Publishing Director – Springer Journals, Applied Sciences

Jobtailor; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor is seeking a senior portfolio leadership role focused on growing a global portfolio of scholarly journals. You will guide strategic plans, lead a diverse team, and drive collaborations across editors, societies, and the research community.

The role requires deep understanding of scholarly publishing, strong analytics, and a track record of developing high-performing teams in a matrixed environment.

Qualifications

• Experience leading portfolios and teams to drive growth in a scientific or scholarly publishing context.
• Proven ability to shape portfolio strategy with market insight and long-term impact.
• Strong commercial mindset with ability to translate insights into business outcomes.
• Excellent stakeholder management across editors, societies, and researchers.

Responsibilities

• Create and lead strategic plans to grow a global portfolio of journals.
• Lead, manage, and nurture a high-performing team.
• Develop inclusive environments to attract and retain top talent.
• Cultivate partnerships with societies, editors, and journal owners.

Skills

Portfolio management

Team leadership

Data analytics

Strategic partnerships

Stakeholder engagement

Financial analysis

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Data visualization tools

Job description

• Create strategic plans to grow and develop a global portfolio of journals.
• Drive plans forward by leading, managing, and nurturing a team.
• Build effective teams and attract top talent by creating an inclusive, high-performing environment.
• Define and evolve portfolio strategy in alignment with organizational priorities, market opportunities, and long-term business objectives.
• Apply data analytics and quantitative skills to assess portfolio performance and create actionable, trackable improvement plans.
• Identify, evaluate, and pursue partnerships with societies, associations, editors, and journal owners.
• Attract, develop, and retain publishing professionals through mentorship, feedback, and growth opportunities.
• Navigate complex stakeholder relationships, competing priorities, and team collaboration through conflict management.
• Partner with editors, editorial boards, societies, and the wider research community to strengthen Springer Nature's reputation and expand strategic networks and opportunities.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent required, preferably in a relevant scientific, academic, business, or related field.
• Significant experience within scientific, academic, or scholarly publishing, including leadership responsibility for people, portfolios, and business performance.
• A track record of building, leading, and developing high-performing teams within a complex, matrixed environment.
• Demonstrated success shaping portfolio strategies that drive growth, innovation, and long-term market impact.
• Commercially minded with the ability to identify emerging opportunities, develop strategic partnerships, and translate market insights into sustainable business outcomes.
• Deep understanding of the research and scholarly publishing ecosystem, including the research lifecycle and evolving industry landscape.
• Appreciation of the needs and priorities of editors, authors, reviewers, societies, and other key stakeholders across the research community.
• Skilled in assessing business performance through the application of financial, analytical, and quantitative insights.
• Able to synthesize complex market, portfolio, and business data into clear strategic recommendations and actions.
• Effective at influencing, negotiating, and building trusted relationships with stakeholders at all levels, both internally and externally.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, including exceptional written and verbal English proficiency.
• Passion for advancing research, scientific communication, and publishing excellence.

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in strategic planning and portfolio management within the scientific and scholarly publishing industry, with a strong focus on team leadership, stakeholder engagement, and data-driven decision-making.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Strategic Planning
• Team Leadership
• Portfolio Management
• Data Analytics
• Stakeholder Engagement

Hard Skills

• Data Analytics
• Quantitative Skills
• Portfolio Strategy Development
• Business Performance Assessment
• Market Insights Translation

Soft Skills

• Conflict Management
• Influencing Skills
• Negotiation Skills
• Communication Skills
• Mentorship

Industry Keywords

• Scientific Publishing
• Scholarly Publishing
• Research Lifecycle
• High-Performing Teams
• Strategic Partnerships