Organization Overview

PLOS (the Public Library of Science) is a nonprofit publisher and advocacy organization located in San Francisco, CA, USA and Cambridge, U.K. Our mission is to accelerate progress in science and medicine by leading a transformation in research communication. Everything that we publish is open-access – freely available online for anyone to use and we maximize the value of this resource through technology.

PLOS has a global team of more than 150 people working in our editorial, production, information technology, administration, marketing, communications, and advocacy teams. Our work environment is team-oriented and rich in innovative ideas. PLOS’s distinguished Board of Directors includes eminent scientists, business leaders, and entrepreneurs.

In just eight years, PLOS has established seven highly successful journals that publish original content, an influential blog network, and a number of other initiatives to improve the organization and assessment of content for the benefit of different communities.

PLOS continues to expand. Currently, we are seeking talented candidates for the following positions:

• Director of PLOS Labs
• Director of Publishing Services
• Editorial Manager – PLOS ONE
• Freelance Consultants – PLOS Biology
• IT Support Technician – Level 1
• Office Administrator
• Publications Assistant – Cross Journal (Fixed-Term)
• Publications Assistant – PLOS Computational Biology and PLOS Genetics
• Publications Assistant – PLOS ONE
• Publications Assistant – PLOS Medicine – UK
• Publications Assistant – PLOS Medicine – US
• Production Coordinator
• Senior Editor – PLOS ONE
• Senior Project Manager
• Web Developer
• Windows Systems Administrator

Application Procedure

Please send a resume, a cover letter, and a phone number where you can be contacted to jobs@plos.org and use the job title as the subject of your email. Certain jobs may carry special application procedures; please make careful note of those and follow directions indicated. No phone calls or visits, please. Principals only – email from recruiters will be ignored.

Director of PLOS Labs

We are currently looking for a Director of PLOS Labs to join our team within our rapidly growing San Francisco office. PLOS Labs – is a small, independent research and development team that will conceive, research, design and prototype innovative ways for scientists to communicate with each other and the public.

Responsibilities:

PLOS Labs will be the vanguard of our continuing efforts to push the envelope of scientific communication. The successful applicant will lead a small group which will rapidly prototype and otherwise explore ideas developed by the PLOS Labs team in conjunction with an Oversight Committee consisting of representatives from the organization’s board of directors, management and staff.

The ideal candidate will have a track record of innovation and experimentation, experience managing in a dynamic environment, a creative, “can do”, attitude, and the drive to transform the way scientists communicate with each other and the public.

Investigation of high impact, innovative ideas and potential projects as directed by Oversight Committee; recommendations for implementation; basic product prototyping or demonstrations of existing products.

• Investigation may include: summary of related work; assessment of available options for moving forward; evaluation of existing products.
• Recommendations may include: product development; partnerships, joint development; use of existing products; market/financial analysis; analysis of staffing needs, cost and time to implementation.
• Prototyping. Group will have technical ability to do simple prototyping, interface mockups, basic sketch ups.

Sample projects:

• Development of on-line authoring tools that enable author-controlled manuscript layout and proofing.
• Options for automated semantic enrichment of articles; web-based tools for text mining.
• Large dataset publication: open data standards; storage; development of on-line tools for large dataset manipulation and re-use.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Career trajectory that reflects at least 10 years of relevant hands-on experience with at least 7 years in management.
• Experience managing a development team, development projects and project deliverables.
• Strong understanding of software design concepts, usability and emerging technologies.
• Background in product management, interaction design, visual design, and user research.
• Knowledge of ePublishing systems and open content a plus.
• Familiarity with Open Source technologies.
• Experience working with project collaboration applications (MS Project, phpCollab, etc.).
• Demonstrable passion for, and/or qualifications in, science or medicine.

Apply now | Return to top

Director of Publishing Services

We are currently looking for an experienced Director of Publishing Services to serve across the PLOS journals. This Director role is the most senior member of the journal editorial administration team and has overall responsibility for the editorial operations processes.

