Assistant Editor (PhD holder) - Environmental Studies

MDPI UK; Manchester; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading open access publisher in Manchester is seeking an Assistant Editor to support the editorial process for academic journals. This full-time role involves organizing the peer review process, handling communications, and ensuring timely publication. The ideal candidate will hold a PhD in an environmental field, possess excellent English skills, and be proficient in MS Office. The position offers competitive salary, bonus schemes, and a supportive working culture.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Quarterly bonus scheme

Flexible working times

Paid time off for major life events

Friendly working environment with events

Access to discounts through Perkbox

Health cash plan

Cyclescheme

Techscheme

Responsibilities

• Support the editorial process for academic research journals.
• Organize peer review process for manuscripts.
• Handle communication for the publication process.
• Collaborate with editorial and production teams.
• Ensure accurate editing and timely publication of articles.

Skills

Excellent written and spoken English skills

Strong organizational and time management skills

Detail oriented

Team player

Good communication and coordination skills

Education

PhD degree in an environmental subject

Tools

MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Job description

Overview

To strengthen our Editorial team, we are looking for recent PhD graduates who are eager to stay connected to scientific research by helping researchers worldwide publish their latest results. The position of Assistant Editor is a full-time and permanent position based in our city centre office in Manchester, UK.

This is a full-time in-office role. The office is located next to Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester.

Responsibilities

• Support the editorial process for academic research journals in your domain of expertise.
• Organize peer review process for submitted manuscripts and coordinate editorial decisions.
• Handle email communication between the parties involved in the publication process.
• Collaborate with other members of the editorial team and production team.
• Ensure that scholarly articles are accurately edited and published according to tight deadlines with a high degree of consistency.

Requirements

• A PhD degree in an environmental subject (e.g., Land systems, Land management, landscape, Soil studies, urban planning, Landclimate interactions).
• Excellent written and spoken English skills.
• Advanced knowledge of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Team player with the capability to work in a dynamic, international environment.
• Detail oriented with the capacity to see the big picture.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Very good communication and coordination skills.

The career trajectory of this role includes work at conferences, visiting scholars, and marketing events work, so applicants should be interested in working face-to-face with the scholarly community and be passionate about promoting open access.

Training and Opportunities

As a successful candidate, you will receive full training in editorial work, working closely with Managing Editors and learning how to process research articles from submission to publication. Training supervised by an assigned tutor will take place on the job during the first six months. Depending on your background, you will be assigned to work on journals related to your field of study or research. No previous editorial experience is required; however, familiarity with the academic editorial process is an advantage. This is a great opportunity to start a first job in a dynamic multinational company with a range of career development options for talented, enthusiastic, and hard-working people.

What We Offer

• A competitive salary, including our quarterly bonus scheme, which rewards high-performing editors.
• 10% pay rise after passing the six-month probation period (for PhD holders, 5% for Master’s Holders).
• Focused support from your group leader, who is your first point of contact for any issues.
• Flexible Working Times: Start between 7–9am, finish between 3–6pm.
• Special Days Off: Paid time off for major life events such as marriage or moving house.
• Our Culture: A friendly working environment with monthly lunch parties, office snacks and seasonal events.
• Bonus Incentives: Eligibility for one of our bonus schemes based on role and performance.
• Perkbox: Access to a range of discounts and benefits across various retailers.
• Health Cash Plan: Private health membership with Bupa after probation; coverage includes dental, doctors, and prescriptions.
• Modern City Centre Office: Located next to Piccadilly Gardens; close to Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Oxford Road stations.
• Cyclescheme: Save on bikes and accessories.
• Techscheme: Save on tax when purchasing tech equipment.

About MDPI

MDPI is a pioneer in scholarly open access publishing. Our mission is to foster open scientific exchange in all forms, across all disciplines. We operate more than 400 diverse, peer-reviewed, open access journals supported by a global community of academic editors. We serve scholars worldwide to ensure the latest research is openly and broadly available. MDPI is headquartered in Switzerland with additional offices in Europe, Asia, and North America. We are committed to ensuring that high quality research is made available as quickly as possible and support sustainability projects through the MDPI Sustainability Foundation.

Initiatives: At MDPI, we develop and maintain various platforms to better serve the scientific community. Platforms include mdpi.com, sciprofiles.com, sciforum.net, scilit.net, preprints.org, and encyclopedia.pub.