Public Library of Science

The Development & Foundation Relations Specialist is responsible for cultivating financial support for PLOS through foundation fundraising. This includes producing high-quality written materials, managing donor relationships, and overseeing operational support for fundraising activities. | Candidates should have an advanced degree in a relevant scientific field, with a PhD strongly desired. Experience in fundraising, grant writing, or a related field is preferred, along with the ability to communicate complex scientific concepts. | *This position is fully remote/home based. Applications will be accepted from candidates based in the UK and the following US states: FL, IL, MA, MD, NY, PA, TX, VA. PLOS is a non-profit organization on a mission to drive open science forward with measurable, meaningful change in research publishing, policy, and practice. We believe in a better future where science is open to all, for all. Role Summary The Development & Foundation Relations Specialist cultivates financial support for the mission and programs of the Public Library of Science (PLOS) through its foundation fundraising portfolio. Partnering with the Chief Scientific Officer to ensure effective engagement with a small number of high-value foundations, the Specialist is responsible for producing high-quality written materials, managing the full lifecycle and engagement cadence of donor relationships, and overseeing operational support for fundraising activities. The role works in close collaboration with program officers, internal leadership, and board members, requiring the ability to build strong, trusting relationships. This role requires an understanding of the scientific research ecosystem, exceptional writing ability, strong organizational skills, and the capacity to manage both strategic and tactical tasks within PLOS’ evolving fundraising function. Supervisory Responsibilities No direct reports Responsibilities Writing and Content Development Produce and refine high-quality written materials that advance PLOS' foundation fundraising priorities and clearly communicate organizational impact. Draft and refine compelling proposals, grant reports, meeting briefs, and donor correspondence, working in partnership with the Chief Scientific Officer and other internal stakeholders to refine positioning and content. Translate complex scientific and programmatic information into clear, accessible narratives for funder audiences. Edit and streamline materials to improve flow, concision, and overall impact. Grant Development & Foundation Engagement Cultivate and maintain strong, productive relationships with foundation partners to support long-term funding and strategic collaboration. Attend selected donor and program officer meetings to document discussions, manage follow-up, and support relationship-building. Coordinate with program officers, internal leadership, and board members to ensure consistent donor engagement. Grant Development and Management Oversee the full lifecycle of assigned foundation grants, from proposal development through final reporting. Establish and manage timelines for all grant reporting deliverables, ensuring compliance with funder requirements. Coordinate input from internal teams to meet submission deadlines and quality standards. Board Management Manage end-to-end logistics for Development Advisory Committee meetings, including scheduling, agenda design, note-taking, and follow-up. Support and prepare board members for participation in donor meetings, including preparation of briefing materials and pre-reads. Development Operations and Administration Provide operational and administrative support to ensure seamless execution of foundation fundraising activities and related governance. Maintain organized systems for donor correspondence, proposal drafts, and reporting schedules. Ensure the highest level of accuracy and professionalism in all donor-facing materials and communications. Maintain accurate records of donor interactions, proposals, and reporting milestones in Salesforce. Knowledge and Skills Demonstrated ability to produce high-quality, donor-facing written materials with minimal oversight. Ability to work iteratively and collaboratively with internal stakeholders through revision and refinement. Strong interpersonal skills; able to represent the organization effectively in meetings with senior donor representatives. Proven organizational and project management skills Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines. Familiarity with Salesforce and/or other database systems is a plus. Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite. Qualifications Advanced degree in a relevant scientific field; PhD strongly desired. Background in science, publishing, or research, with the ability to understand and communicate complex scientific concepts and familiarity with the scientific research ecosystem. Experience in fundraising, grant writing, development, or a related field; experience coordinating multi-stage fundraising or grant processes from proposal through reporting preferred. Physical Requirements and Work Environment Prolonged periods stationary at a desk and working on a computer Some national and international travel may be required Some flexibility to work across time zones The base salary range we’ve established for these positions is (US): $67,000 - $88,000. PLOS also offers a comprehensive benefits package summarized below. BENEFITS: US: 401k with employer match Employee sponsored health, dental and vision insurance (Dental and Vision 100% employer paid) Paid Vacation, 11 public holidays and sick leave Parental leave Birthday and three winter holidays days off Short term and long term disability insurance 2 days paid time off for volunteering per year Fully remote work environment with stipend on joining for home office About PLOS Building on a strong legacy of pioneering innovation, PLOS continues to be a catalyst in open science, reimagining models to meet open science principles, removing barriers and promoting inclusion in knowledge creation and sharing, and publishing research outputs that enable everyone to learn from, reuse and build upon scientific knowledge. Our work is supported by a highly skilled global in-house team, partnerships with local scholarly organizations, and the valued contributions of a diverse, international community of scientific researchers. We’re committed to equal opportunity We’re working to create a more equitable system of scientific knowledge and understanding. Removing barriers to inclusion and facilitating broad participation of voices is core to our success, inside and out. Beyond accepting distinct perspectives, we seek and support divergent backgrounds among our staff because we know differences strengthen our teams, our work, and our communities. We strongly encourage applicants of all identities to join us as we work towards a future where science is open to all, for all. Visit plos.org/careers to learn more. To learn more about how PLOS protects your privacy, see our Employee Privacy Notice.