Responsibilities:

The Director of Publishing Services oversees all functional and administrative aspects of the journals including managing the processes and tools in the publishing pipeline from submissions through peer review and the handoff to Production. The Director of Publishing Services will work with Editorial Directors and Senior Editorial staff to set parameters for each journal and then build appropriate processes to fit those parameters.

This position works closely with Editorial Leaders who have responsibility for evaluating content and setting editorial policies and working with other supporting departments to establish service levels and bet practices. Using a data- and metrics-driven program of continual process optimization, the Director of Publishing Services will actively serve the needs of the editorial leadership while striving for maximum efficiency and scalability across the journals.

Publishing Services Management

• Oversee overall editorial management functions across all PLOS journals, including managing the Editorial Management staff who work across and within journals.
• Improve the operational systems, processes, and workflow in support of the PLOS mission and organizational goals — specifically, support better management reporting, information flow and reporting, business process, and organizational planning.
• Manage process engineering including conducting regular process audits and putting in place an ongoing improvement program.
• Define metrics of success and use analytics and reporting to measure continued improvements in efficiency.
• Create growth management program to predict and prepare for increases in submissions and publication volumes.
• Manage relationship with departments providing supporting services (Production and Customer Support), working with Directors in those areas towards ongoing improvements in end-to-end process.
• Facilitate Editorial participation in key strategic initiatives such as innovations in the submission, editorial, and peer review processes.
• Liaise with Directors and Managers in Production, IT/Dev, Product, Customer Experience, Finance, and other departments.
• Contribute to PLOS’ long-term planning, including initiatives geared toward operational excellence and growth management.

Resource Management

• Contribute to effective forecasting program to predict and staff according to growth in publishing program.
• Oversee hiring and management of key positions in editorial operations and services, such as Editorial Managers, Publications Managers and Publication Assistants.
• Contribute to a professional development program for Editorial Managers, Publication Managers, and other staff within the Publishing Services Department.
• Manage outsourcing program including RFPs, contract negotiation, oversight, measures and reports on effectiveness.
• Oversee technology and service decisions needed to support the Editorial group, supply requirements to Production and IT to ensure maximal Editorial effectiveness.
• Oversee effectiveness and use of systems such as Editorial Manager, Salesforce, and internal PLOS systems for analytics.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree required. Advanced degree (MA, MBA, PhD) strongly preferred.
• A minimum of 7 to 10 years’ experience in publishing and/or editorial operations in STM journal publishing.
• Experience supervising staff.
• Skilled in collecting, analyzing and interpreting data.
• Experience in successful process engineering, including measured improvements.
• Experience in financial modeling, budgeting, resourcing. Experience in outsourcing and managing contracts.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.

Apply now | Return to top

Editorial Manager – PLOS ONE

We are currently looking for an experienced Editorial Manager to join our PLOS ONE journal within our rapidly growing San Francisco office. Relocation support will be provided if applicable.

The ideal candidate will have a clear understanding of what drives the world of content, particularly in the arena of online publishing and data integrity. Project management (end-to-end) along with proven line management skills (ideally with 3+ direct reports) are required in this volume driven, high intensity, publishing environment. A highly organized self-starter with first class communication and problem solving skills is also required of this operations manager. Previous experience working in a fast paced environment is a must. The Editorial Manager is a senior member of the journal editorial administration team and has overall responsibility for a specific major component of the PLOS ONE editorial administrative process.

The Editorial Manager line manages staff, and is a principal point of contact for the journal for other departments internally and for external contacts relevant to that publication. The Editorial Manager is also required to work on cross-journal projects and provide some cross-journal management support.

Note: This position works on the administration side of the journal and has no responsibility for evaluating content or setting content policies (there is a separate team of editors who cover that aspect of the journal).

Responsibilities:

Staff Management

• Management of approximately 5-9 staff members, made up of Publication Assistants (PA) and Publications Managers (PM).
• Recruitment, training and development of PA and PM staff.
• Appraisals for assigned staff and recommendations for promotion as appropriate.

