Logo for Dr Anna Clemens PhD who teaches scientific writing courses for researchers
Logo for Dr Anna Clemens PhD who teaches scientific writing courses for researchers

Want to join our team?

Operations Assistant/Manager

Application deadline: March 14, 2025

We're looking for a highly organised, detail-driven and proactive Operations Assistant/Manager to support our small, online academic writing business long-term. As an Operations Assistant/Manager you excel at keeping projects on track, organising systems and ensuring our business runs smoothly. If that sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you! This is a part-time (20h/week) remote Independent Contractor position for applicants from the Czech Republic only starting as soon as possible.

Compensation

The starting pay ranges from 300-400 CZK/h depending on the level of experience that will decide whether we will hire the candidate as an Operations Assistant or Operations Manager. Compensation is hourly with meticulous time-tracking required. The pay will be reviewed regularly, and increase over time relative to performance and business development.

Who WE ARE

The Researchers’ Writing Academy is an online program helping researchers develop a structured writing process so they can get published in top-tier journals. We are a small and growing company founded by Anna Clemens, PhD, who is an Academic Writing Coach with a background in Chemistry and journalism.

We are passionate about our mission to make academia a more diverse and joyful place by helping researchers succeed in their academic careers, no matter their background.

The Working environment:

When you join our team, you will be working with Anna (CEO & Writing Coach), Yvonne (Community Experience Manager) and Emma (Writing Coach). While we have ambitious goals at the Researchers' Writing Academy, we don't work long hours or weekends but rather prioritise our physical and mental health. It's our goal to build and grow this business in a sustainable way! We commit to bringing maximum focus and attention to our tasks by using deep work principles and efficient systems and processes.

We strive to continually develop personally and professionally as a team and require self-reflection, initiative and direct communication from every team member. We view setbacks and problems as data points and opportunities to grow. We admit freely to mistakes because we believe they are inevitable and a fantastic opportunity to improve our systems. If you have a big ego, are overconfident or love drama, we are not the right place of work for you.

What you will be responsible for

This role runs the day-to-day operations of the business. As Anna's right-hand person in the business, the Operations Assistant/Manager plays a crucial supporting role in keeping her and the business organised and on track.

Role expectations:

  • Available to work flexibly (almost) every week day Monday-Friday
  • Work remotely in the Czech Republic
  • Handle various different tasks per day
  • Able to work autonomously with minimal supervision
  • Engage in weekly meetings with Anna to synch on tasks and priorities.
    Time required to be available is 45-60 minutes in the window of 1-6pm on Mondays

Key responsibilities:

Communication and Project Management

  • Manage email inboxes and respond within 24h (M-F)
  • Organise projects and tasks in project management system Trello
  • Daily communication (if needed) with Anna and our Community Experience Manager, Yvonne, through Slack
  • Weekly meetings with Anna (on Mondays; see above)
  • Prepare and organise meeting notes ahead of weekly meetings and take notes on decisions and next steps during those meetings

Business Health and Operations

  • Pull key performance indicators from various sources
  • Issue invoices and complete legal/tax forms as required by client universities
  • Organise files
  • Maintain and improve our SOPs and internal processes
  • Oversee operations systems and update them when changes happen

Client and Back-End Program Management

  • Oversee the back-end systems, automations and workflows that run the program, client communication and client on- and offboarding
  • Organise and maintain client records
  • Troubleshoot with clients on payment, technical or access issues

Marketing and Sales

  • Assist with preparing and coordinating live campaigns using our proven frameworks
  • Monitor correct functioning of sales funnel
  • Project manage video podcast (e.g., communicate with editors and publish episodes)

required tools:

As an online business, we work with a lot of different tools and programs that tend to change and evolve. Therefore, candidates must be confident learning new tech quickly. Below are the tools you will be working with when starting the position. We don't expect you to know them but having proficiency in some of them is a plus.

