Description

JAAHA is seeking a leader for its next chapter. Building on our legacy, you will help reimagine what a journal can mean for general practitioners and make JAAHA the preeminent source of research supporting best current practice across veterinary medicine.

The JAAHA Editor-in-Chief is a part-time, remote position leading the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association (JAAHA), the bi-monthly online peer-reviewed periodical of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP). The Editor-in-Chief works closely with the AAHA editorial director and staff, and with the JAAHA Associate Editor, to direct and maintain the journal's mission, scientific rigor, and integrity.

The successful candidate holds a DVM or equivalent degree and, ideally, has prior experience with academic journals and the process of scientific and academic publishing. Board certification or a doctoral degree, and significant experience writing and reviewing academic research papers, are strongly preferred.

Requirements

Key Responsibilities
Editorial leadership & strategy

    Serves as the senior editorial leader for JAAHA, providing strategic, scientific, and editorial direction.

    Works with AAHA staff to establish and oversee the journal's editorial vision, scope, and priorities, guiding content strategy to align with AAHA's mission and members' needs.

    Identifies emerging trends and research areas relevant to clinical veterinary medicine, and collaborates with AAHA leadership on long-term journal strategy.

Manuscript oversight & peer review

    Holds final authority over acceptance, revision, or rejection of submitted manuscripts.

    Oversees a fair, timely, unbiased, and rigorous peer-review process, working with the managing editor to assign manuscripts to associate and section editors.

    Resolves complex editorial decisions, disputes, and ethical concerns, with support from AAHA's legal team when necessary.

Editorial board management

    Works with associate editors and the managing editor to recruit, appoint, and mentor section editors and peer reviewers.

    Defines roles, expectations, and performance standards for the editorial team, and maintains regular communication with section editors.

Scientific & ethical standards

    Ensures compliance with accepted standards for scientific integrity, authorship, conflicts of interest, and research ethics.

    Addresses plagiarism, data integrity, duplicate publication, and other misconduct; works with AAHA staff on corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern.

Content development & special initiatives

    Solicits high-quality submissions — reviews, clinical studies, case studies, and special-topic content — and oversees special issues or themed sections.

    Develops new authors, recruits editors for new sections, and encourages contributions from diverse authors and perspectives.

    Reviews AAHA Guidelines prior to publication and offers recommendations to the AAHA Director of Guidelines.

Collaboration & communication

    Works closely with AAHA staff, the managing editor, and the associate editor; communicates effectively with authors, reviewers, and other stakeholders.

    Serves as the public editorial voice of the journal when appropriate, and coordinates with the ABVP editor on submissions related to the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners.

Operational responsibilities

    Monitors editorial performance metrics (submission volume, acceptance rates, turnaround times) and contributes to editorial policy and journal operations.

    Participates in budgetary or resource discussions related to editorial functions and supports initiatives to grow the journal's visibility and impact.

Qualifications & Experience
    DVM or equivalent veterinary degree required; advanced training and/or board certification preferred.

    Significant experience in clinical practice, academic medicine, research, or scholarly publishing.

    Prior editorial experience (editor-in-chief, associate editor, or similar role) strongly preferred.

    Demonstrated understanding of peer review, research methodology, and evidence-based medicine.

    Strong leadership, communication, and decision-making skills.

    Familiarity with a manuscript management system (e.g., Editorial Manager, ScholarOne, or the platform JAAHA currently uses) preferred.

    Willingness to disclose personal, financial, or professional conflicts of interest relevant to editorial decisions, consistent with AAHA's editorial conflict-of-interest policy.

Compensation, Time Commitment & Term
    Compensation: $30,000–$45,000 per year, commensurate with experience, paid quarterly. 

    Time commitment: Estimated at roughly 0.2 FTE (approximately 8–10 hours/week). 

    Term: A renewable term, expected to be three years. 

    Start date: December 2026-January 2027.

Location & Reporting Structure
    Location: Fully remote. Occasional travel to AAHA annual meeting may be requested.

    Reports to: the AAHA CMO, with close working relationships with the JAAHA Associate Editor, Managing Editor, and AAHA editorial staff.

    Editorial independence: Consistent with standard journal governance.

How to Apply
Interested candidates should submit a current CV and a brief letter of interest describing their editorial philosophy and relevant experience to ben.williams@aaha.org by November 15, 2026. Questions about the role may be directed to the same contact.

AAHA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from candidates of all backgrounds who meet the qualifications above.