Publications Operation

• Overall responsibility for elements of journal administration and assignment of tasks within their team, plus oversight of freelance and outsource staff if relevant.
• Ensuring that standard editorial processes are robust and are being followed according to established objectives.
• Identification of opportunities for improved efficiencies and customer service.
• Oversight of relationship with Editorial Board.
• Contribute to journal development in collaboration with senior editorial staff and the Senior Editorial Manager.
• Monitoring and analysis of journal statistics – and taking action where needed.
• Can solve complex editorial issues on the journal – and offer advice and training to colleagues on other journals.
• Covering for colleagues when necessary.

Cross-Publication Work

• Coordination with Editorial Managers and Publications Managers on the other journals to ensure harmonization and efficiency of processes, journal info pages, peer review software (Aries) etc.
• Planning and help with cover as necessary.
• Liaison with the (cross journal) Publications Team and taking responsibility for certain assigned tasks (e.g. coordination of pricing increase information across journals, providing editorial input for web projects etc).
• Fully represent journal on major cross-journal projects.

General

• Representing PLOS externally (e.g. at conferences, events)
• Able to deputize for the Senior Editorial Manager.
• Aware of PLOS’ broader organization objectives and able to explain to junior staff, as well as external stakeholders, new developments in relation to these objectives.
• Aware of, and must work within, the budgetary constraints of the journal.

Qualifications and Experience:

• 4+ years’ experience working in content or data experience with a preference for web publishing.
• 5+ years’ experience of direct people management; experience and aptitude for managing and supervising staff and able to effectively implement best practices for developing staff.
• Experience working with a content management system.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, particularly the ability to conduct data analysis in Excel when confirming data sets and validating reports.
• Proven project and complex process management experience; adept at juggling a variety of projects and team members simultaneously while under strict deadlines.
• Comfortable with ambiguous deadlines, having the versatility and flexibility to adjust work flow and partner with team members when creating workaround solutions in response to journal development cycle demands.
• Strong collaboration skills and sound judgment when interacting with internal teams and when representing the journal at conferences and offsite meetings.
• Effective presentation skills, both internally (with diverse teams) and externally, to various stakeholders within the journal industry.
• Ability to present information clearly and concisely to various audiences.
• Excel at problem solving with the capacity to respond to input from team members and cooperatively develop solutions.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure and maintain a sense of humor.
• Excellent communication skills, written and oral.
• Proactive approach to the identification of opportunities for improvement.

Apply now | Return to top

Freelance Consultants – PLOS Biology

Services provided by consultants will include participation in the review and appraisal of submitted papers, and may include involvement in the oversight of peer review and decisions on publication of research articles in collaboration with the journal editors and our editorial board, advice on commissioning and peer review of articles for the journal’s Magazine section in collaboration with journal editors, and possible participation in editorial writing, along with writing of blog entries, press releases, editors’ summaries and other related material.

We are looking for candidates who can provide part time freelance editorial services either as part of a freelance portfolio or while maintaining scientific research responsibilities elsewhere.

This is freelance work, likely to be up to 1-2 days per week. Freelancers are not employed by the Public Library of Science and are expected to work remotely.

Qualifications and Experience:

Candidates should usually have a PhD, with several years of relevant post-doctoral experience, and wide biological knowledge, with good contacts in the research community. Applicants with experience in any of the following areas would be particularly welcome: molecular and cellular biology, genetics, neuroscience, microbiology, immunology, ecology and evolution. Applicants should have skill in critically evaluating biological research and be able to prioritize and work efficiently to deadlines. Experience in editorial and peer review processes is ideal but not essential.

Application Process

The positions are available immediately. To apply, please send resume and cover letter outlining your suitability for this position to jobs@plos.org and use “Freelance Consultants, PLOS Biology” as the subject of your email. You must include earliest availability and hourly/daily rate expectations.

Apply now | Return to top

IT Support Technician – Level 1

We are currently looking for a entry-level IT Support Technician – Level to assist the IT department with support and systems administration within our rapidly growing San Francisco office.

The ideal candidate will be a confident and organized self-starter with first class communication and problem solving skills. Previous experience working in a fast paced environment is a must. The successful candidate will be responsible for administrative support to a group of senior staff and other duties as assigned.

