Assistant Commissioning Editor

Job Purpose:
To grow Sage portfolio primarily in Science, Technology & Medicine in line with the company strategy, and drive publishing by providing best-in-class author experience. The key responsibility is to acquire/commission high-value, suitable journals as per focus disciplines of Sage in India and SAARC. This will be by ensuring that we understand the expectations of the market – academic research institutions, think-tanks, medical research societies, educational organizations, etc. and accordingly engage with them while maintaining a strong focus on quality of content, global fit, saleability, and rigour in review. The commissioning editor is a key member in journals publishing team working closely together with other stake holders. The candidate should enjoy engagement with the market, editorial boards, societies and institutions with financial and marketing acumen.
Key Accountabilities:
Business development, and customer relationships
To maintain a record of current details of relationships with the institutions and other stakeholders and identify follow-up actions when required.
Responsible for differentiating and adding journals according to fit to both Sage portfolio and our Spectrum services portfolio.
To upscale knowledge of emerging market trends in publishing and provide regular feedback to Sage sharing insight with a particular focus on competitor activity and overall landscape.
Prepare a travel plan, as required, to cover institutions/conferences in cities across India for lead generation and keep in regular touch with editors/society both personally and through correspondence.
Compliance with procedure
Preparing & taking forward the Journal Summary for each journal to conduct evaluation taking into consideration a range of criteria, including the Sage global policy, compatibility with the publisher’s list, unique selling points, an assessment of the editor/society, an appraisal of competing works, and projected sales.
Preparing the P&L of each journal and arriving at a price that is both competitive as well as profitable.
Meeting with journal editors/society to understand their proposed journals and their expectations while attending promptly to all correspondence marked to your attention or addressed to you.
Acquiring approvals from all relevant departments within Sage India and Sage UK/US.
Liaising as per requirement with different departments such as Sales, Managing, Production, Peer Review, Marketing, Customer Service, and Finance.
Post acceptance of the journal, preparing Sage proposal and sending it over to the editors/society.
Negotiating the terms of contract, including subvention, etc.
Issuing contracts in a timely manner and ensuring that they are signed and returned promptly.
Preparing the transmittal document and sending it to the stakeholders.
Ensuring that all necessary paperwork — Journal Proposal form, Journal Summary, P&L, JEM Memo, Sage Proposal, Contract, Transmittal, Cover Brief, Relevant Approval Emails, etc. — is complete at the time that the manuscript is transmitted to Editorial.
Ensure that the targeted number of Journals are commissioned.
Assist in any other tasks that may be expected of you by your reporting Manager or by other colleagues/seniors in consultation with your reporting manager.
Skills, Qualifications & Experience:
Skills:
Ability to develop ongoing relationships with our customers at various levels as well as with other stakeholders, as applicable.
Proven business development experience.
Attention to detail and accuracy and ensuring that institutions receive a quick response to all correspondence.
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively within a team.
Ability to work in a multicultural and collaborative environment.
Confident communication and presentation skills.
Good proven IT skills, including knowledge of MS Word, Excel, and Outlook.
Excellent negotiation skills.
Ability to use and interpret data as a basis for sound decision-making.
Strong project management skills.
Should possess financial acumen.
Ability to source the right information through various means.
Qualifications:
Post-Graduate qualification (Masters in disciplines covering Science, Technology or Medicine) or Graduate with equivalent demonstrable experience
Experience
Essential
Minimum of 1-2 years of relevant commissioning experience with a proven track record.
Familiarity with the academic market landscape
Business development-related roles
Negotiating contracts, building relationships, lead generation, documentation & cold-calling
Desirable
Knowledge of Sage journal programmes
Commissioning experience in specifically journals space
Experience working in an international collaborative environment
Suitable candidates can share their resume at