Director Search for a Peer-Reviewed Medical Journal | Director Search Firm

A highly respected orthopaedics peer-reviewed medical journal, a 501(c)(3), engaged N2Growth to find its next Director of Editorial Operations through a committee search process. This position needed to be filled by a senior executive that would lead the day-to-day operations of the journal and report to the Editor-in-Chief (EiC) and the Board of Trustees. The need to fill this position was unexpected for the client; the sudden and unforeseen passing of the incumbent left little time for succession planning and even less time to grieve for their colleague and close friend. The EiC had been a true partner for many years to the leader who had previously held this position, and the client was looking for someone to fill this whole in the organization.

Our client, an orthopaedics peer-reviewed medical journal with a mission to disseminate knowledge about all aspects of musculoskeletal research, diagnoses and treatment, required a new Director of Editorial Operations to lead them into the future. This search overlapped with an industry-wide shift from print to digital and peer-reviewed to open access. This executive would not only lead the journal, but they would also set the future strategy and stay ahead of the curve. The EiC, Search Committee and Board of Trustees asked N2Growth to help them identify a leader that would develop the journal’s vision for the next decade.

By establishing a strong relationship with the EiC, and his willingness to participate in psychometric testing to better understand how he functions as a leader and determine what type of personality would best partner with him to lead the organization, the N2Growth team was able to identify and introduce the candidate that would later become the client’s next Director of Editorial Operations to the client in 10 business days. This nationwide search which required the finalist to be approved by a search committee before the approval by the Board of Trustees for a non-profit organization was completed in under 70 days, with the placement of a female leader in an industry where women only make up 5% of active physicians in orthopaedic surgery.