Responsibilities:

• Act as the primary contact for all Tier1 Helpdesk support.
• Assist the Systems Team in server and network maintenance.
• Conduct a workstation sweep and inventory audit.
• Keep a clean, swept, and organized server room.
• Organize the IT documentation, materials and supplies.
• Add support instructions and IT documentation to the company Intranet.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Must be a recent graduate or currently seeking an Associate degree or related certifications, or be able to display a high technical competency.
• High motivation and interest in pursuing a career in systems and/or network administration.
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Situational awareness is a requirement. Candidates must consider the organizational reprecisions of any technology tasks.
• Customer Service experience.

Apply now | Return to top

Office Administrator

We are currently looking for an experienced Office Administrator to join our Administration team within our UK office, based in Cambridge. Our office currently provides support for approximately 40 PLOS staff, and we expect continued growth.

You will be a confident and highly organized self-starter with excellent organizational skills, ability to manage a range of administrative responsibilities, highly developed problem solving and communication skills. The Office Administrator is one of a three person UK Administration team and reports to the Administrative Services Manager.

Responsibilities:

The Office Administrator is the first point of administrative contact for external suppliers and internal teams. Our office provides a warm, welcoming and supportive culture for our staff and the Office Administrator role is essential in building this very special environment.

Facilities:

• Maintenance of office environment, management of facility needs, ordering of supplies, point of contact with landlord with respect to building facilities, health and safety implementation, internal and external event planning and execution.

Finance:

• Development and maintenance of supplier relationships, liaison with US based accounting team, advising UK staff on procedures for purchase orders, expense claims, credit card statements, completion of UK admin related purchase orders.Mentoring junior colleagues.

HR Administration:

• Providing new staff with facility and health & safety inductions, maintenance of personnel, training, holiday and sickness absence records, scheduling of interviews.

General Office Administration:

• Ensuring that procedures are kept up to date and clearly explained to UK staff, development and maintenance of internal UK administration website. Providing training to staff in the use of external business travel portal. Welcoming of external visitors, liaison with US administrative team, provision of cover for other UK administrative team members, including PA support for senior managers.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Some form of higher education desirable.
• Substantial experience of progressively responsible administration in a professional office environment.
• Competent in use of Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Comfortable with use of the web, communication by email, conference call and videoconferencing. Demonstrable ability to quickly master new technologies.
• Highly efficient, organized and flexible.
• Ability to adapt to a dynamic environment, learn quickly and show a willingness to investigate and solve difficult issues.
• Able to work autonomously with little direction.
• Able to remain calm and professional, even when under pressure.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.

Apply now | Return to top

Publications Assistant – Cross Journal (Fixed-term)

We are looking for a Publications Assistant (to work in Cambridge, UK for 11 months) to work across our journals.

As a member of the editorial administration team, the Publications Assistant helps authors and reviewers with our submission system and supports the professional editors working for the journals.

Responsibilities:

• Operating our online submission system to facilitate the peer review process for the journal
• Assisting authors, reviewers, and academic editors by answering queries by email and phone and uploading files to ensure a timely peer review process
• Supporting the Editors and Publication Managers in their tasks
• Communicating issues raised by our production team to authors and academic editors
• Fielding questions from scientists, members of the public and the press about the journal
• Undertaking special projects as directed by the Publication Managers

Qualifications and Experience:

• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal)
• Organizational skills (especially the ability to prioritize, meet deadlines and multitask)
• Technical proficiencies (knowledge of Excel, Word, file types and file conversions)
• A conscientious approach with good attention to detail
• The ability to work as part of a team
• A university degree, ideally in a scientific discipline
• An interest, and preferably experience, in STM or academic publishing
• An interest in science, medicine and publication ethics

Apply now | Return to top

Publications Assistant – PLOS Computational Biology and PLOS Genetics

We are currently looking for a talented Publications Assistant in our Cambridge, UK office to join the editorial administration team of the journals PLOS Computational Biology and PLOS Genetics for a fixed-term of 11 months.

