Junior Editorial Project Manager (12m FTC), Ladybird Education

We’re looking for an organised and proactive Junior Editorial Project Manager to join our Ladybird Education Managing Editorial team on a fixed-term contract basis for approx. 12 months.

As part of the wider Penguin Random House Children’s division, the Ladybird Education Managing Editorial team is responsible for project-managing educational series from copy-edit through to print, ensuring the high editorial standards of our Ladybird and Penguin brands are upheld.

In this role, you’ll work alongside the Editorial Manager and Editorial Project Managers on the project management of a wide range of educational series.  You’ll be responsible for a variety of key tasks across both our first-language and English Language Teaching titles, including overseeing copy-editing and proofreading, reviewing layouts and maintaining established publishing schedules for each project.

You’ll also have responsibility for:

• Briefing freelance copy-editors and proofreaders, and checking their work
• Collating comments on layouts and checking corrections have been taken accurately
• Logging, marking up and checking reprint corrections across the Education list
• Updating schedules when tasks are progressed and escalating issues when required
• Maintaining editorial standards according to house and series styles, and keeping the style sheets updated
• Attending and minuting meetings

This role will best suit someone who has experience in copy-editing and proofreading and is looking to develop their editorial project-management skills within an educational publishing setting. We are open to considering candidates from trade publishing, or those who do not come from a traditional book-publishing background but who do possess copy-editing and proofreading skills, including knowledge of BSI proofreading symbols.

You’ll be a confident communicator with the ability to build strong relationships both with teams across the business and with external freelancers. You will be a fast learner who can pick up new systems quickly and will be able to work at pace to ensure that projects are delivered on time and to budget. Your passion for educational books and your keen eye for detail will be demonstrable.

What you’ll get in return is the chance to work with a vibrant and supportive team to produce books ranging from phonics readers to ELT adaptations of global best-sellers, with exceptional training opportunities and benefits.

How to apply

If you’re ready to join the Ladybird Education Managing Editorial team as our Junior Editorial Project Manager, then please submit your CV and a Cover Letter by midnight on Sunday 13th December 2020.

As part of your application we’d like you to respond to the following questions in your Cover Letter:

• We’d love to know more about your editorial steer. Can you give us an example of when your input or editing has shaped a publication for the better?
• We’re interested in your ability to organise, collaborate and deliver. Please share with us an example of a time when you have done this successfully, with a focus on any challenges you faced and how you dealt with them.

All interviews will be conducted via video. We are currently working remotely, but expect this role to transition into our new Embassy Gardens office in Nine Elms (SW11 7BW) once it is safe for us to do so.

What you can expect from us

Our employees are the heart of our business. We have a range of benefits to reflect our commitment to our employees, some of which are:

•    25 days paid holiday entitlement in year one, plus bank holidays
•    Medical cover
•    Life assurance
•    Cycle to Work scheme
•    Discounted gym membership
•    Personal Learning Allowance
•    Generous pension scheme
•    Summer working hours (role dependent) 
•    Volunteering policy and charity matching
•    Employee Assistance programme
•    Mentoring programme
•    Extended Parental Leave policy 
•    60% Discount on Company books
•    Each site has trained mental health first aiders 
•    We plant a tree for every new employee to our business 

Our creativity is inspired by different perspectives, so we want our culture to be one of belonging, where everyone feels welcome and where differences are celebrated. 

We partner with The Book Trade Charity, who provide financial assistance for people looking to get into the publishing industry; you can find more information and talk directly here: http://booktradeentrysupport.org/

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