Publishing Director

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Springer is a leading global scientific, technical and medical portfolio, providing researchers in academia, scientific institutions and corporate R&D departments with quality content through innovative information, products and services. Springer has one of the strongest STM and HSS eBook collections and archives, as well as a comprehensive range of hybrid and open access journals. Visit springer.com and follow @Springer1842

Job Title:  Publishing Director

Location(s): New Delhi

Hybrid Working Model

Job Description

The Publishing Director role is a key strategic component of the Springer journals portfolio structure. The Publishing Director is responsible for driving and managing the strategic growth and development of a global portfolio of journals, and both contributing to and driving the Springer journals strategy for India. The Publishing Director supports the overall success of the publishing units by managing, developing and nurturing a team of individuals. The Publishing Director will create an environment to successfully engage with society partners, external editors and editorial board members, attract the best authors, and to deliver the publishing program in a timely and efficient manner.

Key Tasks: 

Create a positive and energetic team environment, providing trusted management in which your team members feel engaged and understand what is expected and the value of their contribution to the business.

• Set performance goals for your staff, and ensure that these are well communicated, cascaded into individual objectives and targets as appropriate, monitored regularly, with appropriate action taken as necessary.
• Allocate staff efficiently to ensure optimum time is spent on strategic priorities.
• Be visible to and engage regularly with your team to monitor performance and their development; carry out regular performance appraisals that focus both on targets/achievements and personal development.
• Understand the value and importance of regular communication with your wider team – both to solicit their suggestions and ideas, and to report back to them on our activities and progress.
• Carefully control staff, travel and innovation costs to ensure that the group remains as profitable as possible while not compromising on quality or service.
• Provide subject-based and policy guidance to your team and oversee the investigation and resolution of research integrity issues.
• Provide appropriate coaching and seek to ensure a culture where team members look to solve their own issues and engage in continuous improvement and, as appropriate, innovation.
• Be aware of staff wellbeing, regularly monitor employee satisfaction and seek to address recurring issues.
• Role-model our values and ways of working and ensure that these are incorporated into the day-to-day running of your team.

Drive the editorial and publishing development of a portfolio of journals.

• Lead, motivate and inspire your team to produce journals that deliver a best-in-class author experience and enjoy maximum engagement from the external editors and Editorial Board Members (EBMs) on whom we rely; working closely with the Editorial Engagement horizontal.
• On a regular basis ensure portfolios are aligned with our strategic priorities in a rapidly changing external environment. 
• Develop a portfolio strategy and agree with the VP Publishing the annual targets for journal submission, publication and transfer volumes as well as target turnaround times.
• Deliver a data-led approach to portfolio management and development, and that all KPIs are regularly monitored, reported and met, and that action is taken as needed.
• With the VP Publishing, take responsibility for the commercial performance of your division.
• Strive for maximal efficiency and productivity of our Editors-in-Chief (EiCs), peer-reviewers and EBMs.
• Contribute towards the overall strategy of the Springer Nature Journals group

Understand and engage regularly with external editors and the research communities that your journals serve.

• Ensure we drive strong partnerships with our external editors and that editorial performance is monitored within your team and addressed as necessary so that we provide excellent author service, in particular with respect to manuscript handling times.
• Engage effectively with the other verticals and horizontals in the Journals group to develop effective workflows to support optimal journal function. Look to proactively identify service level issues which affect our external editors and research communities.
• Work closely with your team to build close working relationships with external EiCs, EBMs and the wider research community, attending external meetings as appropriate. Look for opportunities to demonstrate Springer Nature’s thought-leadership position and demonstrate our worth as a strategic publishing partner.
• Channel India market and community intelligence into the Springer business unit and translate this into proposals for developing products, services and engagement plans.

Understand and engage regularly with your society/institutional publishing partners.

• Monitor the key partner relationships in your portfolio and ensure that Springer Nature delivers an excellent service to its publishing partners, while carefully balancing requests for custom solutions with the need for standardized service levels.
• Engage effectively with the other verticals and horizontals in the Journals group to develop effective workflows to support optimal journal function. Look to proactively identify service level issues which affect our partnerships and work closely with the Society and Partner management centre of excellence.
• Be aware of the leading societies, associations and journal owners in your communities with whom we might partner. Develop and maintain relationships and pursue opportunities as appropriate.

Ensure the implementation of new policies, workflows, systems and processes.

• Ensure that our strategic priorities are well understood by your team.
• Interpret and disseminate external intelligence and market research to support the development of your team and portfolio of journals.
• Establish a data-driven culture in your team whereby we utilize all relevant data and information in our decision making.
• Work with your team to implement new policies, processes, workflows and systems, in collaboration with the following units: Editor and Author Engagement, Research Integrity Group, Strategy and Development and Society and Partner Management. 
• Support the development of strong transfer pathways.

Contribute to the wider Springer Nature Journals division.

• Take part – and encourage your team to take part – in cross-departmental projects and/or company-wide task forces and working groups.
• Build close working relationships with the other Publishing VPs and Publishing Directors in the division, as well as the other Journals Group VPs.
• Champion your subject area within the wider organization, including the Journals Group, ensuring high visibility and inclusion in key projects.
• Ensure that you understand and can explain the key strategic goals of the division, and key internal and external publishing initiatives and developments: such as Open Research, SharedIt, ORCID and Publons.
• Manage, drive and initiate effective relationships, service level agreements and projects within Springer Nature, with e.g., Production, Sales, Marketing, Finance, and other editorial groups, and work with them to deliver mutually advantageous results.
• Lead and join up the internal and external communication activities for your global portfolio.

Experience/Skills/Qualifications:

• Educated to a degree level, preferably in the sciences. An advanced degree is desirable but not essential.
• Significant experience within a scientific/academic publishing environment
• Management experience and leadership skills
• Proven experience of translating market opportunities into profitable business models
• Thorough understanding of the research or scientific process as it pertains to our publishing
• Thorough understanding of the needs of editors, authors and referees as key customers
• Excellent communication and team-building qualities
• Excellent English language skills
• Strong analytical and commercial skills
• Enthusiasm and passion for excellence in research and science

At Springer Nature, we value the diversity of our teams and work to build an inclusive culture, where people are treated fairly and can bring their differences to work and thrive. We empower our colleagues and value their diverse perspectives as we strive to attract, nurture and develop the very best talent.
Springer Nature was awarded Diversity Team of the Year at the 2022 British Diversity Awards. Find out more about our DEI work here https://group.springernature.com/gp/group/taking-responsibility/diversity-equity-inclusion

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For more information about career opportunities in Springer Nature please visit https://springernature.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/SpringerNatureCareers

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