Senior Program Specialist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

WHY JOIN AGU

Our employees are our most valuable assets! You will feel welcomed and supported from the moment you join our team, and you will take part in strengthening and evolving our workplace culture.
We offer work-life balance and innovative benefits.

• Work-life balance: remote-first organization, flexible work hours, unlimited PTO, Flexible Fridays, paid holidays, military leave, parental leave.
• Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, life Insurance, disability coverage, employee assistance program, wellness, tuition reimbursement, 403(b) retirement plan, FSA, HSA, theft protection, personal and professional development, and much more.

WHO WE ARE

The American Geophysical Union (AGU) supports a global community of more than half a million professionals and advocates in the Earth and space sciences.
Through broad and inclusive partnerships, AGU aims to advance discovery and solution science that accelerates knowledge and creates solutions that are ethical, unbiased, and respectful of communities and their values. Our programs include serving as a scholarly publisher, convening virtual and in-person events, and providing career support. We live our values in everything we do, such as our net-zero energy renovated building in Washington, D.C., and our Ethics and Equity Center, which fosters a diverse and inclusive geoscience community to ensure responsible conduct.

This is an exciting time to work at AGU. Every day we approach our work with a sense of purpose, and we look for others who share that passion and desire for a career with impact.

WHO YOU ARE

The Program Specialist position is key in assisting AGU to promote discovery in Earth and Space science for the benefit of humanity, by being tactical in focus.  The purpose of this position is to manage peer review and publication of one or more of AGU’s scientific journals. The Program Specialist manages daily operations and coordinates work within their team and across the department.  The Program Specialist works directly with publishing stakeholders (authors, editors, reviewers, and production partner) to manage and solve production and submission related issues. The Program Specialist supports relevant editorial board meetings and provides operational and strategy-related input to Publications Department management. The Program Specialist reports directly to a Program Manager or a Senior Program Manager.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Manages work in GEMS (AGU journals submission and peer review platform) to ensure that submitted manuscripts are processed in accordance with journal expectations in terms of scope, timeliness, ethical standards, and quality while maintaining strong, positive relationships with the editors, authors, and reviewers.
• Monitors the peer review process for assigned journals and reports and problem solves irregularities in operations.
• Provides support to editors, authors, and reviewers. This includes GEMS assistance, advice on procedures and policy, troubleshooting production and publication related issues, coordinating editorial board calls, etc.
• Provides coverage for other journals on an ad-hoc basis, especially during peak volume times.
• Administers special collections, enhanced article content, article corrections, fee waivers, cover and carousel images, and social media.
• Works with manager and team to ensure the health of the journals and maintain strong momentum for journal and department strategic goals; provides analytics and reports for any journal/team issues as requested.
• Communicates effectively, cordially, and closely with the editor in chief and editors of the journal as necessary to ensure transparency and accountability.
• Maintains accountability in journal and non-journal tasks and demonstrate ownership of journal performance; be responsible for meeting deadlines and communicate needs to the manager so steps can be taken to ensure peak performance.
• Leads by example in terms of timeliness, accuracy, attention to detail, professional behavior, and effective communications.
• Maintains excellent and consistent customer focus; anticipates needs and walks the extra mile for stakeholders.
• Participates in special projects that support department objectives and individual goals.
• Demonstrates sound judgment when troubleshooting and escalating issues to management.
• Suggests, develops, and executes enhanced journal content for AGU‘s journals, and other outlets as relevant, under the guidance of the Director of Publications Operations and/or manager.
• Brings new ideas to the department with an eye to Publications Department strategy and AGU’s overall vision.
• Other duties as assigned.
• Perform other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties in this job classification.

WHAT YOU WILL BRING

• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 1-3 years of relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience working in a traditional or online Web-based publishing environment is preferred.
• Experience with scholarly communication is a plus.
• Familiarity with scientific terminology is a plus.
• Proven ability to manage time to ensure all daily tasks are completed by deadline.
• Demonstrated ability to work well individually on a journal or on a multi-staff journal.
• Professional verbal and written communication skills: ability to communicate effectively and appropriately to technical and non-technical global audiences, responding in a timely manner; speak and write clearly, concisely and with impact. 
• Ability to exercise sound judgment about when to take action and when to seek guidance.
• Ability to receive feedback and apply feedback to the job.
• Ability to address stakeholders' requests in a professional and timely manner by responding promptly and effectively to questions.
• Demonstrated ability to serve as an effective team player who adds complementary skills and contributes valuable ideas, opinions, and feedback.
• Customer service and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated attention to detail.
• Computer skills including strong understanding of databases, Adobe Acrobat, and Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Must be capable of exercising highest level of discretion on both internal and external confidential matters.
• Commitment to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in the workplace and within scholarly publishing.

AGU ESSENTIAL VALUES

• Accountability: Own it.
• Excellence: Give your all.
• Member & Customer Service: Members & Customers first.
• Teamwork: Together everyone achieves more.
• Respect-Earn it and give it.
• Integrity- Do the right thing.

HIRING SPECIFICS

• We understand that it is unrealistic for candidates to fulfill 100% of the criteria listed in a job posting. However, we encourage you to apply if you meet many of the requirements because we know that skills evolve. If you are willing to learn and evolve alongside us, join our team!

• Full-Time, Non-Exempt position. This remote role is open to candidates living in many U.S. states (excluding WA, OR, and CA at this time).
• The pay range for this position is Min.$26.96. Mid.$33.70 Max.$40.44 We typically prefer to hire around the lower-mid of our range.
• Work Authorization: We will not sponsor applicants for work visas in the U.S.
• We care deeply about fairness, so you can be assured that your application will never be judged based on religious beliefs, age, race, creed, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, political affiliation, ethnic origin, or disability.
• AGU will make reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
• We are committed to providing an inclusive interview experience. If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the interview process, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.
• Veterans and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.