Editorial Assistant

The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) is seeking an Editorial Assistant to support the publication of its academic journals.

Editorial Assistant for RGS-IBG Journals
Department: Research and Higher Education (RHED)
Responsible to: Managing Editor
Location: South Kensington, London with option for home working.
Hours: 0.4 FTE (Two days per week, with a preference for working on Monday and Tuesday).
Contract: 6 months, fixed-term
Salary: £30,065-£31,740 per annum (pro rata to £12,026-£12,696 per annum)

About Us

The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) is the learned society and professional body for geography and geographers. It is also a charity and a membership organisation. The Society was founded in 1830 and has been one of the most active of the learned societies ever since. It was pivotal in establishing geography as a teaching and research discipline in British universities and continues to play a key role in geographical and environmental education.

The Society is a leading world centre for geographical learning supporting education, teaching, research, professional practice and scientific expeditions, as well as promoting public understanding and enjoyment of geography and providing advice to policymakers.

We work with a wide range of audiences. This includes teachers and pupils in schools, academics and researchers in higher education institutions, professional geographers in the workplace, and researchers and expeditioners in the field, but also members of the public with a curiosity about our world.

About You and the Role

This is an exciting opportunity to develop a greater understanding of the academic peer review and publishing process and provides an excellent opportunity to work with the academic community.

The role is ideally suited to someone with very strong organisational and communication skills and an understanding of and interest in contemporary academic geography.

The Society publishes five peer-reviewed geography journals, four of which are managed by the Society s Managing Editor: Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers (TIBG), The Geographical Journal, Area, and Geo: Geography and Environment.

This role will provide administrative support for the transition from ScholarOne to Research Exchange screening and review platform.

Key responsibilities

• Screen and process submitted papers and communicate with authors to ensure correct formatting, anonymity, word length, responses to reviewers.
• Screen for AI-generated submissions and references and liaise with Managing Editor to ensure papers meet ethical publishing standards for consideration.
• Maintain a record of all submitted papers in an Excel spreadsheet format (already established).
• Screen accepted papers and communicate with authors to ensure corrected files are uploaded for production.
• Send post-publication emails to reviewers and authors.
• Support the Managing Editor in setting up new workflows for Research Exchange.
• Potential for supporting with finding and inviting peer reviewers

Salary and Benefits

This is a part time (0.4 FTE), six month fixed-term post subject to successful completion of a probationary period of six weeks. The salary range for this post is £30,065-£31,740 per annum (pro rata to £12,026-£12,696 per annum) depending on experience and qualifications. This post is based in South Kensington, London, there are options for home working.

There are a range of benefits at the Society which include the following:

• For this role a 14-hour working week with core working hours between 10.00am and 4.00pm.
• Flexible working arrangements with home working possible.
• 25 days annual leave per annum plus public bank holidays for full time staff, pro rata to 10 days per annum.
• Society closure between Christmas and New Year, in addition to the basic annual leave allowance.
• Pension scheme - 3% employee, 7.5% employer.
• Group Life Assurance at four-times basic annual salary.
• Corporate eye care vouchers.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Free 24-hour Employee Assistance helpline with available counselling support.

Applications must be received by 9.30am, 11 December.
Interviews are planned to take place in the week commencing 15 December.

Interested?

If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.

The Society aims to be an equal opportunities employer. We strongly encourage applicants from those traditionally underrepresented in the geographical discipline.

No agencies please.