Editorial Assistant

Editorial Assistant at The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

The Editorial Assistant provides administrative support crucial for the efficient processing and rigorous peer review of standard manuscript submissions, particularly for PNAS, a prestigious scientific journal. This role involves proactive communication with authors and reviewers, collaboration with the journal’s editorial board, and continuous coordination to facilitate timely and fair evaluation of articles.

Essential Job Duties

• Responsible for overseeing all aspects of peer review coordination from submission to transmittal for research articles (Direct Submission and Brief Reports).
• Complete quality control checks for incoming research articles, ensuring adherence to submission guidelines.
• Correspond with authors, editors, and reviewers regarding needed items, deadline extensions, pending submissions, and status inquiries.
• Notify authors promptly of manuscript decisions.
• Screen revisions for plagiarism using appropriate tools and escalate potential ethical concerns to the editorial ethics manager.
• Monitor updates to the online submission systems and ensure requisite changes are accurately reflected in the Information for Authors.
• Merge or update reviewer records with current information to maintain a robust and up-to-date database/reviewer pool.
• Transmit manuscripts to the designated production vendor, ensuring all necessary files and information are included.
• Act as the primary point of contact for production queries received from the production vendor, facilitating clear communication.
• Contribute constructive input for enhancements and improvements to the submission system.
• Perform a variety of clerical and administrative tasks, including answering general queries sent to the editorial inbox and managing telephone communications.

Nonessential Job Duties

Related duties and special projects as assigned, contributing to the overall success of the editorial department.

Job Specifications

Required Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Communication: Demonstrated ability to compose clear, professional, and effective communications with various stakeholders, including authors, editors, and reviewers. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are essential for interacting with all levels of employees and external parties.
• Teamwork: Proven ability to work successfully and collaboratively within a team environment. Capacity to develop strong working relationships with co-workers and employees across different National Academies' departments through effective communication.
• Decision Making/Problem Solving: Ability to solve problems effectively, often with supervisory consultation, by consistently following established rules, procedures, and precedents.
• Quality, Excellence & Service Orientation: A strong commitment to excellence in the quality of work produced and a keen awareness of the experiences of all involved stakeholders.
• Integrity & Professional Judgment: Capacity to handle sensitive or confidential information with the utmost discretion and consistently exercise sound professional judgment in all tasks.
• Organizational Effectiveness / Navigating Complexity: Ability to operate effectively in complex, multi-stakeholder environments, skillfully manage competing priorities, and maintain organizational alignment.

Minimum Education/Training Requirements: High School Diploma, GED, or equivalent knowledge.

Minimum Experience: One year of related experience in an administrative or editorial support role.

Physical Capabilities: Ability to work at a computer for extended periods of time, maintaining focus and productivity.

Required Licenses, Certification or Registration: None.

Supervisory Responsibilities/Controls: Reports to an Assistant or Associate Managing Editor or a Senior Editorial Coordinator. The supervisor is readily available to assign work, provide guidance, and assist in problem resolution.

Compensation & Benefits

An estimated compensation range for this position is $18.44 - $23.05 per hour, plus potential overtime. Compensation offered to the selected candidate will be based on the candidate’s relevant knowledge, skills, and work experience, commensurate with compensation of current employees in comparable positions with similar knowledge, skills, and work experience, and subject to budget parameters. Note it is not typical for a candidate to be hired at the higher end of the range. This is a benefits-eligible position. Our Benefits Plan offers competitive and comprehensive benefit options, including medical, dental and vision insurance, life insurance, disability coverage, retirement and savings benefits, leave benefits such as paid holidays and paid personal leave, transportation subsidies, and education assistance.

Work Environment

This role has been approved for 100% remote status, offering flexibility for qualified candidates. Occasional travel between National Academies’ facilities and to off-site meeting/sponsor locations may be required. Please note that any remote work arrangement will need to be reviewed and approved according to company policy.

Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the National Academies to recruit, hire, transfer, compensate, and promote people in all job categories and to administer all other personnel actions, terms and conditions of employment in a manner that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. It is also the institution's policy to recruit, hire, promote, and provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and covered veterans who are otherwise qualified.

Any qualification to be considered equivalent, in lieu of stated minimum, requires the prior approval of the Office of Human Resources.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified. Some functions in this description may be specific to a particular unit of the National Academies and not applicable to other units.

Key skills/competency

• Peer Review Coordination
• Manuscript Submission Management
• Administrative Support
• Quality Control
• Professional Communication
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Database Management
• Plagiarism Screening
• Editorial Workflow
• Problem-Solving