(12 Month Maternity Cover) Managing Editor - DK Licensing

The DK Licensing division is seeking a well-organised, experienced, and creative individual to work on our exciting range of licensed books with Disney, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Warner Brothers and other major brands. 

Ideally with experience of and enthusiasm for licensed books, you will need to have excellent project-and people-management skills, a strong commercial sense, and good communication skills. Liaising closely with licensors, editors, designers, production, and sales colleagues, you will have a strong eye for the visual and an instinctive feel for what works for integrated illustrated books.  

Key responsibilities will include:

• Suggesting, honing and pitching new book concepts
• Managing licensor relationships; ensuring key stakeholders are apprised of publishing plans and relevant approvals are sought 
• Setting and managing budgets, ensuring books are made cost-effectively
• Presenting WIP material for internal approval
• Overseeing the timely creation of sales material, and presenting at internal sales meetings
• Overseeing adherence to production schedules
• Quality control of editorial content
• Overseeing the commissioning of new content and contributors
• Line managing team of  Editors, ensuring they know what their goals are and providing on-going feedback to ensure they are exceeded
• Empowering staff to make decisions and liaise with licensors directly
• Working closely with Design Manager to keep the design approach fresh

The successful candidate will be fully Mac literate. Editorial rigour is essential, along with commissioning experience and strong negotiation skills.

If interested, please submit your CV and cover letter by Friday, 9th June.

We have a range of benefits to reflect our commitment to our people, some of which are:

• 25 days paid holiday entitlement in year one, plus bank holidays
• Generous pension scheme
• Volunteering policy and charity matching
• Employee assistance programme
• Cycle to work scheme and discounted gym membership
• Summer hours

And we plant a tree for every new employee to our business 

DK is committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects the varied communities that read our books across the world. We encourage applications from all individuals, regardless of age, religion, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality or social background. DK is proud to announce that we have adopted The Halo Code.

DK supports flexible working and has introduced a new ‘smart-working’ policy with a hybrid approach of working weekly from home and in DK’s office.

The Book Trade Charity offers financial support to people looking to enter the book trade, but who may struggle to afford the costs of attending interviews or undertaking internships. For more information, visit www.booktradeentrysupport.org 

About our Company: 

We believe in the power of discovery. That's why we create books for everyone that explore ideas and nurture curiosity about the world we live in. From first words to the Big Bang, from the wonders of nature to city adventures, you will find expert knowledge, hours of fun and endless inspiration in the pages of our books. 

We are the world's leading illustrated publisher and a member of the Penguin Random House division of Bertelsmann, creating cutting-edge design and stunning visual books for the whole family. We are passionate about inspiring curiosity and bring people to books through their thirst for knowledge. With a global book loving community of over 800 colleagues in the UK, US, Germany, India, China, Spain and Australia, we produce books in over 100 countries and over 60 languages. Find out more on dk.com.