Lead Publications Editor

Biomedical Research Non-Profit; United States; Remote; USD 135,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

Medical Research Org in New York, NY is seeking a Lead Publications Editor to own the editorial life cycle of flagship print and digital publications from concept through final production. You’ll shape narratives, assign writers, edit copy, collaborate with art directors, and oversee layouts, prepress, and production schedules to ensure every issue shines.

Requires 8+ years in editorial, a science background, magazine sensibilities, and the ability to translate research into clear stories for

Qualifications

• 8+ years in editorial, publishing, or magazine production.
• Strong background in science, health, medicine, or technical storytelling.

Responsibilities

• Own editorial life cycle of a portfolio of high-profile print and digital publications from concept through final production.
• Assign writers, sharpen copy, collaborate with art directors and designers, oversee production details.
• Ensure clarity and accuracy of content and headlines, and maintain production schedules.

Job description

Lead Publications Editor Wanted at Medical Research Org

Salary range: $135,000 to $155,000 per year

Are You the Missing Piece?

If you wake up in the middle of the night thinking about a copy edit on page 3, wondering if a caption is right, whether the name on page 27 is spelled correctly, or if a cross-reference actually points to the right page, please keep reading!

We’re looking for an editorial obsessive with a storyteller’s brain, a journalist’s curiosity, and the production chops to take a major medical non-profit’s publications from big-picture concept to the final printed page.

You’ll own the editorial life cycle of a portfolio of high-profile print and digital publications. Think flagship magazines, annual reviews, patient guides, brochures, and more. From finding the big narrative and shaping compelling science stories to assigning writers, sharpening copy, collaborating with art directors and designers, and overseeing every last detail of production, you’ll be the editorial quarterback who makes the whole thing sing.

This is a hands‑on, sleeves‑rolled‑up gig: no people management or delegating the details away. You’re equally comfortable dreaming up the editorial vision, sweating the small stuff, and getting those final files out the door.

Note: there are regular meetings requiring in‑person presence at the organization’s New York, NY office. Candidates within same‑day driving or rail distance of NYC are preferred and encouraged to apply.

What’s it going to take to score an interview?

• 8+ years in editorial, publishing, or magazine production, with substantial hands‑on experience taking print publications from concept through final production.
• A strong background in science, health, medicine, or technical storytelling: You know how to translate complicated concepts into clear, compelling stories for non‑technical audiences.
• Magazine sensibilities! You understand feature writing, narrative arcs, editorial themes, smart headlines, tight word counts, and how to make every story earn its real estate.
• Serious editing chops: assigning, shaping, line editing, sharpening, rewriting, fact‑checking, proofreading, and writing those all‑important headlines, intros, blurbs, and juicy captions yourself.
• Print production street cred. You’re fluent in editorial calendars, pagination, layouts, design workflows, prepress, printing, production schedules, and all the nitty‑gritty details that get a publication over the finish line.
• A great creative collaborator who can go toe‑to‑toe (in the nicest possible way!) with art directors and designers, provide thoughtful visual direction, and turn words and images into a cohesive storytelling experience.
• Stakeholder whisperer skills. You’re comfortable navigating competing priorities, building relationships across departments, communicating with senior leadership, and influencing without formal reporting authority.
• Project‑management prowess: you can juggle multiple publications, deadlines, contributors, freelancers, vendors, budgets, and approvals without dropping the ball.
• A print‑first mindset with a digital brain. You understand how to extend the life of print content across web, email, newsletters, and social.
• An independent, roll‑up‑your‑sleeves operator. You’re equally comfortable dreaming up the editorial vision and hunting down the last missing fact before files go to press. No hand‑holding required.
• Bonus points for nonprofit, foundation, academic, or research‑focused publishing experience, plus an insatiable curiosity about science and the research world.

You should take this meeting because …

You’ll have the opportunity to shape how important scientific breakthroughs and research initiatives are told to the world through beautifully produced, high‑impact publications that educate, engage, and inspire. You’ll work alongside smart editorial leadership and a sophisticated creative team, with plenty of complex, fascinating material to sink your teeth into.

This isn’t another content mill or a job where you’re managing people from 30,000 feet. It’s a chance to put your editorial brain, storytelling instincts, creative eye, and obsessive attention to detail to work on something that actually matters.

The Hired Guns does not and will not discriminate in considering and referring candidates for employment, or in its treatment or advancement of its employees, and will not tolerate harassment, on the basis of race, color, religion, gender (including gender identity and expression), sexual orientation, place of origin, years on this Earth, disability, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state or local law.