Institutional Sales and Partnership Manager (Full-time or Part-time)

eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd.; Cambridge; Remote; GBP 42,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible hours

Remote work

25 days annual leave + UK holidays

Pension scheme

Life Assurance (4x salary)

Career development opportunities

Travel for institutional visits

Job summary

eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd. is seeking an Institutional Sales and Partnership Manager to lead negotiations and establish strategic publishing agreements with universities, libraries, and funding bodies.

This remote role is UK-based and reports to the Publishing Development team. You will drive end-to-end deal creation, nurture long-term partnerships, and help shape pricing structures and business models for open science.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience managing negotiations and sales of publishing agreements with academic libraries, consortia, research institutions, or funders.
• Proven track record of independently managing the complete partnership lifecycle including prospecting, outreach, negotiation, execution, and renewal.
• Experience representing an organization at conferences, institutional visits and external meetings.

Responsibilities

• Lead negotiations and manage the full partnership process from prospecting to renewals.
• Build and nurture long-term relationships with academic libraries, consortia, and funders.
• Collaborate with internal teams to implement agreements and refine pricing models.
• Monitor market trends and contribute to strategic initiatives in OA publishing.
• Represent the organization at conferences and industry events to promote institutional agreements.
• Maintain accurate activity records and provide updates to internal teams.
• Support publishing development initiatives related to OA uptake and industry collaboration.

Skills

Negotiation & Relationship Building

Industry Knowledge

Communication

Self-Motivation & Independence

Adaptability & Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Are you ready to shape the future of scholarly communication and open-access publishing?

At eLife , we are committed to transforming research communication to create a more sustainable, equitable, and transparent ecosystem. We are seeking a dynamic, results-oriented Institutional Sales and Partnership Manager to join our Publishing Development team and drive strategic publishing agreements with academic institutions, library consortia, and research funding organizations worldwide.

The Role

• Location: Remote (UK-based)
• Salary: £42,000-£50,000 basic per annum (depending on experience) + commission + excellent benefits
• Reports to: Publishing Development team
• Contract: Full time or part-time (minimum 30 hours/week), Permanent
• Closing Date: Friday, 20th November at 5:00PM (GMT)

As a key member of our Publishing Development team, you will lead the development, negotiation, and execution of institutional publishing agreements. You will play a crucial role in advancing eLife’s impact, expanding strategic partnerships, and shaping the future business models that underpin open science.

Key Responsibilities

• Deal Negotiation & Sales Lifecycle: Lead negotiations and manage the full partnership process—from prospecting and outreach to data curation, contract execution, and renewals.
• Relationship Management: Build and nurture strong, long‑term relationships with academic libraries, library consortia, research institutions, and funding agencies.
• Implementation & Uptake: Collaborate with internal teams to implement agreements, increase visibility and uptake, and refine underlying pricing and modeling structures.
• Market Insights & Strategy: Monitor market trends, policy developments, and changing dynamics within open access to contribute to future business models and strategic initiatives.
• External Representation: Present at external visits, academic conferences, and industry events to promote institutional agreements and gather stakeholder feedback.
• Pipeline Management: Maintain accurate activity records throughout the sales pipeline and deliver updates and strategic recommendations to internal teams.
• Business Development : Support publishing development initiatives related to PRC uptake and expansion, research culture and business development.

What We Are Looking For

Qualifications & Education

• A degree is required, not necessarily in a scientific discipline.
• A sales background is preferred, ideally in the context of scholarly publishing and institutional Open Access (OA) publishing agreements.
• Strong understanding of the scholarly publishing ecosystem and peer review models, especially of the dynamics of publishing agreement negotiations with academic institutions and research funders.

Experience

• 2+ years of experience in managing negotiations and sales of publishing agreements with academic libraries, consortia, research institutions, and funders.
• Proven track record of independently managing the complete partnership lifecycle (prospecting, outreach, negotiation, execution, and renewal).
• Experience representing an organization at conferences, institutional visits, and external meetings.
• A passion for contributing to business development and evolving research culture within scholarly publishing.

Skills & Competencies

• Negotiation & Relationship Building: Excellent negotiation, sales, and stakeholder management skills across diverse professional backgrounds.
• Industry Knowledge: Deep understanding of the scholarly publishing ecosystem, peer review models, and institutional Open Access agreements.
• Communication: Outstanding written and verbal communication skills in fluent English.
• Self-Motivation & Independence: Proactive, results‑oriented, and highly organized with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Adaptability & Collaboration: Collaborative mindset with a willingness to travel occasionally for institutional visits and industry events.

Why Join Us?

This role offers a unique opportunity to directly influence how scientific publishing is funded and shared globally. You will collaborate with a forward‑thinking global network of funders, institutes, and partners who are working together toward a fairer, more transparent, and sustainable open‑access future.

What We Offer

• Work-Life Balance: Flexible working hours, remote working.
• Time Off: 25 days of annual leave, plus all UK public bank holidays.
• Financial Security: Company pension scheme and Life Assurance (4x basic salary).
• Family Support: Enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption pay.
• Professional Growth: Dedicated investment in your personal and career development.
• Culture: A warm, inclusive team environment with regular social events.

A note on AI tools: We embrace innovation and welcome the use of AI tools to help you research eLife, structure your application, or map your skills. However, we deeply value authenticity. Please ensure your final submission is personalised and reflects your true voice and experience.

eLife is committed to building an inclusive team that reflects a diversity of perspectives. We particularly welcome applications from women, non‑binary individuals, disabled candidates, and Black, Asian, and minority ethnic professionals, who are currently underrepresented across technology and scholarly publishing.