Senior Editor - The Lancet

Are you an experienced Editor looking to work for the Lancet?

Do you have a passion for clinical research, global health, and health care worldwide?

Location: London

About our Team

The Senior Editor will join The Lancet’s internationally respected editorial team, a collaborative group of editors, researchers, and publishing professionals based primarily in London and working closely with colleagues worldwide. The team is committed to publishing research and commentary of the highest scientific and ethical standards, addressing the most important issues in global health and clinical medicine. Working under the leadership of Helen Frankish, Senior Executive Editor, the team places strong emphasis on editorial rigour, integrity, inclusivity, and constructive engagement with authors, peer reviewers, and academic editors in a fast‑paced, mission‑driven environment.

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 clinical, 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 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 must possess a unique blend of in-depth medical and general knowledge, experience in scientific research, with a strong understanding of research methodologies, data interpretation, and scholarly communication, and a passion for 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

• 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.
• Take part in the critical assessment of other editors’ papers cross The Lancet family at pre-review and post-review stages.
• Negotiate revisions with authors ensuring that manuscripts accepted for publication meet the highest standards of medical and scientific reporting.
• Monitor ongoing research activity in allocated specialty areas, and regularly communicate with international key medical researchers and pro-actively attract key clinical trials to The Lancet.
• Commission Seminars and Reviews in agreement with the commissioning team.
• Work closely with the Senior Executive Editor (global) and the Editor-in-Chief in commissioning Global Health Series and Commissions.
• Work closely with the Senior Executive Editor (clinical) and contribute to the programme of Clinical Series and Commissions by suggesting ideas to the team and commission Series and Commissions in clinically important areas.
• Lead and pro-actively shape such Series and Commissions by holding face-to-face meetings and ensuring first-class novel in-depth scientific work to effect change in areas of clinical and global importance.
• Foster relationships with Commissioners and Series authors and relevant conference organisers and societies to achieve the widest possible dissemination and continuing attention to the topic.
• Take part in the weekly rota of leader writing.

Requirements

• Educated to MD or PhD level with research experience.
• Experienced in a variety of health settings, both globally and by institution.
• Previous editorial experience in a leading general medical journal is an advantage.
• 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.
• Has a solid grasp of technologies used in day-to-day editorial work.
• Can provide coaching and mentoring to less experienced editorial colleagues.
• Passionate about research, researchers, science, health care, and global health.
• Purposeful, driven, and results oriented; resilient and seeks to overcome challenges or barriers.
• Proactively seeking out content and making connections with research, clinical, and global health leaders.
• Intelligent and intellectually curious.
• Highly collaborative within a large team of different skill levels.

Apply with a cover letter and CV.

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, shared parental leave, study assistance and sabbaticals, we will help you meet your immediate responsibilities and your long‑term goals.

• Working in a hybrid way from both the office and at home.
• 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 well-being 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.
• RE CARES 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.

This role is included in the pay bargaining unit represented by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ).

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.

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