Publishing Operations Lead

Title
:
Publishing Operations Lead

Specifications
:
Permanent, Full Time

Salary
: £45,000 per annum

Location
:
Remote first (home based) with some travel expected for in person meetings

Closing date
: 7 October 2026

Interview dates
:
Expected to be held remotely w/c 19 October 2026

Cochrane is a global, independent network of health practitioners, researchers, patient advocates and others, responding to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. We do this by synthesising research findings to produce the best available evidence on what can work, what might harm and where more research is needed. Our work is recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

Though we are spread out across the globe, our shared passion for health evidence unites us and it is important that the role holder can work effectively and collaboratively with a diverse range of contacts across the world.

Our Central Executive Team supports this work and is divided into three directorates.

This role reports to the Head of Publishing Operations and sits within the Editorial, Production and Methods directorate.

The Publishing Operations Lead provides senior specialist expertise and dedicated ownership across Cochrane’s publishing systems, workflows and operational infrastructure. Working alongside the Head of Publishing Operations, the role leads and coordinates complex systems and workflow activity to ensure that publishing processes are robust, efficient, well-documented, tested and fit for purpose.

The postholder will act as a senior subject-matter expert for Editorial Manager and related publishing and production systems, with particular ownership of production and post-acceptance workflows. They will lead the assessment, configuration, testing and implementation of publishing workflow and system changes and investigate complex publishing-system, workflow, metadata and production issues.

The role will work closely with colleagues across Product, Editorial, Research Integrity, Rev Man, Technology and Support, as well as external publishing suppliers, to support reliable business-as-usual publishing and the implementation of new and evolving publishing requirements, systems and workflows.

• Provide senior specialist ownership and operational oversight of Editorial Manager and related publishing and production systems.
• Assess, design, configure and implement publishing workflows, ensuring system behaviour and operational processes support agreed publishing requirements.
• Lead and coordinate end-to-end testing of publishing system and workflow changes, including defect investigation, retesting and validation.
• Investigate and resolve complex publishing-system, workflow, production and metadata issues, working with internal teams and external suppliers.
• Provide specialist operational input to publishing initiatives and coordinate the implementation of approved system and workflow changes.
• Maintain expert knowledge of post-acceptance production and publication workflows, providing senior operational support for complex and unusual cases and post-publication changes.
• Identify and lead improvements to publishing workflows, systems and processes, while strengthening documentation, knowledge sharing, cross-training and sustainable ways of working.

• Substantial experience in scholarly publishing, publishing operations, production, editorial systems or a closely related environment.
• Strong practical understanding of end-to-end publishing workflows and the interaction between editorial, production and publication systems.
• Experience of publishing or workflow…