Head of External Affairs, US & North America

Role Overview:

The Head of External Affairs, US & North America, will shape Frontiers’ presence and influence across the region, forging strategic relationships and advancing the transition toward Open Science. This role sits at the intersection of policy, advocacy, and institutional partnership-building, driving meaningful engagement with key stakeholders to expand our network and accelerate the adoption of Open Science across the US research ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities: 

1) Policy Development: Driving Open Science policy development and uptake as well as budget prioritization at federal, state and institutions levels: 

• Develop relationships with key stakeholders in US science policy including in Congress, Federal Agencies, OSTP, National Academy of Sciences among others. Engage with key state-level policy bodies.

• Develop relationships with influential stakeholders and decisionmakers at institutions, universities, advocacy groups among others. 

• Develop and deploy advocacy plans to promote the uptake of policies that support Open Science and Open Access publishing, in particular the models and services offered by Frontiers in the US market. 

• Actively participate in External Affairs in the US, fostering relationships with funding bodies, policy makers, societies and other key organizations and bodies, to promote Open Science, and further Frontiers’ mission and business . 

• Stay abreast of industry trends, Open Science, and competitor activities. 

• Cultivate and demonstrate thought Leadership in matters around publishing models, Open Science, impact, and publishing innovation to build up the brand and profile of Frontiers in the US. Close collaboration with PR, Marketing, and External Affairs.   

2) Business Development: Institutional outreach, relationship building and collaboration with key contacts at potential institutional partners based in the USA. 

• Work with the rest of the External Affairs team and with the Sales (Institutional Partnerships) team to identify strategic institutional partners including universities, libraries, and research organizations, and identify key decision-makers.  

• Cultivate strong relationships with key decision-makers and stakeholders at prospective institutions, with the aim to influence budget allocation towards Frontiers.   

• Develop and leverage relationships and at potential client institutions to generate business leads for the Institutional Partnerships team.

• Market Analysis: Work closely with the business intelligence team to identify and prioritize new opportunities.

• Reputation management and troubleshooting: Engage wit institutions to promote and maintain Frontiers reputation; work in coordination with the PR and social media teams to promote positive perceptions of Frontiers in the media and social media; engage institutions in the US when problems arise that can affect the perception and reputation of Frontiers. 

• Represent Frontiers at industry conferences, seminars, and events to enhance visibility and build connections. When needed, the candidate will also liaise with Societies.  

Abilities, competences, skills:

• a strategic mindset and long-term view of Open Science trends in the US

• a strong network among US academic and science policy institutions,  

• a proven track record of partnership development, strong communication skills,  

• a strong team-work mindset and a deep understanding of the academic and corporate publishing landscape.  

• Ability to work independently and autonomously. 

• They will bring an entrepreneurial spirit and bias for action.   

• Willingness to travel within the US and abroad. 

• Excellent and comfortable public speaker and presenter 

Qualifications:  

• Masters or Doctoral degree in a related field (Business, Policy, Academia, Librarianship, Publishing, etc.)  

• Proven experience in a similar role within the publishing industry, particularly in institutional relations or pre-sales.  

• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.  

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to conduct market research and analyze trends.  

• Ability to travel as needed for client meetings and industry events.

Salary range: $130,000 - $160,000 per year.