Business Model Analyst

^{The position is anticipated to be short-term, and not expected to exceed 18 months. Please note that there is no guaranteed duration of the position, and your employment will be at will and for no fixed duration. As such, it can be terminated by you or the organization at any time, with or without notice or cause, for any reason not otherwise prohibited by law.}

*This position is fully remote/home based. Applications will be accepted from candidates based in the following US states: FL,GA, MA, MD, NY, PA, VA, VT.

Role Summary

PLOS is a nonprofit, Open Access publisher empowering researchers to accelerate progress in science and medicine by leading a transformation in research communication.

With Community Action Publishing and Global Equity, PLOS has led the way in the evolution of OA publishing models away from APCs. A new Research & Design project will consider the next phase of transformation we seek to lead in the scholarly communication ecosystem. Within this project, the Business Model Analyst will support and drive forward the development of a new business model supporting open science publishing. This role will be critical to the organization’s strategic aim to develop equitable, sustainable and scalable alternatives to article-based business models, supporting wide participation in open science.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with external consultants and internal stakeholders to complete modeling work to support the conceptualization, development and iteration of a new business model for open science publishing
• Identify, compile and clean large data relevant to project goals and objectives
• Contribute to qualitative research to ascertain market gaps, likely uptake of models and impact on organizational profitability and revenue streams
• Assess impact of models on the wider research ecosystem, with specific reference to the issue of equity
• Perform business analysis and research validation with external stakeholders to produce an outline of a new or revised business model, including data model(s) and initial pricing
• Consult with internal stakeholders to consider technical, operational and procedural impacts, assessing the interactions between these elements and the impact of proposed changes
• Prepare written proposals of models to internal stakeholders, outlining scaling paths and associated business impacts across a range of scenarios 
• Contribute as required to reporting back to external stakeholders on progress and results of assigned project responsibilities 
• Iterate and revise new and existing business models to agreed timescales and milestones in response to internal and external stakeholder feedback
• Work with internal stakeholders to refine and improve data integrity

Knowledge and Skills

• Excellent ability to work accurately and independently with quantitative data
• Experience building, reviewing and presenting complex business models 
• Able to reach, recommend and justify decisions based on assessing a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data
• Excellent Excel skills, comfortable with complex formulae and large datasets, able to build workbooks to process and model scenarios with multiple variables
• Good understanding of financial principles relating to profit, loss and budgeting 
• Commercially aware with good business acumen, with an ability to tailor approaches in line with specific strategic aims and priorities 
• Ability to independently drive forward projects and initiatives, convening input as necessary 
• Working knowledge of STM journal publishing principles and business dynamics, including open access

Qualifications

• Bachelors Degree

Physical Requirements and Work Environment

• Prolonged periods stationary at a desk and working on a computer
• Some flexibility to work across time zones

The base salary range we’ve established for this position is $70,000 - $80,000. PLOS also offers a comprehensive benefits package that will be shared with candidates in the interview process.

The Organization:

PLOS is a non-profit, Open Access publisher empowering researchers to accelerate progress in science and medicine by leading a transformation in research communication. PLOS journals propelled the movement for OA alternatives to subscription journals. We established the first multi-disciplinary publication inclusive of all excellent research regardless of novelty or impact and demonstrated the importance of open data availability. As we continue to lead the way in making research content more open, we need to make it a system that's open for everyone. We are intentionally spreading our roots deeper, globally. 

We believe in pushing the boundaries of 'Open' to create a more equitable system of scientific knowledge and understanding—it’s core to who we are, 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’re ever-evolving in our journey for representation and equity, and strongly encourage applicants of diverse identities to apply: you’ll find a group of critical thinkers eager to challenge the status quo and learn with you as we continue breaking barriers to open science.

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