Summary
Description
The Geological Society of America seeks to hire a Marketing Specialist – Publications.
The Geological Society of America seeks a Marketing Specialist – Publications to join our Team!
Job Title: Marketing Specialist – Publications
Location: Boulder, Colorado; Washington, D.C.; Hybrid or Remote Options Available
Reports to: Director of Marketing
Employment Type: Full Time
Level / Salary Range: $55,000-$65,000
About Us
The Geological Society of America (GSA), founded in 1888, is a global scientific society with members from academia, government, and industry in more than 100 countries. We are dedicated to advancing geoscience research, discovery, and education through publications, meetings, professional development, and other programs. The Marketing and Publications departments collaborate on the wide dissemination of groundbreaking knowledge through scientific trade and scholarly books and academic journals. Additionally, we aim to foster engagement with our member community and provide a seamless e-commerce experience. We’re seeking a dynamic and innovative Marketing Specialist to lead publishing marketing strategies, oversee the Science Communication Fellow Program, manage the GSA e-commerce Shopify store, and serve as the Community manager for member engagement across all topics.
The Job
The Marketing Specialist will lead marketing and publicity efforts to expand the reach and impact of GSA’s diverse publishing portfolio, encompassing scientific trade books, academic journals, and scholarly books. This role will also oversee the GSA Science Communication Fellow program, manage GSA's Shopify e-commerce store, foster relationships through Amazon bookselling strategies, and serve as the community manager for the GSA member forum, creating meaningful engagement across a variety of topics beyond publishing.
Key Essential functions include but are not limited to:
- Publishing Marketing & Publicity:
- Develop and execute campaigns to increase readership, citations, and sales of GSA trade books, academic journals, and scientific books.
- Plan and execute publicity efforts, including press releases, media outreach, and author interviews, to promote GSA publications.
- Leverage key publishing marketing strategies, including:
- Content Marketing: Create and promote engaging content to highlight the value of GSA publications.
- Email Campaigns: Design and execute targeted email marketing to authors, members, and customers to showcase publications and new releases.
- SEO & Metadata Optimization: Ensure all publications are optimized for discoverability through search engines and academic indexing.
- Social Media Marketing: Manage organic and paid campaigns across GSA Publications’ social media channels (e.g., Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram), including organic posts featuring new releases, author highlights, and industry news.
- Amazon Bookselling: Develop and execute strategies to maximize book sales on Amazon, including effective use of Amazon SEO, categories, reviews, and promotional tools.
- Author Engagement: Develop resources to empower authors to promote their work and foster stronger relationships with contributors.
- Event Promotion: Highlight GSA publications during conferences, webinars, and virtual events.
- Collaborate with authors, editors, publications department staff, and other stakeholders to ensure strategic promotion of all publishing efforts.
- Community Management:
- Serve as the primary community manager for the GSA member forum, fostering engagement and discussion across a range of geoscience-related topics, not limited to publishing.
- Moderate forums, initiate conversations, and encourage active participation from members to create a vibrant and inclusive community.
- Address member inquiries and feedback to enhance satisfaction and engagement.
- Science Communication Fellow Program:
- Oversee the recruitment, mentorship, and coordination of fellows, helping them create compelling content that communicates complex geoscience topics to broader audiences.
- Showcase fellow contributions through GSA’s communication channels.
- E-commerce Management:
- Manage the GSA Shopify store, ensuring it provides a seamless experience for customers.
- Regularly update and optimize product listings, including publications, merchandise, and other GSA offerings.
- Oversee the store's performance metrics, driving strategies to improve sales and user experience.
- Performance Analytics:
- Track, analyze, and create executive reports on marketing campaign performance, publicity outcomes, community engagement metrics, and e-commerce sales.
- Use insights to refine strategies and ensure continuous improvement.
- Support Organisational Marketing Initiatives:
- Provide content support for a wide range of GSA programs to include articles, blogs, emails, social media, and collateral.
- Other duties as assigned.
Supervision:
- Does not supervise others.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in marketing, public relations, communications, English, or a related field preferred. Still, candidates with demonstrated expertise and relevant work experience in publication marketing, scientific communication, or digital marketing strategies are encouraged to apply. An advanced degree is a plus but not required.
- 3-5 years of experience in marketing for publications, preferably with a focus on scientific, scholarly, or academic publishing.
- Strong knowledge of industry marketing practices for trade and scholarly books and academic journals; scientific publishing trends; and bookselling strategies for platforms like Amazon, physical bookstores, and more prominent distributors.
- Proficiency in digital marketing strategies, including content marketing, SEO, social media, and email marketing.
- Experience creating and managing organic social media content for professional channels.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills (including editing and proofreading), with the ability to connect a variety of audiences by crafting compelling marketing copy for numerous formats.
- Proven success in managing publicity campaigns, including media relations and press release creation.
- Experience managing e-commerce platforms (Shopify preferred), including optimizing product listings and analyzing sales performance.
- Familiarity with community management and fostering member engagement in online forums or platforms.
- Experience managing cross-functional programs or projects, and organizing and prioritizing numerous tasks and projects in order to meet deadlines.
- Passion for science communication and promoting geoscience research to broader audiences.
- Dedication to continuous learning, professional development, and innovation, actively seeking opportunities to enhance skills and contribute to the advancement of the organization.
- Proficiency in MS Office, Adobe, Google Suite, and online meeting platforms like Zoom is essential. Strong knowledge of marketing systems such as Asana, HubSpot, Semrush, MOZ, Google Analytics, Facebook Business Manager, CRM’s, and Marketing Automation software. The ability to quickly adapt to new software and systems is required.
- Initiative, critical thinking, creativity, analytical reasoning, and effective process management.
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively, with a professional demeanor and the capacity for mature judgment in interactions with all levels of society members, staff, and external contacts.
- The highest ethical standards and strong commitment to upholding GSA’s scientific integrity initiatives and RISE policies are required.
Why Join GSA?
- Be part of a mission-driven organization advancing geoscience education and research.
- Lead impactful initiatives across publishing, community engagement, and e-commerce.
- Work in a collaborative, supportive, and innovative environment.
- Enjoy a flexible work schedule with hybrid and remote options.
Working Environment / Physical Activities
- Extensive computer work (six or more hours per day).
- Multiple projects and deadlines that create a demanding work environment are standard.
- GSA has offices in Boulder, Colorado, and Washington, D.C., and has a FlexFirst policy for remote and hybrid work, ensuring productivity and work-life balance.
- Travel: Requires occasional national and potential international travel.
The opportunity is a full-time, exempt, flexible position with a desired base in the Boulder, CO Headquarters with a Hybrid work schedule. The annual salary range is $55,000 – $65,000. GSA provides excellent benefits, including medical, dental, and PTO, which include paid holidays, life insurance, 403(b) retirement, and opportunities for professional development. Additional recognized time off includes Juneteenth and Indigenous Peoples Day in 2025.
If you are interested in this position, please submit a cover letter and resume to resumes@geosociety.org. Please note “Marketing Specialist“ position in the subject line. The anticipated start date is April 21, 2025.
Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to apply immediately. This posting will close on March 30, 2025.
GSA is committed to creating and maintaining a workplace where all employees have an opportunity to participate and contribute to the business's success and are valued for their skills, experience, and unique perspectives. This commitment is embodied in organizational policy and the way we do business at GSA, and it is an important principle of sound business management.
Equal Opportunity Employer: minority/female/disability/veteran.