The ideal candidate will be a confident and highly organized self-starter with first class communication and problem solving skills. Previous experience working in a fast paced environment is a must. The successful candidate will be a team player, organized and conscientious with good attention to detail and the ability to meet often competing deadlines. General knowledge of science would be advantageous but is not essential.

Responsibilities:

• Operating our online peer-review software to facilitate the peer review process
• Assisting authors, reviewers, and volunteer academic editors by answering queries by email and phone, uploading files, ensuring a timely peer review process
• Troubleshooting routine manuscript issues, providing input on manuscript discussions and escalating issues when appropriate
• Quality check of accepted and typeset manuscripts
• Undertaking special projects as directed by your line manager

Qualifications and Experience:

• A university degree or equivalent, ideally – but not necessarily – in a scientific discipline
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal)
• Ability to organize own workload, and to work under direction
• Organizational skills (especially the ability to prioritize, meet deadlines and multitask)
• Technical proficiencies (knowledge of Excel, Word, file types and file conversions)
• An interest, and preferably experience, in Open Access STM or academic publishing is desirable

Apply now | Return to top

Publications Assistant – PLOS ONE

We are currently looking for two energetic and committed Publications Assistants to join our PLOS ONE team within our rapidly growing San Francisco office.

The ideal candidates will be confident and highly organized self-starters with first class communication and problem solving skills, able to hand day to day tasks to ensure the smooth running of the PLOS ONE journal. Previous experience working in a fast paced environment is a must. The successful candidate will be responsible for providing professional service to authors, reviewers, and academic editors, assisting them with the submission system. This position supports the editorial operations management team and the professional editors working for the journal. This is not a writing job.

Responsibilities:

• Operating our online peer-review software to facilitate the peer review process for the journal
• Assisting authors, reviewers, and academic editors by answering queries by email and phone, uploading files, ensuring a timely peer review process
• Maintaining and updating journal operation process workflows as directed
• Supporting the editorial operations management team and editors in the San Francisco and Cambridge offices
• Troubleshooting routine manuscript issues, providing input on manuscript discussions and escalating issues when appropriate
• Assisting with the editorial board recruitment process and discussion forum
• Communicating issues raised by our internal team to authors and academic editors
• Fielding questions from scientists, members of the public and the press about the journal
• Other projects as approved by the editorial operations management team

Qualifications and Experience:

• College graduate with a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree is preferred
• Experience with online systems or databases would be an advantage
• The ability to manage and prioritize workload is required
• Able to work with all Microsoft Office applications (especially knowledge of Excel, Word, file types, and file conversions)
• Enthusiasm for science and/or technology, highly efficient, organized and flexible
• High level of maturity and conscientious approach in resolving clients concerns with close attention to detail
• Proven self-starter, able to work individually and as part of a team to support the journal needs
• Excellent organizational skills, the ability to manage and prioritize workload is required
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills

Apply now | Return to top

Publications Assistant – PLOS Medicine – UK

We are currently looking for a talented Publications Assistant to join our editorial administration team within the PLOS Medicine Publishing Group. This position will be located in our Cambridge, UK office.

The Publications Assistant will work across the Medicine Publishing Group journals (PLOS Medicine, PLOS Pathogens, and PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases) to assist with specific journal and cross-journal tasks, with emphasis on process standardization and improvement. They will support the progression of set journal and cross-journal goals and will assist with gathering statistics and testing system developments. They should be able to cover aspects of the journal-specific Publications Assistants workload, and be able to deputize for the Publications Managers when required.

The ideal candidate will be a confident and highly organized self-starter with first class communication and problem solving skills. Previous experience working in a fast paced environment is a must. The successful candidate will be a team player, organized and conscientious with good attention to detail and the ability to meet often competing deadlines. General knowledge of science, science publishing, and/or open access would be advantageous but is not essential.

