Publications Officer, Strategic Publications

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) is an independent research center at the University of Washington. Its mission is to deliver to the world timely, relevant, and scientifically valid evidence to improve health policy and practice. IHME carries out its mission through a range of projects within different research areas including the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors; Future Health Scenarios; Cost Effectiveness and Efficiency; Resource Tracking; and Impact Evaluations. Our vision is to provide policymakers, donors, and researchers with the highest-quality quantitative evidence base so all people live long lives in full health.

IHME is committed to providing the evidence base necessary to help solve the world’s most important health problems. This requires creativity and innovation, which is cultivated by an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment that respects and appreciates differences, embraces collaboration, and invites the voices of all IHME team members.

IHME has an outstanding opportunity for a Publications Officer to join the Scientific Publications team, working on Strategic Publications. The primary purpose of this position is to support the development of high-quality peer-reviewed scientific papers for IHME’s work in fields including epidemiology, biostatistics, survey methodology, health economics, demography, and social determinants. Particular emphasis will be given to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD), which provides a tool to quantify health loss from hundreds of diseases, injuries, and risk factors, so that health systems can be improved and disparities can be eliminated.  This position is contingent upon project funding availability.

Responsibilities:

Publications Management

• Manage the collaborator publications process including organizing calls for publication proposals, managing and tracking submissions including coordinating review, informing collaborators of proposal decisions, and maintaining communication and tracking information throughout the publications process.
• Contribute to improving the process for collaborator-led publications to ensure a mutually beneficial exchange between collaborators, IHME and high quality, high impact publications.
• Coordinate aspects of GBD summative publications (capstones) on an annual basis.
• Manage the paper production process for select publications from draft development to publication.
• Become proficient with journal submission requirements and sequences for the leading scientific journals in which IHME frequently publishes. Collate, finalize, and upload manuscript files for submission through journal portals
• Create and update production timelines, ensuring that all interrelated aspects of the schedule are being tracked and adapting timelines if milestones or deadlines shift.
• Gain a clear understanding of the complex computational machinery behind IHME’s work, and how these schedules relate to the paper production process.
• Develop an understanding of roles and areas of expertise of IHME faculty and staff; be able to identify the appropriate team member to assign to paper tasks.
• Maintain strong attention to detail while planning around contingencies.

Writing

• Assist in writing sections of high-quality scientific articles for submission to peer-reviewed journals including drafting summaries, abstracts, or accompanying cover letters to journals and journal editors describing the research; may assist in developing comprehensive captions for tables and figures, drafting accurate descriptions of results from technical figures and tables, or contributing to other manuscript sections.
• Ensure manuscript documents meet all formatting requirements for journal submission?
• As necessary, research and build reference libraries specific to each manuscript and manage the referencing and reference lists within manuscript files?
• Engage with external collaborators to incorporate their feedback to draft scientific manuscripts, hone messages, and finalize manuscripts for submission.
• Participate in the peer-review process by facilitating required revisions through establishing journal required formatting, tracking and coordinating responses across writing teams, confirming that all requested responses and revisions have been completed, and accurately cross-referencing changes between reviewer response documents and revised manuscript files.

Research Learning

• Develop a command of the intellectual material and analytic concepts that are central to IHME’s work, which span epidemiology, biostatistics, survey methodology, health economics, demography, social determinants, and education.
• Become familiar with the details of the GBD work and the complex interdisciplinary projects included in IHME’s GBD portfolio, including their goals, objectives, and activities.
• Become familiar with IHME’s data visualization tools in order to access the high volume of data produced by IHME; be able to extract key details from those data.
• Support other Scientific Publications functions as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here.

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in English, Social Sciences, Health Science or related field and three years of experience OR Equivalent combination of education/experience.

Additional Requirements:

• A commitment to working to alongside others at IHME to illuminate the health impacts of systemic racism and to work within IHME to make our organization more diverse and inclusive.  See IHME’s DEI statement here:  http://www.healthdata.org/get-involved/careers/dei
• Demonstrated ability to quickly learn and command complex, multidisciplinary material.
• Skilled time management in urgent and deadline-driven environment in collaboration with a range of individuals.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with international audiences.
• Maintain excellent attention to detail while planning around contingencies. 
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to develop positive relationships with external constituents and IHME colleagues from a diverse set of disciplines, expertise, and backgrounds.
• Experience with CRM tools such as Salesforce.
• Experience designing and creating electronic surveys.
• Experience with project management tools such as Asana or similar project management software.
• Demonstrated comfort learning new technologies.
• Specific experience with scientific publishing and editorial processes.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

DESIRED

• Editorial experience and familiarity with copyediting principles and terminology as they relate to preparing publication proofs.
• Experience with managing complex projects.
• Experience working in global health.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Evening and/or weekend work will be required around publication deadlines.
• This position is open to anyone authorized to work in the U.S. The UW is not able to sponsor visas for staff positions.
• Office is located in Seattle, Washington. This position is eligible to work fully remote in the US.; work schedule required to overlap 50% of IHME office hours, between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Pacific Time; actual schedule will be determined with supervisor.
• The University of Washington requires students and personnel to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Under state regulations, individuals who are not fully vaccinated are required to wear masks while in all UW buildings and facilities. To learn more about the requirements, please review the following: https://www.washington.edu/coronavirus/vaccination-requirement/.

Application Process:

The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These assessments may include Workforce Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.