Publishing Consultant I

Do you love journal publishing and technology? Are you independent, fluent in Arabic and English, resourceful, and curious about how AI is changing scholarly publishing? If so, the Consultant I role may be a great fit for you

About the Role 

The Consultant I is an entry-level position for someone who wants to learn and grow in the field of scholarly publishing. You will help universities and institutions launch, run, and grow journals and repositories on Digital Commons, Elsevier's hosted repository platform. Faculty, researchers, healthcare practitioners, and students use it to publish, manage, and showcase their work, with detailed analytics on its impact. Learn more at https://www.elsevier.com/products/digital-commons. 

Academic publishing is changing quickly. Research integrity questions are multiplying, AI-generated content and AI detection tools have no settled playbook, and journals expect fast, responsive service. Our team works through these questions in real time, and we want people who are excited to help figure them out. 

This is a remote-first role on a global team spread across Cairo, Amsterdam, Singapore, and the US, working largely asynchronously. Success depends on independent judgment, clear communication, and follow-through. You will not be doing it alone: you will have a manager, a team that answers questions, and a structured start. 

Purpose of the Role 

Our Consulting Services department supports hundreds of academic institutions through the initial onboarding of Digital Commons and provides ongoing support and training so customers get the most from our products and services. For the Consultant I, this includes a specialization in the setup, launch, and support of academic journals and adjacent scholarship. Based in or near Cairo, you will provide support during local business hours in both fluent Arabic and English. 

Your Responsibilities 

• Onboard. Welcome new clients aboard and guide them in building Digital Commons repositories and journals to their specifications. 

• Advise. Be the trusted point of contact for editors, faculty, and librarians. Guide them in publishing best practices and editorial workflows (including Editorial Manager), and troubleshoot unusual problems. 

• Partner. Give timely, well-informed advice on issues affecting scholarly publishing, such as indexing, research integrity, and AI policy, working closely with a Strategic Advisor on the more complex questions. 

• Train. Train clients, usually remotely, to use and customize our templated systems, with patience and clarity for non-technical audiences. 

• Work smarter. Use AI tools thoughtfully to speed up routine work such as drafting, quality checks, and documentation, and apply your own judgment to verify the results before anything reaches a client. Share what works with the team. 

• Contribute. Provide general assistance to the team as needed, including filing feature requests, product testing, HTML/PDF editing, uploading content, and giving feedback that helps us streamline and expand our services. 

What You Can Expect 

• Ride-alongs with experienced consultants, hands-on practice sites, and live exposure to client work before you carry your own portfolio. 

• A graduated client load, regular 1:1s with your manager, and a team culture that welcomes questions and early flags when something is not working. 

• Broad exposure to editorial workflows, typesetting, indexing, research integrity, and platform operations. 

• A team that experiments openly with AI and shares results, so you can build practical skills on real work. 
  

Required Qualities and Capabilities 

• Fluent English and Arabic. Nuanced written, verbal, and aural comprehension a must. 

• Curiosity and openness about AI tools: willingness to experiment, check outputs critically, and share what you learn. No prior AI experience required. 

• Independence and self-management in a remote, cross-time-zone environment, including clear communication about workload. 

• High attention to quality and detail, and good judgment about when to escalate an issue versus resolve it yourself. 

• Excellent communication skills: confident and precise when speaking with a college dean or faculty member, and comfortable writing professionally and building slide decks. 

• Experience juggling multiple projects to completion, on time and per stated protocols. 

• Comfort with Microsoft 365 and online collaboration tools. 

• Basic HTML/CSS, or a real willingness to learn, and the ability to pick up and troubleshoot new technologies quickly. 

• Enthusiasm and initiative to contribute beyond a narrow job description. 

• Humor and diplomacy. 

Preferred Qualities and Capabilities 

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience. 

• Experience in a customer-facing, editorial, publishing operations, research integrity, or quality assurance role. Any combination counts; there is no minimum number of years. 

• Experience with Editorial Manager, Digital Commons, or similar submission or repository systems. 

• Familiarity with academic publishing, library science, and university culture are big pluses. 

• Hands-on experience using AI tools in work or study (for example, to check, summarize, or draft), along with an understanding of their limits. 

• Familiarity with XML and working with APIs. 

• A history of collaborating on a team, both offering and asking for advice and help; prior remote work experience. 
  

To Apply 

Please apply with a resume and a short cover letter describing your fit for the position. 

Elsevier is an equal opportunity employer: qualified applicants are considered for and treated during employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, citizenship status, disability status, protected veteran status, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. If a qualified individual with a disability or disabled veteran needs a reasonable accommodation to use or access our online system, that individual should please contact [email protected] or, if based in the US, call 1.855.833.5120. Please read our Candidate Privacy Policy.

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We are an equal opportunity employer: qualified applicants are considered for and treated during employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, citizenship status, disability status, protected veteran status, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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