Peer Review & Vendor Operations Supervisor

Role Summary

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This role is responsible for leading end-to-end peer review operations while driving vendor governance, operational analytics, and continuous process improvement for GSD-OA. The incumbent will oversee internal editorial operations, manage vendor delivery performance, and leverage data-driven insights to optimize workflow efficiency, quality, and turnaround times.

The position plays a critical role in ensuring seamless manuscript progression from submission through production by maintaining operational excellence, strengthening stakeholder engagement, mitigating risks, and enabling scalable, performance-driven workflows across both internal and external teams.

Key Responsibilities

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Peer Review Operations \& Team Leadership

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• Lead and oversee end-to-end peer review operations from manuscript submission through handoff to production.
• Manage, mentor, and develop a team of 5-7 professionals, ensuring effective workload distribution and performance management.
• Drive daily and weekly operational planning to achieve productivity, quality, and turnaround time targets.
• Monitor team performance through defined KPIs, identify improvement opportunities, and implement development plans.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Proactively identify and escalate operational, workflow, and people-related risks.

Vendor Management \& Governance

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• Serve as the primary operational liaison for external vendor partners.
• Establish and maintain strong vendor relationships aligned with quality standards, SLAs, KPIs, and business objectives.
• Track vendor performance using scorecards, dashboards, and governance frameworks.
• Conduct regular performance reviews, feedback discussions, and service improvement initiatives.
• Manage operational escalations, compliance concerns, and delivery risks.
• Drive corrective and preventive actions to address performance gaps and ensure service excellence.

Operational Analytics, Reporting \& Capacity Planning

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• Develop, maintain, and enhance operational dashboards, reports, and trackers using Excel and Power BI.
• Monitor key operational metrics including throughput, turnaround time, backlog, productivity, quality, and resource utilization.
• Analyze data trends to identify bottlenecks, capacity constraints, and process inefficiencies.
• Support workforce planning, forecasting, and capacity management through data-driven insights.
• Present actionable recommendations and performance insights to leadership stakeholders.
• Drive a culture of data-based decision-making across operations.

Workflow Governance, Risk Management \& Process Improvement

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• Ensure consistent and efficient execution of peer review workflows across internal and vendor-supported operations.
• Identify operational bottlenecks, quality concerns, and turnaround time challenges, driving timely resolution.
• Monitor recurring issues and implement sustainable mitigation and preventive measures.
• Lead initiatives focused on workflow optimization, process standardization, and operational scalability.
• Continuously improve SOPs, governance frameworks, and operational controls.
• Champion operational excellence through Lean thinking and continuous improvement methodologies.

Stakeholder \& Cross-Functional Collaboration

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• Build strong relationships with editors, authors, reviewers, publishers, and internal stakeholders globally.
• Partner closely with Editorial, Production, Technology, Quality, and Operations teams to ensure seamless workflow execution.
• Support vendor onboarding, training, knowledge transfer, and transition management activities.
• Act as a key communication bridge between global stakeholders, including US, UK, and offshore teams.
• Provide timely operational updates and drive stakeholder confidence through proactive communication.

Process Governance \& Documentation

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• Ensure all process documentation, SOPs, training materials, and governance frameworks remain accurate and up to date.
• Maintain audit-ready operational records, performance reports, and governance trackers.
• Evaluate reporting effectiveness and introduce enhancements to improve operational visibility and decision-making.
• Ensure compliance with internal operational standards and quality requirements.

Qualifications \& Experience

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Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Publishing, Life Sciences, Operations Management, or a related discipline.

Experience

• 5+ years of experience in academic publishing, peer review operations, scholarly communications, or related operational environments.
• Demonstrated experience in team leadership, people management, and capability development.
• Proven experience managing vendor relationships, performance governance, and service delivery.
• Strong operational management experience with ownership of workflow performance, resource planning, and productivity optimization.
• Experience working in fast-paced, metrics-driven environments with multiple stakeholder groups.

Technical \& Functional Skills

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Power BI, including dashboard development, reporting, and analytical interpretation.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate data into actionable business insights.
• Sound understanding of peer review workflows, manuscript management systems, and academic publishing operations.
• Experience managing KPIs, SLAs, quality metrics, and operational governance frameworks.
• Strong project management and process improve