Senior Acquisitions Editor

Accountabilities: As Senior Acquisitions Editor, you will oversee the acquisition strategy and development of your assigned publishing areas while contributing to the broader editorial direction of the book program. Your responsibilities will include: Develop and maintain a strategic acquisitions plan, including signing targets and a pipeline of prospective titles aligned with organizational priorities. Consult regularly with psychologists, customers, subject matter experts, and other stakeholders to understand market needs, identify emerging trends, and refine acquisition priorities. Build and maintain a broad professional network of leading psychologists and recruit experts to write, edit, and review scholarly and professional books. Develop strong relationships with existing authors and manage projects at different stages of the publishing process. Evaluate book proposals and peer reviews based on editorial quality, audience relevance, strategic fit, and commercial viability. Prepare financial projections and profit-and-loss analyses, presenting proposals for final approval. Negotiate publishing contracts with authors and other contributors while protecting organizational interests. Monitor forthcoming publications and contribute to future publishing schedules and frontlist planning. Maintain regular communication with authors to support manuscript delivery in line with agreed requirements and timelines. Collaborate with Development, Production, Marketing, Sales, and other teams to support successful publishing outcomes and strong author relationships. Present acquired titles to Sales and Marketing teams, sharing editorial perspectives, market intelligence, and audience insights. Prioritize accessibility in content development and build diverse, inclusive networks of authors and reviewers. Represent the publishing program at professional meetings, scholarly conferences, and industry events, serving as an ambassador to authors, customers, psychologists, and publishing professionals. Use AI tools responsibly to streamline routine tasks and background research while ensuring that editorial assessments, author relationships, and acquisition decisions remain human-led. Carry out all responsibilities ethically, efficiently, and with a strong focus on quality and financial sustainability. Requirements : The ideal candidate is an experienced publishing professional with a strong acquisitions track record, excellent editorial judgment, and the commercial insight to build a successful scholarly publishing portfolio. You should bring: A bachelor's degree in English, Psychology, or a related field; a master's degree is preferred. At least 8 years of experience, or equivalent expertise, in scholarly, professional, reference, nonfiction, or textbook publishing. A successful and consistent track record in acquisitions or product development. Professional experience or familiarity with psychology or a related discipline is preferred but not required. Knowledge of relevant subject areas, or the ability to develop this expertise quickly; familiarity with clinical psychology is an advantage. The ability to establish and maintain a strong network of psychologists and other subject matter experts. Excellent relationship-building, negotiation, persuasion, and stakeholder management skills, supported by diplomacy and tact. Outstanding written and verbal communication skills. Strong critical thinking and analytical abilities, including the capacity to assess proposals, peer reviews, sales performance, market trends, and competitive activity. Excellent editorial judgment and the ability to shape book proposals for clearly defined audiences. Understanding of digital content trends, publishing platforms, databases, and AI licensing models. Familiarity with AI tools and sound judgment in applying them responsibly to research and routine workflows. Experience using sales, usage, adoption, competitive, and bibliometric data to inform publishing strategy. Strong commercial and financial acumen, including the ability to assess project viability and prepare profit-and-loss projections. Excellent presentation skills, with the ability to communicate persuasive project proposals and translate market insights and data into clear recommendations for diverse audiences. Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Outlook, and Excel. The ability and willingness to learn and work with publishing platforms, title management systems, adoption databases, and bibliometric or citation analytics tools. Strong attention to detail in data entry, record keeping, and tracking acquisition-related activities. Benefits : Annual salary range of $90,000–$139,000 USD, depending on relevant experience, education, and other qualifications. Remote work and flexible scheduling, subject to the applicable flexible work policy and approval. 401(k) retirement plan with an employer match of up to 4%. Medical, dental, and vision insurance options. Outpatient mental health benefits. Paid personal and vacation time. 12 paid holidays. Family and medical leave. Tuition assistance. Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Short-term and long-term disability insurance. A 37.5-hour standard workweek, with one-hour lunch breaks each day.