Assistant Development Editor Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

As a Content Editor - Acquisitions Editor, Nursing you will support the growth and financial health of assigned Nursing Education and Nursing Practice course areas by acquiring and maintaining a pipeline of high-quality textbooks and digital learning assets. You will stay close to instructors, students, and education trends; recruit and manage authors/SMEs; negotiate contracts; and partner cross-functionally to deliver successful publications and launches.

Key Responsibilities

Market & Customer Insight

• Maintain working knowledge of assigned nursing course markets (curriculum, adoption drivers, instructor/student needs, and competitive landscape) and share actionable insights with internal partners.

• Conduct structured market research (reviews, surveys, faculty conversations, focus groups) to validate opportunities and inform content positioning and revision priorities.

Author/SME Recruiting & Relationship Management

• Build and maintain an active network of authors, reviewers, and SMEs; recruit talent for new projects and revisions; provide clear expectations and consistent "author care."

• Participate in conference/campus engagement (virtual and in-person) to identify emerging needs and strengthen networks that support future signings.

Business Planning

• Contribute to business plans for assigned areas (new projects, revisions, and supporting digital assets) and manage day-to-day pipeline activity.

• Prepare acquisition proposals for internal review (market rationale, competitive context, development approach, cost assumptions, forecast inputs, and P&L) in collaboration with stakeholders.

Contracting & Negotiation

• Negotiate and execute contracts with authors/SMEs/partners (scope, schedules, deliverables, and terms) with support/guidance as needed; ensure alignment to business goals and delivery timelines.

Content Development

• Move assigned projects through the publishing workflow in partnership with Development Editors, Product, Production, and other teams; ensure deliverables meet quality and schedule expectations.

• Support acquisition and development of digital-first or platform-ready assets (e.g., media sets, assessments, videos, cases, practice materials) that complement core titles and improve learning outcomes.

• Identify risks early (author performance, scope changes, market shifts) and escalate/coordinate mitigation to protect timelines, quality, and budget.

Go-to-Market Enablement

• Partner with Product Marketing and Sales to provide content and positioning inputs; support launch readiness (key messages, differentiation, sales training inputs) for your titles/areas.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree (or equivalent relevant experience).

• 3 years in higher education publishing or an adjacent field (editorial, acquisitions, content development, product, marketing, or sales).

• Demonstrated ability to translate market/customer insight into clear recommendations and to work cross-functionally in a deadline-driven environment.

• Comfort with basic financial inputs (forecasts, cost assumptions, P&L awareness) and business-case preparation.

• Strong written and verbal communication, including presenting concepts to internal stakeholders and engaging external experts professionally.

Preferred

• Experience with nursing, allied health, or clinical education content markets.

• Familiarity with author contracting/negotiation and rights/IP basics.

• Experience supporting digital learning products or managing multi-format content (print + digital).

To maintain a fair and genuine hiring process, we kindly ask that all candidates participate in interviews without the assistance of AI tools or external prompts. Our interview process is designed to assess your individual skills, experiences, and communication style. We value authenticity and want to ensure we're getting to know you-not a digital assistant. To help maintain this integrity, we ask to remove virtual backgrounds and include in-person interviews in our hiring process. Please note that use of AI-generated responses or third-party support during interviews will be grounds for disqualification from the recruitment process.

Applicants may be required to appear onsite at a Wolters Kluwer office as part of the recruitment process.

Compensation:

Compensation range listed is based on primary location of the position. Actual base salary offer is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skills, experience and actual hiring location. Your recruiter can share more information about the specific offer for the job location during the hiring process.

Wolters Kluwer offers a wide variety of competitive benefits and programs to help meet your needs and balance your work and personal life, including but not limited to: Medical, Dental, & Vision Plans, 401(k), FSA/HSA, Commuter Benefits, Tuition Assistance Plan, Vacation and Sick Time, and Paid Parental Leave. Full details of our benefits are available upon request.