Freelance Managing Editor - MD (Medical Dermatology)

Job summary

Assess manuscripts and peer-review reports, make timely revision and final publication decisions, and communicate clear, constructive requirements to authors. Coordinate with publisher and editorial support teams, meet turnaround and response-time targets, and report on performance against KPIs.

Job details

One of our prestigious publisher clients is looking for project-based Managing Editors support to ensure timely, high‑quality editorial decisions across a portfolio of journals. In this role, candidates will need to make independent, post–peer review decisions, uphold journal standards, and collaborate closely with internal teams to maintain throughput and quality. Manuscripts will be assigned as required, allowing for flexibility around commitments. We are specifically seeking candidates with an MD specializing in Medical Dermatology, having 3-5 years of research experience, and currently involved in research/academia/practicing clinically. Job Responsibilities Assess the suitability of submitted manuscripts and, following peer review, issue initial revision decisions (minor/major) and final (accept/reject) decisions. Evaluate the quality and relevance of peer-review reports and determine when additional review is warranted for borderline or complex cases. Synthesize reviewer feedback into coherent editorial decisions that uphold the journal’s reputation through rigorous editorial standards. Provide clear, constructive decision letters to authors explaining revision requirements and expectations for resubmissions, whilst maintaining a professional tone in all author correspondence. Issue and evaluate revision requests on original submissions, determining whether author responses adequately address reviewer comments. Ensure consistency in decision-making across original and revised submissions throughout the appointment. Collaborate with the Publisher, Desk Editors, and Reviewer Selection Support primarily via email and other asynchronous channels. Attend scheduled regular check-in meetings with the Publisher to provide updates on manuscript processing and any challenges encountered. Decision turnaround: complete all manuscript decisions within a maximum of 5 business days from assignment. Response times: respond to queries and communications within 2 business days. Provide KPI reporting and periodic performance updates. Participate in reviews to assess delivery against KPIs and implement corrective and preventive actions where needed. Qualifications and Prerequisites MD, specialized in Dermatology Active (or very recent) researchers with a minimum of 3-5 publications in the last 5 years. Publications should be primarily in English. Must have at least 2 publications in the last 2 years. Publications should not have a retraction note or expressions of concern related to authorship disputes, plagiarism, or research misconduct. Should be either the first or the last author on the publications. Should have working knowledge of an editorial management system (ScholarOne, EM, SNAPP, REX, etc.) [Preferred] Benefits of the role Flexibility: Set your own work hours to match your lifestyle. If you are among the qualified candidates, one of our recruiters will email you with further details.

What you’ll do

Assess manuscripts and peer-review reports, make timely revision and final publication decisions, and communicate clear, constructive requirements to authors. Coordinate with publisher and editorial support teams, meet turnaround and response-time targets, and report on performance against KPIs.

Requirements

Requires an MD specializing in Dermatology and active or very recent research involvement, with 3–5 years of research experience. Candidates must have 3–5 publications in the past five years, including at least two in the past two years, primarily in English and as first or last author, with no specified misconduct-related retractions or expressions of concern; editorial management system experience is preferred.

Benefits

• Flexible Work Hours

Listed skills

• Teams · Preferred
• Time · Preferred
• email · Preferred
• management · Preferred
• Check-in · Preferred
• Decision Making · Preferred
• English · Preferred
• Flexible · Preferred
• KPI · Preferred
• Preventive · Preferred
• Reporting · Preferred
• Communication · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Editorial Decision-Making
• Manuscript Assessment
• Peer Review Evaluation
• Editorial Standards
• Decision Letter Writing
• Revision Assessment
• Author Correspondence
• Journal Management
• KPI Reporting
• Research
• Medical Dermatology
• Editorial Management Systems
• ScholarOne
• Editorial Manager
• SNAPP
• REX

Job areas

• Creative & Media
• Science & Research
• Healthcare
• Management & Leadership

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