Director of Editorial Operations

The American Physical Society is a nonprofit membership organization working to advance physics by fostering a vibrant, inclusive, and global community dedicated to science and society. APS represents more than 50,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry in the United States and around the world.

Position Summary:

The director of editorial operations (DEO) is responsible for optimizing APS’s editorial and publishing operations to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and alignment with the organization’s strategic objectives and oversees a staff of 30+ employees. This role plays a critical part in advancing APS’s mission by driving continuous improvement in editorial workflows while maintaining a strong customer focus. This DEO ensures that editorial and operational strategies are integrated, scalable, and adaptable to industry shifts, providing teams with the tools and processes needed to maintain high-performance publishing operations aligned with APS’s strategic objectives.

APS has a “remote first” concept that promotes equal treatment and equal access within the United States, independent of physical work location, with a majority of staff working primarily from home. APS values diversity and welcomes candidates from a variety of backgrounds. APS offers a dynamic work environment with an outstanding total compensation package, including salary, outstanding benefits, and excellent paid time off.

Key Responsibilities:

Operational Leadership & Strategy:

• Lead the editorial operations (EO) team in optimizing end-to-end processes through operational excellence frameworks (e.g. Lean Six Sigma methodologies)
• Convert organizational strategy into defined priorities and actionable goals for each functional area.
• Track key performance indicators (KPIs) for efficiency, quality, and customer satisfaction to drive data-driven decision-making.
• Champion process automation, workflow efficiency, and standardization to improve time to publication, quality, and cost-effectiveness.
• Ensure alignment of editorial operations strategies with APS’s broader strategic goals, fostering cross-functional collaboration.
• Other duties as assigned.

Continuous Improvement:

• Identify and implement strategies to enhance the peer review and publishing workflows.
• Establish a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging staff engagement in identifying inefficiencies and implementing solutions.
• Monitor workflow bottlenecks, resource allocation, and publication times at various stages to streamline operations.
• Conduct root cause analysis and corrective action plans with the Process Optimization Manager to resolve workflow issues proactively and prevent recurrence.
• Facilitate change management to ensure the effective adoption of new workflows, processes, and tools while fostering a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and adaptability.
• Partner with cross-functional leadership to uphold portfolio integrity through cohesive operational policies and consistent quality standards.

Team Development & Leadership:

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing, data-driven EO team.
• Promote a collaborative, problem-solving culture that empowers staff to contribute to operational improvements.
• Provide structured performance management, ensuring individual and team objectives align with APS’s strategic goals.
• Prioritize skill and capability development to drive informed compensation and promotion decisions, ensuring staff growth, career progression, and retention.

Stakeholder Engagement & Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Lead and develop teams that support researchers in an evolving publishing landscape, implementing process enhancements that drive operational excellence.
• Serve as the primary liaison between the EO team, Publications Team, and APS leadership to align operations with strategic objectives.
• Maintain and strengthen relationships with publication partners, editorial boards, and key stakeholders to drive innovation and efficiency.
• Represent EO and the Publications Team in relevant APS committee meetings to shape organization-wide strategies, goals, and initiatives.
• Lead change efforts by equipping team members with the knowledge, resources, and guidance required to adopt, implement, and sustain workflow enhancements.

Financial & Resource Management:

• Manage department budgets, ensuring cost efficiency while maintaining high standards of service.
• Evaluate and optimize vendor partnerships to drive cost-effective and high-quality publishing support.
• Implement structured cost-benefit analysis to assess investments in new systems, tools, or process enhancements.
• Develop and oversee annual goals, budgets, and departmental expenses, including forecasting and optimizing resource allocation to meet budget adherence and quality standards.
• Identify and implement new, innovative features that enhance APS’s reputation as a leading scholarly publisher.

Scope & Relationships:

• This role requires close collaboration with internal and external stakeholders to identify opportunities for innovation and efficiency. As a key member of the Publications Leadership Team, the DEO will work with the CPO, executive editor, director of publishing and global sales director to foster a culture of transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Internal: Collaborates daily with the CPO and Publications Leadership Team. Oversees the Editorial Operations management team and engages with various other APS departments.
• Frequent contact with representatives of APS publication partners, other APS leaders and staff and members of key APS Committees related to publications.
• Direct Reports: associate director of editorial and publications operations, manager, and publications partner relations.
• Indirect Reports: All staff within the Editorial and Publications Operations team; total team size is approximately 30+ employees.

Qualifications:

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree required, preferably with a focus relevant to the defined responsibilities of the role. Applicable experience may be accepted in lieu of a degree.
• Advanced degree preferred, preferably a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) or other relevant advanced degrees.

Preferred certifications:

• Certification in Six Sigma, Lean Management, Operational Excellence, business process management, continuous improvement (e.g., Shingo, Kaizen), or equivalent methodologies.

Experience:

• Minimum of 8 years experience in an operational management role
• Experience within STM publishing, association, or a related industry with a strong emphasis on operations is preferred
• A combination of experiences including some or all of the following is preferred:
• Demonstrated experience managing operational teams with a focus on continuous improvement
• Proven experience with scholarly publications operations and or editorial operations within the academic publishing industry and or similar industries.
• Extensive experience with and knowledge of scholarly publication and editorial operation trends, including open access and open research – and other forces currently shaping the publishing and editorial industry
• Proven project management and/or leadership.
• Proven business planning and profit and loss management experience
• Proven change management leadership experience

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to evaluate complex workflows, identify inefficiencies, and implement effective solutions.
• Demonstrated experience in leading change management, process optimization, and project management.
• Proficiency in technology integration, with experience implementing publishing software, workflow automation tools, and digital platforms.
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and collaborate across departments and organizational levels.
• Ability to clearly articulate complex processes and strategies to audiences at all levels.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a culturally diverse environment and promote inclusivity.
• Proficiency in office suites (MS Office, Google Suite).
• Demonstrated commitment to fostering an inclusive, innovative work environment.

Travel:

• The position requires travel up to 10% to relevant events and conferences, client sites, representation at key meetings and events, and through leadership activities with like-minded organizations as well as to APS offices located in Long Island, NY and Washington DC, and other offsite locations for periodic meetings, training, and strategy sessions.

Salary:

• The salary range for this position takes into account various factors influencing compensation decisions, such as skill sets, experience, training, and other business and organizational requirements. The salary listed within the specified ranges considers relevant experience. Our compensation philosophy at APS aims to maintain salaries at the midpoint of the market. As a result, we typically hire within the target starting range. Exceptional, rare cases may merit reviews above target starting range for specialized or niche skills aligned with strategic operational goals.

• Hiring Range: $156,000/year - $212,550/year (USD)
• Target Starting Range: $156,000/year - $173,550/year (USD)