Editorial Director, Hutchinson Heinemann

Are you an ambitious fiction commissioner ready to take the next step? This is a rare chance to take up a key role at Hutchinson Heinemann, Cornerstone’s prestigious literary imprint.   

The Opportunity  

Can you find the prize winners and bestsellers of the future, whose writing inspires, transforms and transports its readers? Do you have an eye for international writers or comic genius? Are you looking for a role where you can invest in authors for the long term and help shape the future of an imprint?  

Hutchinson Heinemann is part of the Cornerstone division of Penguin Random House and is known for bestsellers, prize winners, ground-breaking voices and original stories. We believe in books whose authors transport us to other places, inspire us, entertain us, and change our minds. Our fiction is characterised by bold storytelling and our novelists include Robert Harris, Lauren Groff, Richard Powers, Amor Towles, Jenny Jackson, Tom Hanks, Sebastian Faulks, Jessamine Chan, Chigozie Obioma, Taylor Jenkins Reid, C Pam Zhang, Neil Blackmore and Donna Leon. We also have a strong non-fiction list but this role is primarily focussed on fiction.  

We are looking for a brilliant commissioner with a deep knowledge of the fiction market and proven track record in this area.  You will have a passion for discovering new voices, a vision for building energetic literary campaigns, the hunger to seek out new publishing opportunities and a desire to connect writers with the widest possible audience. You will be able to generate buzz and build a community, both internally and externally, for your books and your list. 

You will be a part of Cornerstone, an adult division of Penguin Random House which is home to many imprints including Merky Books, Cornerstone Press, Century, Del Rey and more.  

Candidate Profile 

The following qualities are preferred: 

• A proven track record in editing, acquiring, proactively commissioning new ideas and profitably publishing literary fiction. 

• Creativity, energy, sound commercial judgement and editorial flair combined with the ability to follow through and keep on schedule and budget.  

• Ability to build strong relationships with authors, agents and across the wider industry. 

• A strong team player with interpersonal sensitivity and emotional intelligence. 

• Professional curiosity, and an appetite for innovation and problem-solving. 

• A good understanding of the marketplace: retailers, media, audiences and competitors.  

• Confident partner for Marketing, Publicity, and other internal teams to develop each book’s strategy, positioning, copy and design. 

• Proven author care and negotiation experience.  

Please apply with your CV and cover letter (addressed to Ailah) outlining why you are the right person for the role by midnight on Sunday 8th October.   

What you can expect from us

Salary: £47,000 - £54,000 depending on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits. 

Competitive benefits package: Our people are the heart of our business, and we work hard to support a culture of responsibility and recognition.   

Our benefits include:  

Financial – income protection, life assurance, childcare allowance  

Wellbeing - healthcare cash plan, critical illness cover, health checks  

Lifestyle – enhanced parental leave, tech scheme 

For our full benefits list please visit: https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/what-we-offer/  

Hybrid working: While our offices are places for you to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, having flexibility about where you work is just as important for doing your best work and for your wellbeing. For this role, there are meetings and activities that you will need to attend in person, at our offices in Pimlico.  

The recruitment process: You can read about our recruitment process at https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/how-we-hire/  

As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we offer interviews to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for the role, and opt-in on their application form. There may be times when the volume of applications means we cannot take all eligible candidates to interview.  

We encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing PRHCareersUK@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable to for us to support your request.  

Please note, we are not able to accept agency CVs for this role. Any CVs sent speculatively will not be eligible for a fee.