Job Description

The Lancet Senior Executive Editor (clinical - 2 year Fixed Term Contract)
Are you a medically qualified editor?
Do you have a passion for science, global health, and health care worldwide?
Location: London
About Our Team
Our team at The Lancet is a group of experienced and passionate editors who work together to publish high-quality clinical research. The Senior Executive Editors are full-time staff with medical or scientific backgrounds. They collaborate closely with Editors-in-Chief, Deputy Editors, and Publishing Directors to shape the journal's content and direction. The team values strong communication, teamwork, and a shared commitment to advancing global health. We support each other in managing peer review, commissioning articles, and ensuring editorial excellence. The culture is inclusive, professional, and focused on impact.
About the Role
Your skills and experience should cover the spectrum of material published in The Lancet and you should be able to work in a team-based and fast-paced environment with international reach. In particular, your writing skills to present complex medical, public health, and policy topics of worldwide importance should be first class. You should be able to work with and guide experts of international standing in producing relevant content that aims to achieve change by using the best science for better lives worldwide. You should have extensive experience in evaluating research papers, attracting research papers, organising peer review, and seeing research papers through to publication. You should have the relevant skills to lead meetings, chair conferences, and represent The Lancet externally at high-level meetings. You should be able to lead internal meetings in the absence of the Editor and Deputy Editor and participate in the Senior Leadership Team meeting's discussions on strategy and group-wide policies. You must possess a unique blend of in-depth medical and general knowledge, international experience of health systems and the work of non-governmental and international institutions in health, and a passion for science, global health, and health care worldwide. A collaborative attitude that fosters good working relationships across teams and with external partners is essential. You must be able to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines. Excellent communications and organisational skills and flexibility to stand in for others as required are a given.
Responsibilities
Leading the commissioned Clinical content for The Lancet
Screening all incoming Clinical Round papers and distributing promising ones to Senior Editors
Assign submitted papers to editors on a daily basis (shared responsibility with DE) and monitor rejection decisions by editors.
To read and critically evaluate (by applying in-depth and up-to-date scientific and medical knowledge) all papers allocated; present them to the editorial team; arrange peer review (by choosing appropriate experts in the field) on a select few with the highest potential clinical value; participate in consensual decision making.
To commission Seminars, Reviews in agreement with the commissioning team
To work closely with the Senior Executive Editor (global) and the Editor-in-Chief in commissioning Global Health Series and Commissions
To take part in the weekly rota of leader writing
Monitor important health and clinical issues worldwide
Contribute topical ideas of clinical, public health, and policy importance on a weekly basis
Make comments on leaders written by others and assist less experienced leader writers as needed
Managing a team of Senior Editors.
Requirements
Educated to MD level with substantial research experience
Previous managerial experience is of advantage
Experienced in a variety of health settings, both globally and by institution
Previous editorial experience in a leading general medical journal is essential
Ability to participate in team decisions and planning
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Organisational and planning skills to ensure deadlines are met and continuous improvement of processes is achieved
Ability to communicate with authors, reviewers, commissioners, and high-level international leaders in health with authority and confidence, applying broad and in-depth clinical, scientific, and health policy knowledge
Work in a way that works for you
We promote a healthy work/life balance across the organisation. With an average length of service of 9 years, we are confident that we offer an appealing working prospect for our people. With numerous wellbeing initiatives, family leave, and tuition reimbursement, we will help you meet both your immediate responsibilities and long-term goals.
Working remotely from home and at our office in a hybrid working style
Working flexible hours - flexing the times you work in the day
Working with us
We are an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to help you succeed. Here, you will find an inclusive, agile, collaborative, innovative, and fun environment, where everyone has a part to play. Regardless of the team you join, we promote a diverse environment with co-workers who are passionate about what they do and how they do it.
Working for you
At Elsevier, we know that your wellbeing and happiness are key to a long and successful career. These are some of the benefits we are delighted to offer:
Generous holiday allowance with the option to buy additional days
Health screening, eye care vouchers and private medical benefits
Wellbeing programs
Life assurance
Access to a competitive contributory pension scheme
Long service awards
Save As You Earn share option scheme
Travel Season ticket loan
Maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave
Access to emergency care for both the elderly and children
RECARES days, giving you time to support the charities and causes that matter to you
Access to employee resource groups with dedicated time to volunteer
Access to extensive learning and development resources
Access to employee discounts via Perks at Work
About Us
A global leader in information and analytics, we help researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society. Building on our publishing heritage, we combine quality information and vast data sets with analytics to support visionary science and research, health education and interactive learning, as well as exceptional healthcare and clinical practice. At Elsevier, your work contributes to the world's grand challenges and a more sustainable future. We harness innovative technologies to support science and healthcare to partner for a better world.
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We are an equal opportunity employer: qualified applicants are considered for and treated during employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, citizenship status, disability status, protected veteran status, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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