Responsibilities:

• Operating our online peer-review software to facilitate the peer review process for each journal
• Assisting authors, reviewers, and academic editors by answering queries by email and phone, uploading files, and ensuring a timely peer review process
• Quality check of submitted manuscripts
• Troubleshooting routine manuscript issues, providing input on manuscript discussions and escalating issues when appropriate
• Assisting with the gathering of statistical data for the journals
• Maintaining and updating journal operation process workflows as directed
• Undertaking special projects as directed by the line manager- emphasis on process standardization and improvement with a focus on speed, efficiency and quality

Qualifications and Experience:

• College graduate with a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree is preferred
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills
• The ability to manage and prioritize workload under competing deadlines
• Able to work with all Microsoft Office applications (especially knowledge of Excel, Word, file types, and file conversions)
• An interest, and preferably experience, in Open Access STM or academic publishing is desirable

Apply now | Return to top

Publications Assistant – PLOS Medicine – US

We are currently looking for a talented Publications Assistant to join our Community Journals team within our rapidly growing San Francisco office.

The ideal candidate will be a confident and highly organized self-starter with first class communication and problem solving skills. Previous experience working in a fast paced environment is a must. The successful candidate will be responsible for facilitating the functioning of the PLOS Medicine community-run journal, by helping authors and reviewers through the peer review process. General knowledge of science, science publishing, and/or open access would be advantageous but is not essential.

Responsibilities:

• Operating our online peer-review software to facilitate the peer review process for each journal.
• Operate our online submission system, Editorial Manager, to facilitate the peer review process for each journal.
• Assist authors, reviewers, and academic editors by answering queries by email and phone, uploading files, and ensuring a timely peer review proces.
• Professionally communicate issues raised by our production team to authors.
• Field questions from scientists, members of the public, and the press about the journals.
• Support the Publications Managers in their tasks.
• Other special projects as approved by the Publications Managers and Editorial Manager.

Qualifications and Experience:

• College graduate with a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree is preferred.
• Previous experience in publishing, preferably STM or academic is desirable.
• Familiarity with content management systems. Able to work with all Microsoft Office applications.
• Enthusiasm for science and/or technology, highly efficient, organized and flexible.
• High level of maturity and sensitivity in resolving clients concerns.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.

Apply now | Return to top

Production Coordinator

We are currently looking for a talented Production Coordinator to join our Production team within our rapidly growing San Francisco office.

The ideal candidate will be a confident and highly organized self-starter with first class communication and problem solving skills.  Applicants must be extremely detail-oriented, highly organized and be able to work cooperatively in a team-oriented environment within the Production umbrella.

This position is an exciting opportunity for an individual starting out in the online academic publishing world that has an interest in science, medicine and publication ethics, and is eager to apply both strong computer application skills, and a problem solving aptitude to a fast-paced, results driven, publishing domain. Previous experience working in a fast paced environment is a must.

This position requires extensive use of computers and the dexterity to work with numerous files simultaneously while maintaining consistent quality control.  The successful candidate will work with a team of coordinators to execute the timely publication of articles, while also working cooperatively with other internal teams and with authors to ensure that their submissions are complete and assist those with production related questions and issues.

Responsibilities:

• Assisting authors with manuscript questions and issues (via email and/or phone).
• Ensuring that figures and tables meet publication requirements.
• Tracking files at various stages of production to ensure timely publication.
• Performing quality control and light copyediting on text files and article metadata.
• Performing quality control on web files before final publication.

Qualifications and Experience:

• We are looking for a hands-on quick learner preferably with a degree in a scientific discipline, although equivalent work experience will be considered.
• Background working with a content management system or similar software driven tracking system.
• Familiarity with XML-based publishing is preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and Explorer. Basic knowledge of graphics software programs is also preferred.
• Experience with scientific and medical publications and/or other publishing are desirable.
• Ability to adapt to a dynamic environment, learns new software quickly, and shows a willingness to investigate and solve difficult issues.
• Organizational skills (strong ability to manage aggressive deadlines and coordinate multiple tasks).
• Graphics experience (Understanding of basic digital media concepts such as resolution and file types).
• Strong communication skills, the application of sound judgment, tact and decisiveness when working with multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to learn and enforce style and formatting rules.
• Able to work independently and demonstrate initiative.

