Director of Peer Review Systems

Location: UK or USA
Salary: Excellent, on application

Our client, a global leader in scholarly publishing and digital learning solutions, is seeking a Director of Peer Review Systems. This is a senior leadership position responsible for overseeing the strategy, implementation, optimisation, and support of peer review and submission systems across the Editorial Division.

This role ensures that their society and publisher clients benefit from best-in-class technology platforms that are efficient, reliable, and aligned with evolving industry standards.

The Director will manage system administration, development, configuration, and troubleshooting of major manuscript management platforms, while collaborating with editorial leadership, technology teams, and clients to design workflows that maximise quality and efficiency.

The role also involves evaluating emerging technologies, guiding system migrations, and providing thought leadership on innovations in peer review systems. This position requires a balance of technical expertise, client engagement skills, and operational leadership to ensure both day-to-day excellence and long-term strategic development of peer review systems

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership and Team Management

• Lead and manage a global team of peer review system specialists.

• Define team priorities, allocate resources, and monitor productivity and service quality.

• Recruit, train, and mentor staff in system administration, workflow design, and client support.

• Collaborate with Learning and Development to create training modules for staff and client editors.

• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.

System Oversight and Optimisation

• Serve as the senior authority on peer review and submission systems.

• Oversee peer review technology development and related initiatives.

• Manage system configurations to align with client workflows and statements of work.

• Monitor system performance, resolve issues, and mitigate risks proactively.

• Develop standardised workflows and protocols to ensure efficiency and quality.

Client Engagement and Account Support

• Partner with editorial account leads to align systems with client goals.

• Serve as a senior liaison with client editorial offices and system vendors.

• Support new client onboarding by implementing customised peer review workflows.

• Provide strategic recommendations to improve system efficiency, transparency, and integrity safeguards.

• Contribute to client renewals and business development through peer review expertise.

Strategic Development and Innovation

• Evaluate emerging platforms, AI tools, and workflow technologies.

• Lead system migration projects with minimal disruption.

• Identify opportunities for automation and data integration.

• Represent the business in vendor partnerships, industry groups, and professional forums.

• Develop reporting frameworks to analyse performance and drive continuous improvement.

Skills & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree desirable.

• 10+ years of experience with peer review systems administration and workflow design.

• Expertise with major manuscript systems (Editorial Manager, ScholarOne, eJournalPress) and knowledge of emerging platforms (ReView, Manuscript Manager).

• Proven success leading teams and managing large-scale peer review workflows.

• Strong knowledge of scholarly publishing standards, trends, and technologies.

• Experience in system migrations, workflow redesign, and vendor management.

• Strong client-facing skills with the ability to explain technical solutions clearly.

• Excellent communication, organisational, and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to balance operational details with strategic vision.

• Experience working with global teams, including India-based staff, is desirable.

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