[Hiring] Non-Executive Director @Biochemical Society

Role Description

Portland Press Limited – the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Biochemical Society – is seeking a Non-Executive Director to join its Board. The current Board is a dynamic forum comprising a mix of Biochemical Society Trustees and specialist Non-Executive Directors. This is a pivotal time for the organisation as it capitalises on links between Portland Press and the Society and continues to navigate open science and changes across the wider academic publishing landscape. Publishing is key to the research dissemination goals of the Group and vital to the financial viability of the Society.

We are looking for individuals who are excited about contributing to the Group’s endeavours over the coming three-year period. The successful candidates will have:

• Demonstrable recent experience in evolving scholarly publishing and content services to meet the changing needs of researchers across the globe.
• Deep knowledge of making business-model changes and sculpting/structuring new commercial offerings.
• Awareness of research-funder policy shifts, with ideas about how to navigate these changes.

In addition, you should meet the eligibility requirements for company directors, be able to commit the time necessary to fulfil the duties of the role, and understand the associated legal responsibilities.

This role offers a remuneration package of £7,500 per annum and will require the quarterly review of reporting in line with attendance at four board meetings per year. It is intended that interviews will take place by the end of June 2026. The role will commence from January 2027 onwards, with a preceding period of shadowing (from September 2026).

Closing date for applications is Friday 12th June 2026.

To apply follow the link and upload a CV and Cover letter addressed to Prof. Nigel Hooper via the button below. It is important that you DO NOT include your Personal Information i.e. name and contact details in your CV or Cover Letter.

The Society reserves the right to close the vacancy prior to the stated closing date in the event that a high volume of applications are received.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable recent experience in evolving scholarly publishing and content services.
• Deep knowledge of making business-model changes.
• Awareness of research-funder policy shifts.

Requirements

• Meet the eligibility requirements for company directors.
• Ability to commit the time necessary to fulfil the duties of the role.
• Understanding of the associated legal responsibilities.

Benefits

• Remuneration package of £7,500 per annum.
• Quarterly review of reporting in line with attendance at four board meetings per year.

Company Description

The Society is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit. We offer a range of family-friendly, inclusive employment policies to support staff from different backgrounds.

The Society takes the security of your data seriously. It has internal policies and controls in place to ensure that your data is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused or disclosed, and is not accessed except by our employees in the proper performance of their duties.

Please note that due to limited resources it is not possible for the Society to acknowledge receipt of applications. If you do not hear from us within two weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.