Apply now | Return to top

Senior Editor – PLOS ONE

We are currently looking for an experienced Senior Editor to join our Editorial team within our Cambridge, UK office.  The ideal candidate will be a confident and highly organized self-starter with first class communication and problem solving skills. Previous experience working in a fast paced environment is a must.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee manuscripts through the editorial process to ensure fast and thorough review of all submissions.
• Work closely with the in-house PLOS ONE editorial administration team to ensure rapid and effective communication between in-house staff, editorial board members, authors and reviewers.
• Oversee assignment of manuscripts to Academic Editors and develop processes for handling unassigned papers.
• Develop and manage procedures for vetting submitted manuscripts, so that inappropriate submissions are dealt with promptly and key publishing and ethical standards are met.
• Create and maintain protocol documents to ensure smooth running of the editorial workflow.
• Own and manage the relationship with any external freelance editorial groups.
• Work with in-house editors to resolve any issues that arise with submitted and published manuscripts.
• Provide support and advice to Academic and Associate Editors as needed.
• Provide advice and insight on PLOS ONE Editorial Policies.
• Deputize for the Editorial Director as needed.

Qualifications and Experience:

• A PhD (in a scientific discipline) or similar clinical qualification.
• Substantial editorial experience in scientific or medical journals publishing, ideally on a biomedical research journal.
• Experience of supervising staff.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, both written and oral.
• Excellent analytical skills and an appreciation of publishing standards for original biomedical research.
• The confidence to deal with difficult editorial decisions.
• Good understanding of online and technical aspects of scientific communication.
• Organized and efficient, strong problem solving ability.
• Ability to develop and document set procedures.

Apply now | Return to top

Senior Project Manager

We are currently looking for a talented Senior Project Manager to join our PMO team within our rapidly growing San Francisco office. The ideal candidate will be a confident and highly organized self-starter with first class communication and problem solving skills. Previous experience working in a fast paced environment is a must. The successful candidate will be responsible for providing project management expertise across the organization.

Responsibilities:

• Work with a diverse mix of business areas including marketing, product, technology and facilities to manage assigned projects that meet defined objectives.
• Lead project teams responsible for delivering high visibility projects that involve multiple stakeholder communities within the organization.
• Lead other project managers and provide guidance, mentoring, direction and training.
• Work with project teams to create, execute, and as needed, revise project work plans and schedules.
• Ensure project documents (including project charter, scope, communication and risk management) plans are complete, current, and stored appropriately.
• Facilitate regular status meetings with project teams and provide timely project status reports to management and project team members.
• Drive process improvements as needed to improve efficiency across the organization.
• Resolve and/or escalate project issues in a timely fashion.
• As required, act as a ScrumMaster for development projects:
  • Lead daily scrums
  • Work with the product and development team in sprint planning
  • Oversee the Sprint task board
  • Lead the Sprint planning, review and retrospective meetings

Qualifications and Experience:

• College graduate preferred.
• 10+ years prior project management experience.
• Formal training in project management methodology; PMP certification required.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience with Agile Scrum and traditional project management methodologies.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-disciplinary software products and application development projects.
• ScrumMaster training and working knowledge of JIRA preferred.
• Experience with cloud-based applications, SaaS, and/or content-driven companies a plus.
• Proven track record of applying project management methodology to create project plans and execution strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to manage projects to completion on-time and at budget.
• Excellent organizational and personal time management skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated high productivity and adaptability within a fast-changing environment.
• Highly efficient, organized and flexible. High level of maturity and confidence interacting with Executives, senior staff and setting project deliverables.

Apply now | Return to top

Web Developer

We are currently looking for a talented Web Developer to join our Production Operations team within our rapidly growing San Francisco office.

