Project Manager: Open Access Publishing Project Manager (0.60FTE): Open Access Publishing

Lancaster University; Bailrigg; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Part time

Job summary

A UK-based academic institution is seeking a part-time maternity cover appointment for a project management role supporting the Copim Open Book Futures project. This position requires excellent project management skills, communication abilities, and relevant degree-level qualifications. The role involves leading project delivery and liaising with funders, with some remote work flexibility offered.

Benefits

Family-friendly workplace

Diversity and inclusion support

Qualifications

• Experience in administrative or managerial roles within a complex organisation, such as a university.
• Proven ability to engage staff across a range of contexts.
• Experience of writing for different audiences.

Responsibilities

• Lead the final stages of project delivery, ensuring project milestones are met.
• Liaise with and report to funders.
• Provide handover to the current Project Manager.

Skills

Project management

Excellent communication

Financial management

Education

Relevant degree-level qualification

Job description

This is a 3-month, part‑time maternity cover appointment to support the Copim Open Book Futures project, a major international, multi‑institutional initiative led by Lancaster University. The project focuses on developing infrastructures and practices to underpin the expansion of open access (OA) academic book publishing. It builds on the pioneering work of the Community‑led Open Publication Infrastructures for Monographs (COPIM) project, which has launched initiatives such as the Open Book Collective, Thoth Open Metadata, the Opening the Future revenue model, and work to enhance e‑book accessibility, archiving and preservation of open access works, and experimental OA publishing approaches.

You will be jointly appointed to the Department of Organisation, Work and Technology and the Faculty of Arts, and will also collaborate with colleagues in Lancaster University Library. You will work closely with the Project Principal Investigator, Professor Joe Deville, and the wider project team comprising UK university staff and non‑academic partners, including open‑access book publishers, infrastructure providers and advocacy groups. Many partners are based outside the UK, in the European Union, South Africa and the USA.

Responsibilities

• Lead the final stages of project delivery, ensuring the project remains on track and milestones and deliverables are met.
• Liaise with and report to funders.
• Provide shadowing and handover to the current Project Manager, dependent on start date.

Qualifications

• Relevant degree‑level qualification.
• Excellent project management skills and experience in responsible administrative or managerial roles within a complex organisation, such as a university.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and persuasion skills with an ability to engage staff across a range of contexts.
• Excellent written communication skills, with experience of writing for different audiences.
• Proven financial and budget management skills would be beneficial.

Working Conditions

• Some time may be worked remotely; the exact proportion will be discussed with the line manager in accordance with University guidelines.
• The University welcomes applications from people in all diversity groups and can support family‑friendly and flexible working policies on an individual basis.
• For colleagues based at Lancaster, this role can be taken on as a secondment from an existing role.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The University recognises and celebrates good employment practice undertaken to address all inequality in higher education whilst promoting the importance and wellbeing for all our colleagues. We warmly welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of their age, religion, gender identity or expression, race, disability or sexual orientation, and are committed to promoting diversity and equality of opportunity.

Benefits and Support

Find out what it's like to work at Lancaster University, including information on our wide range of employee benefits, support networks and our policies and facilities for a family‑friendly workplace.