PLOS is a nonprofit publisher operating a portfolio of open-access journals with a stated focus on advancing open science. The hiring mix—product, marketing, and data roles distributed across mid and manager levels—reflects an org in transition: projects center on editorial board redesign, journal strategy, and product management maturity, while pain points cluster around data consistency, scalable data infrastructure, and business partnering. The tech stack (Salesforce, NetSuite, Tableau, SQL) is operations-focused rather than research-platform focused, suggesting internal systems are the constraint.
Notable leadership hires: Head of Communications
PLOS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit publisher headquartered in San Francisco operating multiple peer-reviewed, open-access journals. The organization serves early-career researchers and the broader academic community by removing paywalls from research publications. Operations span editorial governance (developing and supporting editorial boards), journal strategy, product management, and data analytics. Current organizational priorities include restructuring product capability, improving how editorial boards function, and establishing more consistent data practices across systems—indicating a shift from historically editorial-driven operations toward data-informed management.
PLOS operates on Salesforce, NetSuite, Tableau, SQL, and integrates with PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science for data flows. Marketing and communications also use Twitter, Meta, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Current projects include editorial board redesign, journal strategy implementation, product management framework adoption, organizational redesign, and board performance analytics—indicating a pivot toward data-driven governance and scaled product operations.