Title: Interim Commissioning Editor (Fixed Term - 12 Months)

Locations: Berlin and Heidelberg 

Application Deadline: November 24, 2026 

About Springer Nature 

Springer Nature is one of the leading publishers of research in the world. We publish the largest number of journals and books and are a pioneer in open research. Through our leading brands, trusted for more than 180 years, we provide technology-enabled products, platforms and services that help researchers to uncover new ideas and share their discoveries, health professionals to stay at the forefront of medical science, and educators to advance learning. We are proud to be part of progress, working together with the communities we serve to share knowledge and bring greater understanding to the world. For more information, please visit about.springernature.com and @SpringerNature. 

About The Brand  

Nature Portfolio’s high-quality journals and services across the life, physical, chemical and applied sciences help move science and society forward. 

Nature Portfolio is home to the leading, international weekly journal of science, Nature – founded in 1869. It is also home to the Nature research and Nature Reviews journals, the leading open access multidisciplinary journal Nature Communications, and open access journals including Scientific Reports. Together, these journals publish some of the world's most significant scientific discoveries. 

Online, nature.com provides over nine million unique visitors per month with content, including news and comment from the Nature journal, and the leading scientific jobs board, Nature Careers. As part of Springer Nature, Nature Portfolio also offers a range of researcher services, including online and in-person training. For more information, please visit nature.com and follow @NaturePortfolio. 

About The Role 
 
The Springer Nature Journals Group aims to support researchers in communicating and advancing discovery for a better world. We do this by providing a trusted environment in which researchers can quickly, easily and transparently share their discoveries, data and research stories. 
 
The Collections Management and Acquisition Team is a division within the Publishing Performance & Intelligence group providing expertise and dedicated resources to support the growth of commissioned content across the SN Journal portfolio. 
 
The Commissioning Editor is responsible for attracting high-quality content into key Springer Nature Open Access journals via the creation of Topical Collections. Increasing commissioned content is an essential part of our strategy to grow our Open Access portfolio and as such appropriate topic identification is critical. The Commissioning Editor will work with our Editorial Board Members and with our data scientists and analysts to ensure topic selection benefits from being data driven. Similarly, identification of an appropriate Guest Editor is key to a Collection’s success; the Commissioning Editor will reach out to high-level active researchers and encourage them to engage in Topical Collections in Springer Nature journals either as an editor or an author. This is a rare opportunity to join and help shape a new and growing team at a pivotal time. 
 
This role will be in our Berlin or Heidelberg offices on a hybrid working model, fixed term contract (12 Months). 
 
Role Responsibilities: 

• Lead the development and execution of Collections commissioning strategies across key journals, demonstrating balances stakeholder, decision quality, and global perspective skills to drive growth and portfolio objectives. 

• Define and implement best practices across the Collections lifecycle, leveraging expertise in publishing workflows & systems to ensure operational excellence and consistency. 

• Identify emerging research trends and suitable Collection topics through strong editorial skills, market intelligence, and business insights. 

• Conduct strategic market, competitor, and performance analyses, applying business insights and market intelligence to inform data-driven decisions and commissioning priorities. 

• Build and maintain relationships with internal and external editorial communities, utilizing consulting skills and communicates effectively capabilities to influence and engage stakeholders. 

• Manage the Collections pipeline against ambitious publication targets, applying strong Project Management skills to prioritize activities and ensure timely delivery. 

• Partner with journal editorial teams to align Collections strategies with journal development plans while exercising strong balances stakeholder and decision quality capabilities. 

• Identify, recruit, train, and support Guest Editors and authors, demonstrating communicates effectively, editorial skills, and knowledge of publishing workflows & systems. 

• Collaborate with Marketing teams to enhance the visibility and impact of Collections, leveraging Market Intelligence and Global Perspective to reach target research communities. 

• Support the oversight of peer review activities and Collections performance, applying editorial skills, project management, and business insights to drive successful outcomes. 

Experience, Skills & Qualifications: 

• Bachelor's Degree, with a keen interest in Science 

• 3 – 4 years’ experience in the publishing industry or science research 

• Familiarity with the Research Process and the Scientific community 

• An excellent understanding of the research publishing landscape and how journals and journal publishers serve the research community, particularly Open Access journals 

• Direct experience of managing a journal or journal portfolio is desirable 

• Strong data analysis and reporting skills – ability to directly query data is desirable 

• Practical awareness of the importance and key aspects of research ethics 

• Excellent presentational skills 

• Excellent communication skills – both written and verbal 

• Good interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of colleagues and stakeholders 

• A creative mindset and the ability to bring energy, ideas and new approaches 

• A strategic and commercial mindset, with experience in developing and implementing plans 

• Ability to adapt quickly to change, juggle a varied workload under pressure and work quickly and efficiently on own initiative as well as part of a team 

At Springer Nature, our mission is to be part of progress – and that begins with inclusion: of people, perspectives, and ideas. We believe that diverse perspectives drive progress, and we are committed to creating an environment where people and ideas can flourish. If you have any access needs related to disability, neurodivergence or a chronic condition, please contact us so we can make all necessary accommodation. Find out more about our DEI work here https://group.springernature.com/gp/group/taking-responsibility/diversity-equity-inclusion    

For more information about career opportunities in Springer Nature please visit https://springernature.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/SpringerNatureCareers/ 

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