Assistant Editor (PhD holder) - Environmental/Geographical Sciences

To strengthen our Editorial team, we are looking for recent PhD graduates who are eager to stay connected to scientific research by helping researchers worldwide publish their latest results. The position of Assistant Editor is an entry‑level, full‑time and permanent position based in our city centre office in Manchester, UK. This is a full‑time in‑office role. The office is located next to Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester.

Responsibilities

• Support the editorial process for academic research journals in your domain of expertise
• Organise peer review process for submitted manuscripts and coordinate editorial decisions
• Handle email communication between the parties involved in the publication process
• Collaborate with other members of the editorial team and production team
• Ensure that scholarly articles are accurately edited and published according to tight deadlines with a high degree of consistency

Requirements

• PhD degree in a field related to the environment (e.g., environment, agriculture, energy, ocean and water resources, green building and urban planning, resources, soil, transportation, logistics management, geography, land use, food, pollution, environmental governance, ecological science, landscape ecology, chemistry and chemical engineering)
• Excellent written and spoken English skills
• Advanced knowledge of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Team player with the capability to work in a dynamic, international environment
• Detail oriented with the capacity to see the big picture
• Strong organisational and time‑management skills
• Very good communication and coordination skills

The career trajectory of this role includes work at conferences, visiting scholars, and marketing events, so applicants should be interested in working face‑to‑face with the scholarly community and be passionate about promoting open access.

Training & Development

As a successful candidate, you will receive full training in editorial work, working closely with Managing Editors and learning how to process research articles from submission to publication. Training supervised by an assigned tutor will take place on the job during the first six months. Depending on your background, you will be assigned to work on journals related to your field of study or research. No previous editorial experience is required; however, a familiarity with the academic editorial process is an advantage. This is a great opportunity to start a first job in a dynamic multinational company which offers a range of career development options to talented, enthusiastic and hard‑working people.

What We Offer

• A competitive salary, including our quarterly bonus scheme that rewards high‑performing editors
• 10% pay rise after passing the six‑month probation period (for PhD holders, 5% for Master’s holders)
• Focused support from your group leader, who is your first point of contact for any issues
• Flexible working times – you can start work anytime between 7–9 am and finish between 3–6 pm
• Special days off – paid time off for events such as getting married or moving house
• A friendly working environment with monthly lunch parties, office snacks and seasonal events
• Bonus incentives – depending on your role, you may be eligible for one of our bonus schemes which rewards high‑performing employees
• Perkbox – a benefit platform providing discounts and benefits across various retailers, including savings on food, drinks, tech, travel and more
• Health cash plan – after passing probation, employees are enrolled into a private health membership with Bupa, allowing money back on dental, doctors and prescriptions, among other services
• Modern city centre office – located next to Piccadilly Gardens and within a 10‑minute walk from both Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Oxford Road train stations, with tram stops outside the building
• Cyclescheme – save between 25–39% on a bike and accessories
• Techscheme – save up to 10% on tax when purchasing tech equipment from places such as Ikea and Currys

About MDPI

A pioneer in scholarly open‑access publishing, MDPI has supported academic communities since 1996. Our mission is to foster open scientific exchange in all forms, across all disciplines. We operate more than 400 diverse, peer‑reviewed, open access journals supported by over 66,000 academic editors. We serve scholars from around the world to ensure the latest research is openly and broadly available. MDPI is headquartered in Switzerland with additional offices in Europe, Asia and North America. We are committed to ensuring high‑quality research is made available as quickly as possible. We also support sustainability projects, with sustainability as a key theme in many journals and through the MDPI Sustainability Foundation.

Initiatives

At MDPI, we develop and maintain various platforms to better serve the scientific community. Main platforms: https://www.mdpi.com/ https://encyclopedia.pub/

For enquiries and applications, we look forward to receiving your application and welcoming you to our Manchester office.