DOAJ is a not-for-profit service, under the Infrastructure Services for Open Access umbrella, and is the most important and diverse, free directory of peer-reviewed, open access journals in the world.
Since 2014, DOAJ is the collective efforts of a large community of volunteers, Ambassadors and DOAJ Managing Editors soliciting, reviewing and approving open access journals. The Directory has grown from its initial 300 journals in 2003 to almost 16,500 journals today. It is the most global and diverse index of open access journals in the world. DOAJ is an international, mission-driven service, supported by public academic institutions, publishers and scholarly communications professionals.
DOAJ is looking for a new Managing Director, a visionary, who will take DOAJ to the next level on its exciting journey. You will play a key role in ensuring that the service continues to grow and develop. You will be vital in ensuring the longevity of the key activity—the journal review and indexing service—and that its future is secured and can develop in a way that the community needs it to. DOAJ is a small organisation with lots to do so you will also be required to do the day-to-day work. Working with the DOAJ Team, the Advisory Board and the Council, you are the lynchpin moving the organization forward.
The right candidate for this position understands the entire research process from all vantage points ( i.e. from research to reader) and believes that research should be and can be inclusive and available to everyone, regardless of gender, social or economic status, geographic location, ethnicity, or race.
As DOAJ’s new Managing Director, you will provide leadership and expertise in three key areas: advocacy, strategy, and management.
Advocacy
The following qualities are essential:
- You have demonstrated commitment to open access publishing in a global context and you understand the significance and impact of existing and new models of disseminating scholarly research.
- You understand the importance of DOAJ’s neutrality and are committed to increasing the diversity of the DOAJ database by addressing inequities based on geography, race, ethnicity, and gender. You can recommend strategies that ensure that these qualities are reflected throughout the organisation and its services.
- You will attend events around the world, representing DOAJ and increasing its exposure throughout global scholarly communities. You are an engaging speaker who is comfortable and competent presenting in public and when talking to members of the press.
The following qualities are desirable:
- You are recognised as an advocate of “open”.
- You have a good understanding of the history and politics behind open access and its development over the years.
- You have an understanding of the publishing industry and its various movements towards open access models.
Strategy
The following qualities are essential:
- You are a strategic leader and can provide oversight to ensure DOAJ develops in accordance with its mission.
- You are successful working in and forming strategic partnerships and networks with allied organizations, or can demonstrate experience of similar partnership engagement.
- You are at ease in communicating with stakeholders and the community to identify strategic opportunities and partnerships.
- You understand the importance and relevance of libraries, consortia and academic institutions to the creation and dissemination of scholarship.
The following qualities are desirable:
- You have led successful strategic planning initiatives and have experience implementing strategic plans.
- You have knowledge of different modes of strategic planning.
- You have experience with assessment and evaluation efforts and are able to use related outcomes for continuous organizational improvements.
Management
The following qualities are essential:
- You are a strong leader, with emotional intelligence and self-awareness, who can gain the trust of your team.
- You have at least three years of experience leading an organisation at a senior level.
- You can implement a strategy for working with a globally distributed team and diverse stakeholders, regardless of timezone.
- You have at least three years of experience in fundraising and budgeting.
- You can architect and implement a financial strategy that includes fundraising and will secure the organisation’s growth.
- You have worked in a multicultural setting or have direct experience of mixed communities or working with multicultural teams.
- You are able to use common IT tools—including an invoicing system, project management software, and Google Apps for Business—and are adept at social media.
- You are an excellent communicator at all levels.
- You are fluent in written and spoken English.
The following skills are desirable:
- You have some experience in human resources issues, for example, contract negotiation, succession planning, and workforce training and development.
- You have worked with volunteer communities before or have volunteered yourself.
- You are fluent in another language other than English, perhaps one of the United Nations six official languages.
The Managing Director role is a full-time role (at least 80%), working remotely. As a modern, virtual organisation, the DOAJ Team works flexibly and allows team members to manage their own work.
Diversity
DOAJ is an adopting organisation of the C4DISC Joint Statement of Principles and strives to improve diversity and inclusion in scholarly communications. It is extremely important to DOAJ that these principles are reflected in our organisational structure and that they are acted upon in our day-to-day operations through leadership and management.
Salary
Salary details are available upon request. The salary is negotiable.
Start date
October 2021 but dependent on the successful candidate’s notice period.
The interview process
The interview is divided into 3 parts:
- Interview plus a 15-minute presentation to the selection panel. (75 minutes max);
- Meet the team. An informal discussion with members of the DOAJ Team. They will present to you about what they do, what it is like working for DOAJ. You will have the opportunity to ask them questions. (60 minutes max)
- Final interview for short-listed candidates with two members of the selection panel (60 minutes max).
The presentation should focus on your vision for the future of DOAJ and must include how your approach in the three key areas above will support movement towards that vision. You should spend time describing what steps the organisation should take to secure financial stability, and increase its diversity and global impact.
The interview will be held online and in English. Candidates will be asked to indicate their availability via a Doodle poll.
Questions and information
For further information view our Managing Director Job brochure.
If you have any questions on the position or the interview process, please do not hesitate to contact DOAJ’s Operations Manager, Dom Mitchell: dom@doaj.org
How to apply
Please send a short cover letter and a copy of your resume to Dom Mitchell, email address as above.
Closing date for applications
9th July 2021
