Applications for this vacancy are now closed. We have received 3 applications and will call candidates for interview during February, Scottish Government guidelines permitting. If you do not hear from us, then your application was unsuccessful. Thank you to everyone who applied.
We are now seeking a full-time project editor to work in one of our teams providing editing and other services to publishers and public sector organisations. This is a temporary role ending on 31 July 2022. There is a possibility that the role will become permanent.
About the job
You will join one of our production teams and will work on documents such as research articles, policy documents and long-form reports, in the fields of science, medicine, public health, the environment, law, international affairs, and finance and banking, among others.
You will have contact with authors, academic editors, clients and suppliers (e.g. typesetters, technologists) to ensure that quality and production schedules are maintained. A substantial part of the work will involve copy-editing and rewriting text by authors whose first language is not English. You will, therefore, need to have an excellent command of English and be able to understand and explain complex ideas clearly. Some assignments must be carried out to short deadlines, so speed is as important as high quality and teamwork.
The salary for this post will be in the range £20,000 to £27,500. Successful applicants with little or no relevant publishing experience will start at the bottom of the grade. Experience and qualifications (e.g. a PhD in a relevant subject or an MSc in publishing) will also be taken into consideration when determining starting salary.
If you have significant experience of publishing, including substantial copy-editing, proofreading and project management experience, we may consider you for the post of project leader, for which the salary scale is £27,500 to £35,000. Project leaders also guide the work of, and give feedback to, less experienced members of staff, prepare budgets and quotations and, on occasion, travel to represent the company to potential and existing clients.
This position is based in our office in Perth. However, experienced candidates may, after a period of time, be able to carry out this role wholly or partly from home.
About you
For this post you must have a good degree in an academic subject and understand the academic publishing process. Preference will be given to candidates with previous experience of publishing, but this is not essential.
Knowledge of science, medical or humanities copy-editing and/or writing will be advantageous, but enthusiasm, resourcefulness and ability are also important, and excellent spelling and grammar are essential. You must also be completely at ease with new technology and be able to make advanced use of software packages such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat Pro.
You will need to be well organised, meticulous and resourceful, and able to solve problems on your own. You will have sound communication skills, and be able to communicate appropriately with authors, academic editors, clients and suppliers. You will be happy working alone and with colleagues as part of a team.
You must be eligible to work in the UK.
How to apply
If you are interested, here is what to do:
- describe your publishing career and experience and explain why you are suitable for this post
- attach a full CV in MS Word or PDF format
- include your current salary and/or salary expectations.
Send your application to Ms Katrina Strachan using our application form. Please let us know where you first saw this vacancy.
Applications close at noon on Monday, 31 January 2022. Interviews will take place in Perth in February.
FAQ: Some questions asked by previous applicants, with answers
- Apply as soon as possible. If we receive strong applications then we may commence interviews sooner than the closing date.
- Follow our requirements closely (and avoid our red flags!).
- Submit as comprehensive an application as possible. If you don’t explain why you are suitable or supply a full CV you are unlikely to be interviewed.
- Your cover letter is vital, as it tells us how good you are at conveying information – the core service we provide. It should have impeccable spelling and grammar. Tell us what you can offer, not just how you expect to benefit from the job.
- Please try not to ask us questions that have been answered in this list.
- Note that possessing a degree in a publishing or academic subject is essential.
The overall objective of the test is to assess your English-language abilities. You will be asked to make singular words plural (e.g. plural of millennium) and vice versa (e.g. singular of algae), distinguish between common confusables (e.g. averse and adverse) and improve, clarify or correct sentences containing errors. You will have 30 minutes.
As long as you possess a degree in an academic subject we have no preference. For information, about half of our employees have degree in a science subject (mostly life sciences but also engineering and mathematics) and the other half have a degree in a humanities subject (mostly English but also languages and history). Almost half have a PhD. A postgraduate publishing qualification will be advantageous.
Yes. Reasonable travel expenses from a UK address to our offices in Perth and back will be paid. At the interview you will receive an expense claim form.
Not if you have no previous experience in a similar role. There is an option to work from home once you have sufficient experience of the work, our processes, the software we use and the company. This can be discussed further at interview.
No. The nature of the writing, editing or proofreading work we undertake makes job sharing virtually impossible: you alone will be responsible for completing the projects you are assigned, and, in general, it is not possible to share this work with someone else.
Reduced-hours posts can be requested and management team will consider these in the light of prevailing and expected business environment and the impact on the business, clients and colleagues. We cannot guarantee agreeing to requests for such posts. This advertisement is for a full-time post.