About Us: At Molecular Connections, we believe in Connecting brilliant minds, for building the future of scientific intelligence. Founded more than two decades ago, Molecular Connections is the leading AI-ML led data science organization accelerating digital transformation of Scientific Scholarly Publishing, STEM (science, technology, engineering and medical) and pharmaceutical data science/information/analytics domains, globally. Our marquee customer base is spread across US, UK, Europe and other geographies. Headquartered in Bengaluru, our technology and customer delivery centers are based across various tier 1 and tier 2 cities across south India. We are growing strongly both organically and inorganically with our latest technology-driven acquisitions in Germany and UK..
For more info please visit: https://career.molecularconnections.com/job-openings/
Role: Product Owner – Peer Review & Publishing Systems
We are seeking a detail-oriented Product Owner – Peer Review & Publishing Systems to lead the tactical execution and software delivery of our enterprise peer review platform. Working alongside domain experts who set the strategic vision, you will serve as the central functional authority for the engineering team—mapping out complex manuscript decision trees, defining role-based access rules, and managing sprint backlogs.
Your core mission is to convert high-level product requirements into crystal-clear user stories, workflow diagrams, and acceptance criteria. You will ensure that our platform reaches feature-and-scale parity with market benchmarks like ScholarOne Manuscripts and Editorial Manager, delivering a rock-solid system for global journal publishers.
Key Responsibilities:
Backlog Ownership & Sprint Execution
- Backlog Management: Build, groom, and prioritize the product backlog in Jira/Azure DevOps, ensuring user stories are fully defined and ready for development.
- Agile Rituals: Lead daily standups, backlog refinement sessions, sprint planning, and sprint reviews/demos with engineering, QA, and UI/UX teams.
- Acceptance & QA: Write explicit acceptance criteria (Gherkin/BDD format preferred) and conduct User Acceptance Testing (UAT) to sign off on feature releases before production deployment.
Workflow Architecture & Decision Tree Mapping
- Editorial Workflows: Map out intricate manuscript decision trees for various review models (single-blind, double-blind, triple-blind, open, and transparent review).
- State Engines & Permissions: Define granular status transitions, automated notifications, role-based access controls (Author, Editor, Reviewer, Publisher, Admin), and override permissions.
- System Edge Cases: Anticipate and resolve operational friction points—such as multi-submission edge cases, reviewer conflict-of-interest triggers, revised manuscript handling, and co-author verification flows.
Functional Specifications for Industry Integrations
- Define precise technical specifications and user flows for integrating core scholarly publishing standards:
- Persistent Identifiers: ORCID authentication, ROR (Research Organization Registry), Ringgold.
- Integrity Tools: iThenticate/Turnitin similarity checks, AI-content detection reports, image manipulation analysis.
- Standards & Exports: JATS XML payload generation, MECA (Manuscript Exchange with Single Sign-On) protocol compliance.
- Financial & Production: APC (Article Processing Charge) payment triggers, fee waiver logic, and post-acceptance production package handoffs
Developer & Technical Guidance
- Act as the direct, day-to-day liaison for developers, clarifying functional edge cases and resolving ambiguities during active sprints.
- Translate non-technical requirements from editorial SMEs into structured technical user stories, wireframe concepts, and data mapping inputs.
- Partner with technical architects to balance functional scope with system performance, scalability, and technical debt management
Required Skills & Competencies:
- Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
- Experience: 4 to 7 years of professional experience as a Product Owner or Business Analyst, with at least 4+ years focused directly on scholarly publishing, STM editorial systems, or complex enterprise SaaS engines.
- Agile Proficiency: Deep hands-on experience running Agile/Scrum teams using Jira, Confluence, or similar project management tools (CSPO or PSPO certification is a plus).
Technical & Domain Competencies
- Proven ability to draw complex workflow diagrams, state machine transitions, and system flowcharts using tools like Lucidchart, Miro, or Visio.
- Clear understanding of the manuscript lifecycle—from submission triage, reviewer selection/invitation, and decision letters to author revisions and final production export.
- Familiarity with REST APIs, JSON/XML payload structures, and database entities related to editorial workflows.
Core Mindset
- Obsessive attention to detail when mapping out system logic, business rules, and user interaction states.
- Excellent communication skills to bridge the gap between business objectives and technical implementation details.
Why Join Molecular Connections
- This is a unique opportunity to join a mission-driven company at a pivotal time in its growth in building the next-generation scientific intelligence platform. You will be a key part of our vision to build the future of scientific intelligence, with a clear path for professional growth and a chance to make a lasting impact on our organization and a competitive remuneration with other benefits commensurate with candidates experience and track record.
