Lead Editor - People and Nature

We are seeking someone able to work across disciplines who is highly motivated in advancing the publication of work from across research areas exploring relationships between humans and nature to join the team of Editors on People and Nature.

Salary: c. £3,892.36 per annum, which equates to approximately €4,645 or US$4,645
Contract: Part-time, 3-year contract
Location: At the holder’s host university or organisation, based anywhere in the world
Closing date: 9am Tuesday 3rd November

About us

The British Ecological Society (BES) is the oldest ecological society in the world and our mission is to advance ecology and make it count. We have 7,000 members around the world and support the ecological community through our journals, meetings, grants and through our education, engagement and policy work.

Launched in 2018, People and Nature is a journal of relational thinking. It is a broad-scope, open-access journal publishing work that contributes to understanding of the relationship between humans and nature.  The journal aims to foster innovation and experimentation and particularly encourages submissions that stimulate debate. The journal is gradually establishing itself as a leader in the field, with a broad, international audience, an active social media presence via Bluesky and a dedicated journal blog .

About you

We are seeking a Lead Editor to join the editorial team and to continue raising the Journal’s profile worldwide. The Journal’s editorial team consists of Editor-in-Chief, Kevin Gaston, six Lead Editors, and a Commissioning Editor who are supported by dedicated editorial office personnel, and an international board of around 125 Associate Editors from more than countries. The Editors work together to determine journal strategy and to increase the reputation and quality of the Journal, in addition to making decisions on around 1,000 manuscripts submitted each year. Further details about the Journal and its current editorial team can be found at http://people-and-nature.org/ .

To complement our Editor team, we are looking for an interdisciplinary researcher whose work encompasses ecology and/or conservation research, social sciences and/or the humanities, and collaboration. Because of the Journal’s scope, applicants should have experience of working across multiple disciplines.

The ideal candidate will be a clear communicator who works well as part of a team and a good decision-maker who acts with integrity. They will have a solid understanding of their own field of research, as well as an overview of the wider scope of the journal; experience of reviewing and editing processes; commitment to maintaining the high editorial standards of the Journal; and an interest in ongoing developments within academic publishing.

The journal recognises the importance of a board that is as diverse as it can be to better represent the breadth of the science and scientists and, in order to maintain this diversity, we therefore particularly welcome applications from leading researchers who are female or gender diverse.

This post is a part-time three-year contract (honorarium c. £3,892.36 per annum, which equates to approximately €4,645 or US$4,645) and located at the holder’s host university or organisation, based anywhere in the world. Some additional financial support is available to facilitate attendance at meetings with other BES Editors and to act as an ambassador for the Journal at relevant conferences.

Key responsibilities:
- Solicit the submission of high-quality manuscripts in all areas relevant to the Journal

- Drive the strategic direction of the Journal by assessing submitted manuscripts for suitability, selecting handling Associate Editors and reviewers, and making decisions based on their comments and your own judgement

- Gather opinions from fellow researchers on the strengths and weaknesses of the Journal: use this information to suggest changes in procedure, to develop new initiatives and/or to feed into general discussions

- Identify and recruit new Associate Editors, including through the promotion of open recruitment calls, with a focus on ensuring diverse representation and participation on the Editorial Board

- Assist the editorial office team to identify papers for further promotion via video, blog posts and the media

- Promote the Journal and the BES when attending conferences

- Contribute to the Journal’s development and join in discussions with those involved with other BES journals to help identify opportunities for cross-journal initiatives

- Act as Associate Editor for a limited number of manuscripts

Equality and Diversity

The BES values the benefits that diversity brings. We seek to create an inclusive culture and welcome applications from all sectors of society. We would be happy to consider any reasonable requests in terms of flexibility. More information regarding Diversity at the BES can be found here and our Equality and Diversity work can be found here .

Further and to apply

Interested candidates are welcome to discuss the post prior to application with Editor in Chief Kevin Gaston ( k.j.gaston@exeter.ac.uk ), the BES Head of Product Development, Phil Dooner ( philip@britishecologicalsociety.org ) or any of the journal’s Lead Editors .

Purpose of the role:

Working with other members of the Journal team to ensure that the Journal publishes high-quality, timely articles that reach beyond the boundaries of work published in discipline or subject specific journals, and to plan and implement strategies that will enhance its profile, expand its reach, and better serve its community of authors and readers.

Selection criteria:
- Evidence of an active and relevant publication record
- Knowledge and understanding of the subject area, complementary to that of the existing Editors.
- Experience of reviewing and of other editorial work
- Ability to work as part of a team of Editors, think strategically and creatively, and support the Journal along with the wider journal team
- Ability to work independently and to prioritise from a range of active projects
- Ability to form, communicate with, and operate in, scientific networks and engage with other relevant audiences
- Ability to consider multiple information sources or viewpoints, and act decisively
- Commitment to the post and to the mission of the BES, and a desire to explore new opportunities to develop and enhance journal publishing