Assistant Editor, Drama Online, Drama and Performance Department, Bloomsbury Academic

This is an exciting opportunity to work within the editorial department of Methuen Drama, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. Play publishers for over 60 years, Methuen Drama is now the world’s largest performing arts publisher, publishing across print, e-editions and digital platforms around the world. Reporting to the Editorial Director, the Assistant Editor will work on our platform Drama Online, working closely with the editorial and digital teams to deliver new content and collections to the site, playing an active role in its ongoing success.

Drama Online is an award-winning digital library of over 3,500 playtexts, over 400 audio plays, 365 hours of video and over 450 books of criticism and performance practice from leading theatre publishers and companies. Together, these resources offer a complete multimedia experience of theatre to meet the full range of teaching needs for theatre studies, literature courses and drama schools.

The role

• Managing the digital editorial workflow and ensuring the timely delivery of new content to  Drama Online, for both in-house and third party collections
• Managing and carrying out the process of editorial checking for play, book, and video content prior to  launch
• Supporting the Editorial Director in preparing Business plans for new collections
• Liaising with key stakeholders, both internal and external, such as authors, agents, and academics
• Working closely and collaboratively with colleagues in the Drama Editorial, Marketing, and Bloomsbury Digital Resources teams
• Managing the commissioning of a suite of learning resources for Drama Online, working closely with the editorial and product teams

Knowledge, skills and experience 

• A demonstrable understanding and experience of the editorial publishing process
• Experience of list and/or project management
• Excellent copy-editing, proofreading and briefing skills
• The ability to work with a set budget while meeting high-quality expectations
• The ability to manage multiple projects and prioritise a demanding and varied workload, with different deadlines and degrees of importance
• Excellent copywriting skills
• knowledgeable, reliable, organised, accurate and meticulous, displaying considerable attention to detail
• The ability to work well independently and as part of a team, with the capacity to absorb and apply constructive criticism from peers and third-party contributors
• Able to develop positive and productive working relationships
• Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Excel, One Drive, Biblio, or equivalent publishing systems
• Knowledge and interest in theatre studies/drama/contemporary playwriting and performance is ideal but not essential

Additional information

The role is a full-time permanent position

Salary Range: £28,000 - £30,000

The role is based at our London office 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP on a hybrid-working pattern of 2 days office based / 3 days home based (or fully office based if preferred).  Allocated office days for this role are: Wednesday and Thursday

As an Assistant role, this position is eligible for Bloomsbury’s Rental Deposit Loan Scheme. To assist candidates who want to start and to establish a career in publishing, Bloomsbury offers an interest-free rental deposit to support securing somewhere to live. The rental deposit loan can be up to £3,000 and will be paid back over 2 years.

Please apply with a CV and covering letter addressed to Human Resources (Word or PDF format only) via the ‘APPLY NOW’ button detailing how you meet the requirements outlined above for this role by 26th July 2024.

For best results, please use a desktop to apply as some mobile browsers may not fully support the application portal.

Bloomsbury reserve the right to close the role early if we exceed the required number of applications

Bloomsbury Benefits

As well as a fantastic opportunity to join a global award-winning organisation, Bloomsbury offers the following competitive benefits package:

Working Pattern

• hybrid working pattern of: 2 days office based / 3 days home based (or fully office based if preferred)

Holidays

• 25 days holiday
• 3.5 days Christmas company holiday

Other Benefits

• Two paid Personal Wellness Days
• Flexible Fridays – take Friday afternoon off by working an additional 3 hours and 30 minutes earlier in the week
• Season Ticket Loan
• Share Save Scheme
• AXA Healthcare Plan (Private Medical Insurance)
• In-house Doctor
• Eye Care Voucher Scheme

Company culture – Employee Voice Meetings, Staff Networks (Bloom (BAME), Accessibility, Mental Health, Pride, and Parents, Guardians and Carers, Multi-Faith) and 21 Mental Health First Aiders trained across the UK offices, Publishing Events and access to free Publishing Resources

For additional benefits see below

Bloomsbury is a place where anyone of any background, race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, gender identity, age, ability, or socio-economic status can thrive, feel comfortable, and be heard and accepted. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

We are willing to make any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please flag to the recruitment team if required

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK – Bloomsbury Publishing do not sponsor visa applications

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

The Company

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Bloomsbury Publishing is a leading independent publishing house, established in 1986, with authors who have won the Nobel, Pulitzer and Booker Prizes, and is the originating publisher and custodian of the Harry Potter series. Bloomsbury has offices in London, New York, New Delhi, Oxford and Sydney. Within Bloomsbury’s Academic division, it publishes under Bloomsbury, as well as under a number of prestigious and historic imprint names. Read Our Story for how it all began. 

 Bloomsbury is committed to creating a working environment that stimulates creativity and collaboration, is respectful of difference, is inclusive and ethical in its practice, and promotes well-being. We are determined to nurture and develop our employees to reach their highest potential, and we know that our success is down to the passion, commitment and hard work of our talented people. We recognise the urgent need to attract and support applicants from all backgrounds and identities to become part of the global publishing industry, allowing diverse voices to reflect and shape our culture and society.

Please read more on our Missions and Values here.

Please read our environmental policy here.