The ideal candidate will be a confident and highly organized self-starter with first class communication and problem solving skills. Previous experience working in a fast paced environment is a must. The successful candidate will be responsible for maintaining, updating, and improving various internal tools used to manage article production processes, as well as proving coding support for various public facing web sites managed by the PLOS Web Technologies team. Candidate must be detailed-oriented, independent, and enjoy learning and working with new technologies.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain and extend XSL and XSL-FO stylesheets used to display and output PDFs for articles.
• Improve and extend tools to automatically verify and test XML documents for quality.
• Work with team members to enhance scalability, usability, and security of existing software tools for managing electronic article production.
• Refactor existing code to ensure maintainability and extensibility.
• Troubleshoot and debug automated article production processes as needed.
• Enhance organizational tools for data management and reporting, including web services and visualization algorithms.
• Create and maintain documentation (specifications and usage) of applications, tools, and websites.
• Analyze operational issues, then design and code scripted solutions to improve workflows.
• Collaborate with team members to code and implement custom extensions, plugins or modules for various websites based Drupal, Django, and WordPress.

Qualifications and Experience:

• College graduate preferred.
• At least 2 years prior programming experience.
• Proficiency in PHP, Python, XML, and SQL.
• Experience with document and text processing, particularly using XSL and XSL-FO.
• Strong knowledge of Linux systems, command-line applications, including bash scripting.
• Working knowledge of front-end web technologies such as HTML5, CSS, JQuery/Javascript.
• Experience with Open-Source software development and communities.
• Experience with object-oriented design and development.
• Understanding of version-control systems including CVS, SVN, and Git.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work well in a team environment.

Apply now | Return to top

Windows Systems Administrator

We are currently seeking a Windows Systems Administrator to join our IT Operations team within our rapidly growing San Francisco office. The hired candidate will manage our in-house and co-located servers, which provide internal and external services at PLOS.

This is a full-time position and reports to the Senior Systems Administrator at PLOS.

Responsibilities:

• Ensure that the existing infrastructure functions smoothly.
• Provide the highest level of service to users.
• Maintain Windows servers and network infrastructure.
• Migrate existing servers to VMWare.
• Take ownership of current Microsoft SQL Server 2008 implementation including maintenance, backup/recovery, best practices, scaling, etc.
• Configure, maintain and monitor networking devices, VPN and firewalls.
• Configure, administer and provide troubleshooting for Windows Servers, Microsoft Exchange, Active Director and SharePoint.
• Provide technical support for ERP solutions (PLOS uses Microsoft Dynamics NAV financial software solutions and Financials and Adaptive Planning budgeting and forecasting software solutions).
• Support for Apple products in the enterprise.
• Support Salesforce.com solutions.
• Plan and execute the migration of servers and applications, as needed.
• Develop an ongoing maintenance schedule (e.g. backups, log rotations, checking systems status for servers and workstations) and disaster recovery plan.
• Recommend policies and standards for the office infrastructure and the helpdesk function.
• Enforce systems architecture standards.
• Provide critical technical role in systems and network IT projects.
• Evaluate, recommend, purchase and implement software / tools / technology for the Organization.
• Install, maintain and support workstations, laptops and servers across the Organization.
• Mentor one or more Support Technicians.
• Update specific vendor product information.

Qualifications and Experience:

• 5+ years of experience as a Systems Administrator or a similar role.
• Strong background in configuring, administering and troubleshooting of Windows Server, Microsoft Exchange, Active Director and Microsoft Office.
• Experienced in hardware installation, maintenance and support for workstations, laptops and servers.
• Experienced in VMWare infrastructure.
• Experienced with Cisco routers and switches, ASA firewalls, Wifi routers and network architectures.
• Solid understanding of DNS, IP subnets.
• Knowledge of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 database and SQL.
• Experience supporting Apple products in Active Directory.
• Experience implementing and supporting SharePoint 2007/2010.
• Experience supporting Salesforce.com applications is preferred.
• Strong motivation to complete projects quickly.
• Ability to handle multiple concurrent activities with a positive and flexible attitude.
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills.
• Good planning and organizational skills.
• Proven ability to write end-user documentation for non-technical staff.
• Ability to travel occasionally, either in the Bay Area or to PLOS’ U.K. office.
• Educational Requirements:
  • Degree in Computer Science or a related field or equivalent experience.
  • MCITP certification preferred.
  • VCP (VMWare Certified Professional) certification preferred.

Apply now | Return to top