Head of Publishing - ISN Journals Portfolio

International Society of Nephrology

About the Organisation

International Society of Nephrology (ISN) is a global not-for-profit professional society dedicated to advancing kidney health worldwide. The current journal portfolio of Kidney International (KI), KI Supplements, and KI Reports will soon include two new journals. ISN journals play a vital role in disseminating nephrology research globally and are a critical component of the society’s mission, vision, and strategic planning.

About the role

ISN is seeking a Head of Publishing to join our team and act as the primary liaison between ISN, ISN journals (including chief editors and editorial staff), and our publishing partner (Elsevier). This position will guide and implement the overall strategy for the journal portfolio to advance the society’s mission, strategy, and business needs. The successful candidate will have a strategic outlook, supporting the ISN journal portfolio’s continued growth, impact, and visibility.

Responsibilities

Strategy & Development:

• Develop long-term publishing strategies to enhance the impact and reach of ISN’s journal portfolio;
• Suggest new journal initiatives (new article types, supplements, special editions) and drive continuous improvements.

Publishing Management:

• On behalf of ISN and ISN journals, act as the main liaison to the publisher, overseeing all publishing operations with Elsevier;
• Oversee budgeting, reporting, and royalty reconciliations in collaboration with ISN finance teams.

Editorial Oversight & Liaison:

• Work closely with Editors-in-Chief, Editorial Boards, managing editors, and Elsevier to oversee and provide strategic guidance for submission and peer review processes, and overall editorial operations;
• Implement and monitor editorial policies and guidelines, as needed, to maintain high scientific standards.

Stakeholder Communication:

• Serve as the primary contact for internal ISN teams (communications, education, membership) and external parties (Elsevier, Indexing bodies);
• Organize and participate in editorial board/journal strategy meetings and publisher updates;
• Prepare reports on journals for ISN leadership groups, as needed.

Data-Driven Decision Making:

• Conduct regular analysis of performance metrics to assess progress against KPIs, identify trends in readership, submissions, and impact factor; propose strategic adjustments.

Compliance & Ethics:

• Ensure all publishing activities comply with Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines and ISN’s ethics policies.

Skills, Competencies & Experience

Qualifications & Skills:

• 5–7 years of publishing or editorial management experience in Scientific, Technical, and Medical publishing (STM) publishing or society journals;
• FYI: Major publishers in STM include Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, Oxford University Press, BMJ, etc..
• Familiarity with peer review processes, editorial workflows, and scholarly publishing standards;
• Strong organizational, communication, and project management skills;
• Familiarity with publishing metrics and impact measures (Impact Factor, article processing times);
• Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and work across teams and geographies.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree is required; an advanced degree in life sciences, publishing, or business is preferred

Working locations

• Remotely working in Brussels, Belgium

How to apply

• Please send your application to: [email protected] with your Name and Head of Publishing - ISN Journals Portfolio in the email subject.

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