The role involves ensuring timely and efficient peer review of submissions and addressing queries or concerns from vendors and colleagues. It also includes troubleshooting workflow issues and contributing to operational projects. | Candidates should have at least 2 years of experience in peer review scientific journal publishing and possess excellent communication and organizational skills. A university degree in a scientific discipline is preferred. | *This position is fully remote/home based. Applications will be accepted from candidates based in the UK and the following US states: FL, IL, MA, MD, NY, PA, TX, VA. In the US, this is a union represented position as part of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, Local 39521 of the NewsGuild-Communication Workers of America. PLOS is a non-profit organization on a mission to drive open science forward with measurable, meaningful change in research publishing, policy, and practice. We believe in a better future where science is open to all, for all. Role Summary The Associate Peer Review Operations Specialist/Peer Review Operations Specialist, is a confident and highly organized self-starter, motivated by a culture of continuous improvement. This role requires excellent communication skills, teamwork and collaboration across team with accountability to meet competing deadlines in a dynamic environment. Reporting to the Peer Review Operations Managers and will work as part of the Peer Review Operations team to maintain efficient peer review workflows, ensure high vendor performance standards, and uphold excellent contributor experience for authors, editors, and reviewers. This role will enforce turnaround time benchmarks for all peer review milestones to protect process integrity and ensure timeliness and quality of publication. This role will maintain high standards of professional conduct in the workplace and enjoy working with international colleagues from a range of cultures and settings. This role will seek out opportunities for continuous quality improvement in department activities and be an effective champion of the PLOS vision, mission, and brand. Supervisory Responsibilities No direct reports. Responsibilities Submission Management 40% Ensure the timely, efficient peer review of all submissions Ensure that queries or concerns escalated by vendors, Customer Care or other PLOS colleagues are addressed and resolved professionally and within required timelines, or escalated appropriately Identify and remove barriers to submission, working collaboratively with colleagues across PLOS as required Proactively identify workflow inefficiencies, variations or backlogs to diagnose persistent issues Ensure that manuscripts meet requirements and follow current policies and procedures Workflows 30% Troubleshoot persistent manuscript, workflow or system issues, providing expertise and advice, and exercising judgement to resolve the issue or escalate to the Peer Review Operations Manager or other colleagues as appropriate Proactively raise data-driven recommendations for continuous journal operations and workflow improvements to the Peer Review Operations Manager Ensure standard journal workflows are maintained as established, implementing and adopting process updates when approved by the Peer Review Operations Manager Projects 25% Contribute to workflow project and initiate proposals as requested, and undertake operations projects and initiatives as directed by the Peer Review Operations Manager Serve as daily liaison with vendor representatives, monitoring quality and timeliness performance against target thresholds and KPIs Other 5% Contribute to other operational research outputs related to PLOS’s mission where required, so that our journal workflows are optimized to encourage scientific openness and transparency Knowledge and Skills Peer Review Operations Specialist will have 2+ years’ experience in peer review scientific journal publishing Excellent communication and presentation skills, both written and oral Highly organized, detail-oriented, and proactive in solving problems Growth mindset with a collaborative, team player mentality An ability to maintain a positive and professional customer service attitude Able to work constructively with vendors, authors, editors, customers, and colleagues from a range of international settings Knowledge of Excel, Word, file types and file conversions Able to work under tight deadlines while achieving a high standard of quality and accuracy Able to set priorities and work independently Upholds high standards of professionalism in the workplace Embraces change with a positive attitude An interest in science and in advancing scientific knowledge Qualifications A university degree or equivalent, scientific discipline is a plus. Physical Requirements and Work Environment Prolonged periods stationary at a desk and working on a computer. Some national and international travel may be required. Some flexibility to work across time zones. The base salary range we’ve established for these positions is (US): $55,000-$78,000 or UK £27,000- £36,800. PLOS also offers a comprehensive benefits package summarized below. BENEFITS: US: 401k with employer match Employee sponsored health, dental and vision insurance (Dental and Vision 100% employer paid) Paid Vacation, 11 public holidays and sick leave Parental leave Birthday and three winter holidays days off Short term and long term disability insurance 2 days paid time off for volunteering per year Fully remote work environment with stipend on joining for home office UK: Private medical insurance Life assurance Income protection Personal accident insurance Pension with up to 10% employer match 25 days holidays, market competitive Maternity and Paternity leave Birthday and three winter holidays days off 2 days paid time off for volunteering per year Fully remote work environment with stipend on joining for home office About PLOS Building on a strong legacy of pioneering innovation, PLOS continues to be a catalyst in open science, reimagining models to meet open science principles, removing barriers and promoting inclusion in knowledge creation and sharing, and publishing research outputs that enable everyone to learn from, reuse and build upon scientific knowledge. Our work is supported by a highly skilled global in-house team, partnerships with local scholarly organizations, and the valued contributions of a diverse, international community of scientific researchers. We’re committed to equal opportunity We’re working to create a more equitable system of scientific knowledge and understanding. Removing barriers to inclusion and facilitating broad participation of voices is core to our success, inside and out. Beyond accepting distinct perspectives, we seek and support divergent backgrounds among our staff because we know differences strengthen our teams, our work, and our communities. We strongly encourage applicants of all identities to join us as we work towards a future where science is open to all, for all. Visit plos.org/careers to learn more. To learn more about how PLOS protects your privacy, see our Employee Privacy Notice.