Editorial Director

Who we are and what we do

Piatkus is part of the PCR division, which combines three successful imprints, Piatkus, Constable and Robinson within Little, Brown Book Group, four-time winner of the Publisher of the Year award.

Nominated for Imprint of the Year at the 2022 British Book Awards, Piatkus has been introducing readers to life-changing new ideas for over forty years. Today we are home to a rich and varied list of lifestyle and personal development titles written by experts who have something unique to say about living well and achieving success in all areas of life. Our bestselling authors include Logan Ury, Professor Mark Williams and Dr Danny Penman, Dr Jen Gunter, Dr Gabrielle Lyon, Nedra Glover Tawwab, Cal Newport, David Allen and Seth Godin.

Little, Brown's identity is personified by our innovative, dynamic and free-thinking people. Across our thirteen imprints, you won't find a wider range of titles anywhere in UK publishing. We pride ourselves on quality and diversity. A repeat recipient of the Publisher of the Year award, we're one of the most successful and dynamic publishers in the UK.

Little, Brown is a division of Hachette, one of the largest publishing groups in the UK, with 12 publishing divisions and over 60 imprints. Everyone here is proud to be in the business of opening doors and minds.

What you'll be doing

We are looking for an experienced and ambitious Editorial Director with a passion for publishing the biggest books in popular psychology, smart thinking, neuroscience and science-led health to join the Piatkus non-fiction team.

You will be working as part of a team that is supportive, pro-active and passionate about the non-fiction market. Reporting to the Publisher, this role will be responsible for commissioning around 10 new non-fiction titles a year with a particular focus on popular psychology and big smart-thinking books, ideally with international potential, that will sell for years to come.

You can also expect to:

• Establish and maintain strong relationships with authors and agents, in the UK and internationally

• Pro-actively acquire books for publishing in part through being on top of trends and seeking out new opportunities 

• Retain ownership of your books from acquisition through to publication, liaising with authors, agents and key departments across the company

• Be an advocate for your books and the Piatkus non-fiction list, internally and externally

Who we are looking for

You will be an engaged, driven and experienced commissioning editor with a strong interest in this area of the market. With an amazing network of contacts and a keen eye for smart, ground breaking non-fiction, you will be commercially savvy and shape your commissioning in the ever-changing non-fiction market. You will also have experience exploring and following through with new ideas to bring them to fruition and make them bestsellers. 

You will be cool under pressure and used to working to tight deadlines, with strong organisational skills and an eye for detail. You will be an effective and convincing communicator in pitch and acquisitions meetings, write engaging cover copy and have a vision to build energetic campaigns and see them through publication.

You will bring high energy, passion, experience and a sense of humour to the books you work on and the team. 

What we offer

Our staff are our greatest asset, and our benefits reflect this:

• 28 annual leave days per year, increases to 29 days after 2 years' service and goes up to 30 days after 5 years' (+ bank holidays)
• Private medical insurance
• Generous pension schemes
• Rent deposit loans
• 2 community days per year
• Summer hours (finishing at 1pm on Fridays during the summer months)
• Retail discounts through Hachette rewards
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Eye care vouchers
• Wide-ranging training library
• Development programmes (including mentoring)
• Up to 70% off book purchases
• A charity bookshelf
• 12 Staff-led employee networks that are voluntary, including Gender Balance, Thrive, Pride, All Together, Wellbeing and religious networks
• Season ticket loans
• And much more!

The role will be based at our London office, Carmelite House, with a blend of in-office (3 days) and homeworking (2 days) per week.

Our commitment

Hachette employs people on the basis of their abilities. We aim to attract and develop talent from a base as broad as the world of readers we want to reach, with a wide and representative range of age, faith, disability, race, gender, sexuality and socio-economic, regional and cultural backgrounds.

If you are shortlisted and need us to make any adjustments to help you attend for interview, please let us know.

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 and undertaking junior roles. For more information visit www.booktradeentrysupport.org