Journals Manager

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a rewarding and friendly place to work with an incredible history, dating back to our foundation in 1518. We are a professional membership body for physicians – doctors who work in hospitals – with around 40,000 members in the UK and across the globe working to improve patient care and reduce illness. Our activities focus on educating, improving and influencing for better health and care.

Purpose of the role

The journals manager will be responsible for the performance of the RCP’s two peer-reviewed journals, including punctuality, quality, relevance and metrics. We are looking to appoint an individual with 2–3 years’ experience in peer-reviewed journals publishing, preferably in the STM sector. This is an exciting opportunity for someone looking to take the next step in their journals career.

This is a hybrid working role in the Corporate Communications and Publishing (CC&P) team, with a minimum of 6 days per month in either the London or Liverpool office. You will be reporting to and working closely with the head of corporate communications and publishing, who is based in our London office. You’ll be the key contact for authors, the editors-in-chief and associate editors, and will manage the RCP’s relationship with our publishing partner Elsevier. You’ll be instrumental in developing and implementing the journals marketing strategy, including management of social media accounts and email programme. There will be occasional travel within the UK to attend conferences and other RCP events, or to take part in team events.

Your responsibilities will include:

• To oversee the peer review process for the RCP’s two peer-reviewed journals, Clinical Medicine and Future Healthcare Journal.
• To commission articles, based on discussions with the editors-in-chief.
• To take responsibility for the journals’ ethical compliance relating to consent, ethical approvals for studies etc.
• To oversee the online production of both journals on the ScienceDirect platform, liaising with our publishing partner to address any issues.
• To track key performance metrics relating to the journals.
• To organise and deliver editorial board meetings.
• To work with the editors-in-chief, head of publishing and publishing partner to update policies and improve processes in line with industry and strategic developments.
• To contribute to the development and implementation of the journal marketing and communications strategy, including management of the journals’ social media accounts, email programme, attending conferences and other RCP events, exploring communications approaches including video and podcasting. 
• To maximise opportunities with other departments across the RCP, particularly our Education directorate and Policy and Campaigns team, to encourage submissions and content that aligns with the RCP’s strategy.

About you:

• Educated to degree level (preferably in life sciences) or equivalent experience.
• 2–3 years’ experience of working in peer-reviewed journal publishing (preferably in the STM sector).
• Experience of liaising with high-level academics/doctors.
• Demonstrable attention to detail.
• Proven use and fully competent in MS Office, particularly in Outlook, Word and Excel.
• High level of statistical numeracy.
• Basic understanding of copyright.
• Understanding of journal marketing in the STM sector, including use of social media in a professional setting.

For more information about the role and RCP, please view the role description  attachment at the bottom of this page. 

How to apply 

Please click "Apply Now" to submit your CV and a supporting statement (no more than 2 pages) explaining, with clear examples, how your skills and experience match the job description and person specification. Applicants who do not submit a relevant supporting statement as requested will not be shortlisted. 

For an informal discussion about this role, candidates are welcome to contact our recruitment team on:  

Email: recruitment@rcp.ac.uk 

Telephone: 020 3075 1649 

Closing date: 12 December 2025

Interviewing date: 06 January 2026

The RCP positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, transgender status, religion or belief, marital status or pregnancy and maternity. 

The RCP is all about our people – our members, staff, volunteers and leaders. We educate, influence and collaborate to improve health and healthcare for everyone and know we can only do this by being inclusive, encouraging and celebrating diverse perspectives. Welcoming into our community people who represent the 21st-century medical workforce and the diverse population of patients we serve is a priority for us. 

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