through publishing. The Assistant Publisher, Journals is part of an international team with colleagues in the US, UK, and India. Working collaboratively, the role partners with this Publishing team to build relationships with our journals clients. The journals that this role works with are interdisciplinary and both society and OUP owned. This role is perfect for someone who is interested in having a mix of working with data and working with people and building relationships in their workday, and is interested in building their skills in data visualization, strategizing, and client relationships. The Assistant Publisher, Journals can be hybrid out of our Cary, NC or New York, NY offices or remote in the United States.
Key Accountabilities include:
• Support Publishers in the management and development of their portfolio of titles. This will include:
o Collaborating with Publishers and Editors to publish high quality content in maximum suitable volume to increase market share of articles
o Work with Publishers to suggest and negotiate successful, consistent contractual terms with Societies and/or Editors as appropriate that align with OUP strategic priorities and risk appetite, ensuring full compliance with approval processes.
o Assist in managing the editorial performance for a portfolio of titles according to best practices and adhering to contractual terms.
o Create and drive editorial development plans with Publishers for their titles. Provide relevant data to inform editorial decision making.
o Work with Publishers and finance colleagues to maximize the long and short-term profitability of titles, including management of costs, risk mitigation, and remedial steps for loss-making titles.
• Support Publishers in the management and development of their portfolio of titles through administrative and research support. This will include:
o Ownership of responding to some external queries and requests from editors and/or societies
o Supporting list management, ensuring journal and divisional targets are achieved
o Liaising with internal departments to resolve issues raised by authors and journal editors, following approved escalation channels where required
o Owning and coordinating the production of relevant reports, providing them to the list manager and to clients.
o Maintaining good internal and external relationships
o Deputizing for Publishers in their absence – including responding to emails and occasionally attending meetings
• Prepare the regular publishing update reports for Society partner journals covering a wide range of performance measures. The post holder will coordinate the production of relevant reports, providing them to the list manager and to clients. Additional comment or investigation should be prepared in response to the data without the need for prompt from the Publisher.
• Suggest ideas for analysis and provide data analysis to enable evidence-based decision making for strategic/editorial development of journals, including:
o Bibliometric analysis to understand drivers for impact factor
o Competitor analysis
o Emerging trends
o New journal launches
o Content growth
• Work collaboratively and productively with other functional groups (especially production, marketing, digital) to deliver an excellent service
• Assist in maintaining the journals contracts repository and maintain best practice in data management Use this to monitor adherence to contractual terms for all journals in your portfolio, including the provision of journal accounts, member commitments, editorial board commitments.
• Organize meetings, attending and taking minutes as appropriate, undertaking catering, travel and room booking arrangements and paying of expenses, in accordance with hospitality policies
• Completing relevant payments and tracking efficiently and accurately
• Provide general support for renewals, journal bids, launches and acquisitions, working with the relevant teams to produce analysis, conduct competitive research, draft financial parameters and source quotes, and contribute to the written proposal document
• Work with other Journals departments globally as required to accomplish tasks and enhance communications between New York, Cary NC, and Oxford, UK.
• Participate in departmental projects including ownership of a relevant key user project and assisting with organization of annual Oxford Journals Day.
• Train new Publishing Assistants in key systems, processes, and ways of working
ABOUT YOU
• Good organizational skills and the ability to work independently
• The ability to pick up new tasks and learn new systems and processes quickly
• A good team spirit and the ability to work collaboratively
• Self-discipline with the ability to manage and balance priorities under time pressure and manage one’s own workload independently
• Good attention to detail and numeracy
• Excellent spoken and written English and the ability to influence and persuade both internal and external parties
• Experience with Microsoft Office products, especially Microsoft Excel
• Experience with data visualization tools such as Tableau preferred
• At least one year’s Publishing or transferable professional experience
• A basic understanding of academic publishing, including editorial processes, production process, marketing, industry trends, systems, competitors, and technology
BENEFITS
We care about work/life balance at OUP. We offer 15 days of vacation time that rises with service, 8 sick days, plus floating holidays, personal days, company holidays, and a 35-hour working week. We are open to discussing flexibility in respect of working hours and the use of technology to support regular remote working, dependent on role. We also have a great variety of active employee networks and societies.
We care for you and your dependents by offering health, dental, and vision insurance plans to our full-time employees. Each plan has multiple levels of coverage to fit your needs and has a high level of contribution made by OUP. In addition, we offer Employee Assistant Programs for all full-time employees, regardless of whether you elect in health insurance. We also offer life insurance and disability insurance.
We help make your money go further by providing a non-elective contribution on your behalf to your retirement plan of 7% of your salary and a matching contribution to the retirement plan of 50% on the first 6% of employee contributions on based earnings.
This role is part of the OUP USA News Guild Bargaining Unit.
Position Location: This role can be hybrid, based out of Cary, NC (2 times a week in office) or New York City, NY. This role can also be remote in the United States
GJC Level: S3 (for internal purposes only)
Salary: $35,000-$50,000 dependent on skills and experience
We are committed to supporting diversity in our workforce and ensuring an inclusive environment where all individuals can thrive. We seek to employ a workforce representative of the markets that we serve and encourage applications from all.
