Editorial Officer

The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (RSTMH) is a charity and membership society for those working or interested in tropical medicine and global health. We currently have around 2,000 members and Fellows from more than 100 countries, with a network of more than 10,000 involved with our work in some way.

RSTMH currently publishes two peer-reviewed scientific journals, Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (TRSTMH) and International Health. TRSTMH was launched in 1908, is published monthly, and is a hybrid journal. International Health was launched in 2009, is published bi-monthly, and is Open Access. In September 2025, we announced the development of a new journal looking at the use of Artificial Intelligence in Global Health, which will be launching around May 2026. All three journals are published by Oxford University Press (OUP) and are supported by a global team of dedicated Editorial Board members.

The role

• Check new submissions to ensure that they are in scope and formatted as per journal guidelines, before assigning to handling editors.
• Check revised submissions are formatted as per journal guidelines, before assigning to handling editors.
• Check and export accepted manuscripts to production team at OUP, working with the Editors in Chief (EiC) to ensure all required information is included.
• Monitor manuscripts in process, working with editors, reviewers, authors and Managing Editor to identify and reduce unnecessary delays for authors.
• Be the first point of contact for authors, editors, and reviewers by monitoring the journals inbox, helping to resolve any disputes that arise within the peer review process or escalating to Managing Editor, as necessary within agreed timings.
• Help manage the relationships with RSTMH Editorial Boards through regular communication (e.g., Newsletters) in addition to reminders/assignment emails sent through the submission system.
• Assist the Managing Editor with administrative tasks for the journals including coordinating meetings Editorial Boards, publisher, etc., setting up webinars, taking minutes of key meetings.
• Oversee reporting on all aspects of manuscript processing and handling editor metrics (turnaround times, acceptance rates, etc.,) and share these with a number of stakeholders.
• Work with Editorial Board to identify articles with wider interest and highlight them to Managing Editor, EiCs, RSTMH team and publisher, and consider ways of further promoting them to raise the profile of the journals and RSTMH.
• Utilise social media and other digital publishing technologies (X, LinkedIn, blogs, podcasts, etc) to promote published articles/new issues and raise the profile of the journals.
• Develop journal news/content for the RSTMH Newsletter website, and social media.
• Help ensure the work and outputs of the journals are integrated with other areas of RSTMH, through sharing information across systems.
• Support the Managing Editor with the implementation of RSTMH strategic objectives and OUP Development Plans.
• Assist the Managing Editor with new business including researching and identifying authors and groups for potential commissioned articles or supplements.
• Support the Managing Editor on journal development initiatives (e.g., Ed Board recruitment, mentoring), taking the lead on projects where appropriate.
• Keep up to date with publishing trends more generally and use this information to make recommendations to Managing Editor/EiCs to improve the efficiency of existing processes.
• Support and contribute to wider RSTMH activities when required to do so (e.g., RSTMH Annual Meeting).

Person Specification

Essential

• Passion and commitment to the work and goals of the Society.
• A minimum of 2 years’ experience working in an academic publishing role, in a learned society, membership organisation, or publisher.
• Knowledge of major publishing trends, academic conventions, and editorial processes.
• At least 2 years’ experience of using a journal management system such as Editorial Manager, ScholarOne, etc, as well as MS office products.
• Ability to work effectively, both as part of a team and independently.
• Excellent time-management and organisation skills, with the ability to prioritise workloads and meet multiple deadlines.
• Strong and proven communication skills, both written and verbal, good attention to detail, and the ability to converse professionally with a range of stakeholders.
• Educated to degree level (or equivalent), ideally in a relevant subject.

Desirable

• Interest in science communication and experience using social media and other digital publishing technologies (X, LinkedIn, blogs, podcasts, etc) to communicate complex information to a range of audiences.

The deadline for this role is Friday May 1st, 2026. Please click the apply button and send your CV and a supporting statement of up to 1,000 words detailing how your experience matches the duties and skills for the role. Please insert your supporting statement where it asks for your cover message/covering letter. N.B. Applications submitted without a supporting statement may not be considered. No agencies please.