  • Trello
  • Slack
  • Zoom
  • Protonmail
  • Circle
  • Airtable
  • Google Suite (esp Sheets, Drive and Calendar)
  • Microsoft Suite (esp Excel)
  • ActiveCampaign
  • eWebinar
  • Zapier
  • Wordpress
  • SeedProd
  • GoogleAnalytics
  • Piwik
  • Canva
  • Spotify for Creators
  • YouTube
  • Vimeo
  • Notion
  • etc.

Who we're looking for

Operations & Systems Pro
You thrive in a supporting role and take ownership over your role. You can solve problems, keep deadlines, anticipate needs, execute projects and implement and improve processes without being micromanaged. You don't only check off tasks but keep goals in mind to execute tasks and projects in the most effective way. If you struggle with self-direction, this role is not for you.

Detail-Oriented & Organised 
You can effectively organise your own schedule, manage your own time efficiently, and commit to working with maximum focus and attention to detail. We hire smart people and expect a high level of execution. You thrive on keeping things running smoothly and staying two steps ahead.

Tech-Savvy & Quick Learner
You are not intimidated by tech tools to run an online business and have an ability to learn new programs fast.

Strong Communicator
You have excellent written English and are able to write clear and concise emails and messages. When communicating, you can get to the point quickly while being able to show empathy for e.g. clients' problems and struggles.

Logical Thinker & Data Wizard
You know your way around a spreadsheet and can effectively compile and analyse data. You have the logical thinking skills required to build and troubleshoot automations and workflows.

Adaptable & Resourceful
You love when your work is varied and you can handle shifting priorities, solve minor problems on your own and proactively think of solutions to bigger problems. Our credo is data over drama!

Self-reflective
You are open to developing personally and professionally and welcome (kind!) direct communication and feedback.

Committed to our vision
You are committed to the mission of our company to make academia a more diverse and joyful place by teaching researchers effective writing and publishing skills that help them succeed in their careers.

How to apply

  • Click the orange button to submit your application
  • Complete a paid skills test (takes about 30-60 mins)
  • Meet Anna on a 45-minute interview

 

We are excited to find the right person who will own this role and help streamline operations. If that's you, apply now!

If you have read this far and are excited about this role but think you do not qualify, we'd like to ask you to consider again. Studies have shown that members of historically marginalised and underrepresented communities, specifically women and people of color, are less likely to apply to jobs unless they clearly meet every single qualification. If you question whether your experience aligns perfectly with the job description, please apply regardless -- you may just be the ideal candidate for the Researchers' Writing Academy team. We can't wait to hear from you!

  • You are located in the Czech Republic and hold a trade licence (živnostenský list)
  • You have a Bachelor’s degree
  • You are available to work 15 hours per week (with plenty of room to grow in the future)
  • You have excellent written communication skills in English
  • You have customer support experience
  • You are ambitious and extremely detail-oriented
  • You are tech-savvy and enjoy learning new programs
  • You know your way around a spreadsheet and have a passion for analysing data
  • You are self-driven and have excellent time and project-management skills. We don’t micromanage! If you need your hand to be held, this is not the job for you! 
  • You have a solution-oriented approach when problems arise
  • You love when your work is varied and thrive in a supporting role
  • You value direct communication and feedback
  • While you can follow processes, you don’t do so blindly and always keep an eye out for improving the quality/efficiency of our work and are able to anticipate potential future problems
  • You are eager to keep developing personally and professionally
  • You are committed to the mission of our company to make academia a more diverse and joyful place by teaching researchers effective writing and publishing skills that help them succeed in their careers
  • You like the idea of joining a small company early so you can take part in growing the Researchers’ Writing Academy

If you have any questions about the desired qualifications, the interview process, or anything else about how the business works, we'll be happy to hear from you if you email us at [email protected]

© Copyright 2018-2025 by Anna Clemens. All Rights Reserved. 


Photography by Alice Dix