Freelance Managing Editor: MD/PhD (Gastroenterology)

Job summary

Assess manuscripts and peer-review reports, make revision and final publication decisions, and communicate clear, constructive decisions to authors. Collaborate with publisher and editorial teams, meet decision and response deadlines, 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/PhD specializing in Gastroenterology, 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/PhD, specialized in Gastroenterology 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 revision and final publication decisions, and communicate clear, constructive decisions to authors. Collaborate with publisher and editorial teams, meet decision and response deadlines, and report on performance against KPIs.

Requirements

Requires an MD/PhD specializing in Gastroenterology and active or very recent research, academic, or clinical involvement. Candidates must have 3–5 publications in the last five years, including at least two in the last two years, with first- or last-author status; publications should primarily be in English and have no specified integrity-related concerns.

Benefits

• Flexible Work Hours

Listed skills

• KPI · Preferred
• Organization · Preferred
• Check-in · Preferred
• Preventive · Preferred
• Attention to detail · Preferred
• Teams · Preferred
• management · Preferred
• Decision Making · Preferred
• Reporting · Preferred
• Flexible · Preferred
• email · Preferred
• English · 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
• Journal Publishing
• Research Evaluation
• Editorial Management Systems
• ScholarOne
• Editorial Manager
• SNAPP
• REX
• KPI Reporting
• Stakeholder Collaboration
• Gastroenterology

Job areas

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

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