We are looking for a German-speaking freelance (up to 20 hours per week) Editorial Contractor to support our partnership with the new German Diamond Service Centre. Applications will close 12:00 UTC on Friday 26th September 2025.

About DOAJ

DOAJ offers free online access and visibility to the thousands of publishers, journals and authors who produce quality, peer-reviewed, open access content. It is a unique and extensive database of diverse open access journals worldwide, and its content is freely available online for everyone.

We are a global virtual organisation. We are a small (and growing) team comprised of members in Europe, North Africa, East Asia, and North America. We are scholarly communication professionals, publishers, librarians, and academics working collaboratively to maintain the world’s best directory of open access journals.

About the role

We are looking for a German-speaking freelance Editorial contractor to support our partnership with the new German Diamond Service Centre. The position is part-time, up to 20 hours per week, working remotely. We are especially keen on hearing from people who are native in German. This role would be particularly suitable for a PhD student or advanced Masters student,  and provides an ideal opportunity for flexible work while contributing to a mission-driven organisation.

Your primary duties will involve:

Editorial work
Reviewing applications and update requests
Reviewing and updating metadata for German journals in DOAJ
Reviewing recommendations by volunteer editors
Acting as the primary contact for specific publishers and applications from Germany

Quality

Helping journals to meet the criteria for inclusion in DOAJ and improve adherence to best practice
Reporting cases of suspected predatory publishing for further investigation

Collaboration with SeDOA

Collaborating with the German Diamond Service Centre to provide training and support for diamond open access journals within Germany.

Requirements

Essential

  • Hold a degree or higher qualification, or demonstrate a good understanding of how journals are used in teaching and research
  • Has some experience of scholarly publishing or library work and understanding of editorial processes and workflows
  • Support open access publishing principles
  • Be fluent in English and German at all levels and in all media
  • Have excellent communication skills
  • Demonstrate the energy and initiative to work independently
  • Demonstrate alignment with our organisational values

Desirable

  • Have experience in customer support or publisher relations
  • Are aware of the problem of predatory publishing and how to combat it
  • Can travel occasionally to meetings and industry events
    • This includes an annual DOAJ Team meeting
  • Know how to work with collaboration and productivity software, such as Google for Business, Slack etc.
  • Already have the experience of working remotely and the set-up to do so
  • Are fluent in other languages
  • Have experience  or knowledge of scholarly communications globally

Working Expectations

  • Working hours are flexible, but you should be available for occasional meetings which will be held between 09:00 and 17:00 UTC, Monday to Friday
  • Manage your own schedule 
  • Use your own laptop and have a stable and reliable internet connection
  • Attend scheduled online meetings using Google Meet and Zoom

Hourly rate

The hourly rate will be in the region of €20 per hour, based on your level of experience. You will be responsible for any applicable taxes and insurance. 

Start date

As soon as possible

Diversity and inclusion

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.

Questions

If you have questions about the role described here, about working for DOAJ or the application process, please email Leena Shah: leena@doaj.org.

How to apply

Send a covering letter and a copy of your resumé/CV to Lene Rasmussen, DOAJ Operations Manager (lene@doaj.org), by 12:00 UTC on Friday 26th September 2025. Your cover letter must explain how you meet each of the obligatory requirements and which of the desirable ones you meet.