Managing Editor for Evolution and Evolution Letters, Society for the Study of Evolution and European Society for Evolutionary Biology 

The Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE) and the European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB) seek to appoint a full time Managing Editor (ME) with a strong interest in evolutionary biology to provide editorial service for SSE’s flagship journal, Evolution, and SSE and ESEB’s jointly owned journal, Evolution Letters. This role will include the management of all aspects of receiving, reviewing, and processing submitted manuscripts. It will also involve coordinating special and virtual issue content and raising the profile of the journals through social media platforms.

The successful candidate will work with, and under the guidance of, the Society Executives and the Editors in Chief. The ME will interact closely with staff at the publisher. This position is anticipated to be full time, requiring 100% of the candidate’s workday. The appointee may work largely or entirely remotely but will have substantial autonomy and work flexibility.

Specific duties of the role include to:

- provide a professional, primary interface with authors and enhance the author experience for submission and publication in both journals
- work closely with the editors and publisher to broaden the journals’ global reach, increase submissions, and promote the journals to authors, funders, and the global community of researchers
- maintain and grow contacts with authors, editors, and reviewers from around the world
- contribute to the development of new journal content
- introduce best practice and innovations in scientific publishing, responding to the changing academic publication landscape
- support the editors in maintaining highest standards of research integrity for the journals
- interact with editors, reviewers, and authors to achieve efficient progression of manuscripts and expedite transparent decision making
- maintain, streamline, and improve the manuscript submission system (ScholarOne)
- participate in presentations at editorial board meetings and attend relevant SSE and ESEB meetings
- assist the societies with promoting content via broad media platforms
- represent the journals to the wider research community

The successful candidate should have:

- a deep interest in evolutionary biology
- a Ph.D. in a related discipline
- a commitment to broadening participation in the publication process and increasing accessibility for our global community of authors and readers
- some experience in academic journal publishing and peer review management
- an understanding of ethical issues, sources of bias, and financial drivers in journal publishing
- effective interpersonal skills to facilitate interactions with editors, authors, reviewers, and publishers
- excellent organizational skills and the ability to meet deadlines
- an interest in science communication
- an excellent command of the English language
- familiarity with the application and use of media and social media tools

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values of SSE and ESEB. We are committed to ensuring that all of our activities reflect those values. We strongly encourage applications from researchers identifying as a member of a historically marginalized group in STEM.

The appointee will receive a salary commensurate with experience, with benefits according to local employment regulations. Location of the position will be determined in consultation with the successful candidate. Start date is negotiable, but no later than November 1, 2022.

Applications should be submitted as a single pdf including a cover letter, a curriculum vitae, and the contact information of three referees and should be sent by email to communications@evolutionsociety.org. Please include a description of relevant editorial and management experience in the cover letter as well as any training in evolutionary biology. Review of applications will begin on September 1, 2022.

Please direct queries to the society Executive Vice presidents: Andrea Case, SSE (execvp@evolutionsociety.org [3]), Koen Verhoeven, ESEB (K.Verhoeven@nioo.knaw.nl [4]).

About the societies:

The Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE) was founded in March, 1946. The objectives of the Society for the Study of Evolution are the promotion of the study of organic evolution and the integration of the various fields of science concerned with evolution. The Society publishes the scientific journal Evolution [5] and co-publishes Evolution Letters [6] along with the European Society of Evolutionary Biology. SSE also holds annual meetings in which scientific findings on evolutionary biology are presented and discussed.

The European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB) is an academic society that brings together more than 1500 evolutionary biologists from Europe and the rest of the world – researchers, lecturer, students, as well as journalists and other persons interested in evolution. By joining you become part of this academic community.

About the journals:

The journal Evolution publishes articles in all areas of evolutionary biology. We welcome manuscripts presenting significant, original empirical studies and theoretical investigations that broaden understanding of evolutionary phenomena and processes at all levels of biological organization. We welcome submissions in fields that are regularly featured in the journal and are also expanding our coverage in evolutionary genomics, molecular evolution, and quantitative genetics. Evolution is a hybrid journal with deep discounts on OA charges for SSE members.

Evolution Letters publishes cutting-edge new research in all areas of Evolutionary Biology. Papers should demand rapid publication because they substantially advance the field, are of outstanding clarity and originality, or are of broad interest. Papers that introduce new analytical or methodological frameworks that are likely to be highly influential will also be considered. We expect our papers to be able to convey the findings succinctly and accessibly - typically in 5000 words or less. Longer or highly technical papers may be better suited to a different journal.

Evolution Letters is jointly owned by the European Society of Evolutionary Biology (ESEB) and the Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE). Profits from the journal are invested back into the two societies. The journal is online only and entirely open access. The journal has a flexible approach to the format of manuscripts on submission and will only ask authors to adhere to a house style (see Instructions for Authors) once the manuscript is accepted for publication.