Project Manager, Journals Department (Volunteer)

About the job

The Infectious Disease Alliance (IDA) is seeking an organized and proactive Project Manager to lead the day-to-day coordination of our Journals Department. The department manages the editing, peer review and publication of IDA's journals, bringing rigorous and accessible infectious disease research to the global health community.

As Project Manager, you will own the publication workflow from submission to release, working closely with the department leadership and an international team of editors, reviewers, authors and designers. You will keep issues on schedule, standards high and people aligned, while gaining first-hand experience of how scholarly publishing runs inside a global NGO.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• Plan and coordinate the end-to-end publication workflow, from manuscript submission through peer review, editing, production and publication.
• Build and manage issue schedules and publication calendars, ensuring editorial and production deadlines are met.
• Act as the main point of contact between editors, reviewers, authors, designers and volunteers, ensuring smooth handovers between stages.
• Coordinate the peer review process, including tracking submissions, supporting reviewer assignment and following up on overdue reviews.
• Oversee copyediting, proofreading and formatting, ensuring manuscripts comply with journal style guides and editorial standards.
• Uphold publication ethics and research integrity (e.g. COPE guidelines), including plagiarism checks, conflict of interest declarations and permissions.
• Maintain manuscript management systems and submission records, and support metadata, DOI registration and indexing.
• Support the recruitment, onboarding and task allocation of volunteer editors, reviewers and proofreaders in partnership with HR.
• Track key metrics (submission volumes, turnaround times, acceptance rates), flag bottlenecks and propose process improvements.
• Collaborate with the communications team to promote new issues, articles and calls for papers.

Requirements

Key Competencies

• Project Management: Ability to plan, prioritize and track multiple timelines and deliverables at once.
• Attention to Detail: High standards for accuracy, consistency and editorial quality.
• Communication Skills: Clear written and verbal communication with authors, reviewers, editors and internal teams.
• Team Coordination: Ability to guide and motivate remote volunteer teams and keep everyone accountable.
• Problem Solving: Capacity to anticipate delays, resolve workflow issues and improve processes.
• Cultural Sensitivity: Understanding of and respect for diverse cultures, with a commitment to disability rights and inclusion

Educational Background

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in life sciences, public health, global health, communications, publishing, languages or related fields.
• Certifications in project management (e.g. PMP, PRINCE2, Agile) or training in editing and publishing are a plus.

Experience

• Previous experience in project management, editorial coordination or academic/scientific publishing.
• Familiarity with peer review and manuscript management systems (e.g. OJS, ScholarOne, Editorial Manager) is advantageous.
• Knowledge of style guides (e.g. AMA, APA, Vancouver), open access and publication ethics is beneficial.
• Interest in infectious diseases and global health.

Location

• Preference for candidates within a time zone close to Central European Time (CET) to align with core working hours.

What we offer

What We Offer

• Hands-on leadership experience in scholarly publishing within an international NGO.
• Visibility across the full publishing cycle, from submission to dissemination.
• Collaboration with researchers, editors and global health professionals.
• Flexible working arrangements in a collaborative, mission-driven environment.
• A certificate and reference recognizing your contribution.
• The opportunity to make infectious disease research more accessible worldwide.

How to Apply

Submit your CV and a brief cover letter via the application form here in the buttom of this page (Click Apply Now). In your cover letter, share your motivation for applying and how your experience aligns with this senior volunteer role.

For questions, contact us at hr@id-alliance.org

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and we encourage early submissions.