Freelance Managing Editor - History PhD, Flexible Hours

Cactus Communications Pvt. Ltd.; South Africa; On-site; ZAR 350,000 - 700,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexibility

Job summary

Cactus Communications Pvt. Ltd. is seeking a project-based Managing Editor for a prestigious publisher client in academia.

You will make independent post-peer review decisions, uphold journal standards, and coordinate with internal teams to maintain throughput and quality. Candidates should hold a PhD in History, have 3-5 years of research experience, and relevant English-language publications. Responsibilities include manuscript assessment, issuing revision decisions, KPI reporting, and timely

Qualifications

• PhD in History is required.
• Active researcher with 3-5 publications in the last 5 years.
• Publications should be primarily in English.
• First or last author on the publications.
• Working knowledge of an editorial management system (ScholarOne, EM, SNAPP, REX, etc.) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Assess the suitability of submitted manuscripts and, following peer review, issue initial revision decisions (minor/major) and final (accept/reject) decisions.
• Evaluate the quality and relevance of peer-review reports and determine when additional review is warranted for borderline or complex cases.
• Synthesize reviewer feedback into editorial decisions that uphold the journal’s reputation through rigorous editorial standards.
• Provide clear, constructive decision letters to authors explaining revision requirements and expectations for resubmissions, whilst maintaining a professional tone.
• Issue and evaluate revision requests on original submissions, determining whether author responses adequately address reviewer comments.
• Ensure consistency in decision-making across original and revised submissions throughout the appointment.
• Collaborate with the Publisher, Desk Editors, and Reviewer Selection Support primarily via email and other asynchronous channels.
• Attend scheduled regular check-in meetings with the Publisher to provide updates on manuscript processing and any challenges encountered.
• Decision turnaround: complete all manuscript decisions within a maximum of 5 business days from assignment.
• Response times: respond to queries and communications within 2 business days.
• Provide KPI reporting and periodic performance updates.
• Participate in reviews to assess delivery against KPIs and implement corrective and preventive actions where needed.

Education

PhD in History

Job description

Cactus Communications Pvt. Ltd. is seeking a project-based Managing Editor for a prestigious publisher client in academia.

You will make independent post-peer review decisions, uphold journal standards, and coordinate with internal teams to maintain throughput and quality. Candidates should hold a PhD in History, have 3-5 years of research experience, and relevant English-language publications. Responsibilities include manuscript assessment, issuing revision decisions, KPI reporting, and timely