Production Assistant - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Job Description Summary:

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) is the National Academy of Science's flagship peer-reviewed journal of original scientific research. Established in 1914, it publishes cutting-edge research reports, commentaries, perspectives, letters, and actions of the Academy. Coverage in PNAS spans the biological, physical, and social sciences.

The Production Assistant supports the publication process for daily article content and weekly journal issues, as well as other assigned content, and facilitates prepress production workflows. Working under general guidance and supervision, the incumbent’s primary duty is performing tasks to facilitate the publication of journal content, including working with external vendors to resolve production queries. Incumbent performs responsibilities in accordance with established procedures outlined in process documentation. Incumbent must be a fast learner and must be able to exercise sound judgement based on process and policy guidelines. While some tasks are complex, most decision-making can be made within predetermined approaches. Normally works independently on mastered tasks.

Job Description:

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES:

1. Completes triage and coordinates responses to emails from prepress vendor, authors, and internal staff.

2. Responds to routine queries from authors, vendors, and internal stakeholders. Tracks and logs types of queries received and performs root-cause analysis on areas of concern when necessary.

3. Communicates with authors and readers about copyright, permissions, and journal policy issues. Ensures necessary credit lines are communicated to appropriate parties for inclusion in published articles.

4. Sends and receives jobs to/from external suppliers. Prepares work orders, ensuring that required data for each job are included and properly organized for transmittal to vendors.

5. With production coordinators, support the weekly issue-compilation process for PNAS.

6. Compiles and enters production data into internal trackers. Creates and generates reports from production database.

7. Carries out administrative tasks related to production activities.

NONESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES

Related duties and special projects as assigned.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Access). Ability to compose clear and professional communications. Ability to work productively and calmly under the pressure of tight publication deadlines. Ability to prioritize work and the flexibility to change directions as the job dictates. Ability to solve problems with supervisory consultation or by following procedures. Ability to work successfully in a team environment. Ability to develop relationships with co-workers and employees in other National Academies' departments through effective communication. Excellent communication skills with a proven ability to effectively interact with all levels of employees.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: Knowledge of prepress operations and journal production platforms. One year of proofreading and copyediting experience in a wide variety of documents. Experience working in Salesforce.

Minimum Education/Training Requirements: High School diploma, GED, or equivalent knowledge.

Minimum Experience: Three years of office of professional office experience.

Physical Capabilities: Ability to work at a computer for extended periods of time.

Required Licenses, Certification or Registration: None.

Supervisory Responsibilities/Controls: Reports to manager. Supervisor is available to assign and review work and assists in problem resolution.

Work Environment:  Fully remote with occasional travel to the National Academies Building.

Compensation Range: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine support equity, fairness, and transparency in our compensation programs. An estimated compensation range for this position is $23.04 - $28.79 per hour. Compensation offered to the selected candidate will be based on the candidate’s relevant knowledge, skills, and work experience, commensurate with compensation of current employees in comparable positions with similar knowledge, skills, and work experience, and subject to budget parameters. Note it is not typical for a candidate to be hired at the higher end of the range.

The National Academies’ Statement on Diversity and Inclusion:

We, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies), value diversity among our staff, members, volunteers, partners, vendors, and audiences. We recognize that talent is broadly distributed in society and that many perspectives enhance the quality of our work and drive innovation and impact.

We pledge to cultivate a workplace culture and climate that promotes inclusion, belonging, accessibility, and anti-racism; upholds equity; and values the participation of all who are engaged in advancing our mission. By embracing the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our programs, institutional policies and practices, and products, we will be able to better advise the nation on the most complex issues facing society and the world.  

Equal Opportunity Employer:

It is the policy of the National Academies to recruit, hire, transfer, compensate, and promote people in all job categories and to administer all other personnel actions, terms and conditions of employment in a manner that is consistent with equal employment, and does not discriminate on the basis of  race, creed, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, religion, disability, medical condition for which a person has been rehabilitated or cured, marital status, family responsibilities, genetic information, political affiliation, personal appearance, matriculation, unemployment status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws.  It is also the institution's policy to recruit, hire, promote, and provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and covered veterans who are otherwise qualified.

Any qualification to be considered equivalent, in lieu of stated minimum, requires the prior approval of the Office of Human Resources.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified. Some functions in this description may be specific to a particular unit of the National Academies and not applicable to other units.

Job Family:

PUBL

Employee Type:

Employee

Scheduled Weekly Hours:

37.5

City/State:

Remote, District of Columbia