Assistant Editor, Puffin Picture Books

We have a new opportunity for an Assistant Editor to join our Puffin Picture Books team within the Penguin Random House Children’s division, working on custom publishing. This position is offered on 12-month FTC basis and will be based at our office in Embassy Gardens, Nine Elms.

From Beatrix Potter, Spot and The Very Hungry Caterpillar to Tom Fletcher, Nadia Shireen and Rashmi Sirdeshpande, Nathan Bryon, Dapo Adeola and Rachel Bright, the Puffin picture books team work with some of the biggest names, and brightest new talents, to bring stories to life that change and shape lives.

This role is an exciting opportunity for someone who has already started their publishing career and is looking to develop their skills further. Likewise, it’s an exciting opportunity for someone perhaps from a non-editorial background who is looking to move into a new department within the publishing industry.

Working on custom publishing across the Puffin Picture Book portfolio, you will be responsible for finding new and innovative ways to reuse existing content and use your creativity to help develop new ideas for publishing in non-trade retail channels. Most importantly, we are looking for a candidate with a passion for children’s books and the enthusiasm to jump in and help on a range of exciting projects.

You’ll be organised, have excellent attention to detail and will be a collaborative team player with a pragmatic approach towards your work. You will be flexible and have an ability to adapt your workload to react quickly to new and exciting opportunities. This role will work closely with a variety of internal stakeholders from design and production, to sales. You will also be assisting with administrative tasks, liaising with external stakeholders and provide support to the Editorial Director and wider custom team.

If you’re proactive, organised and ready to join the creative world of Puffin Picture Books, please submit your CV and a Cover Letter by midnight on Wednesday 15th December.

As part of your Cover Letter, we’d like you to respond to the following two questions (no more than 200 words per question):
This position will offer a lot of opportunities to get involved in exciting projects across the Puffin picture book list. Please share with us an example of a creative project you have worked on and the role you played within the team.

• Tell us about an interesting children’s book you’ve seen on the high street recently which has worked well in a non-traditional space (i.e. not in a bookshop).

We will be starting a trial of hybrid working across our company and we’re happy to discuss flexible working options at interview stage. This role will be based in our new Embassy Gardens office in Nine Elms (SW11 7BW).

Interviews for this role will be held in early January 2022 with a placement to be made shortly after.

What you can expect from us:

Salary: Up to £28,000 depending on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.

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.

As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we’re part of the offer an interview scheme. This is where disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role can opt in to get to the next recruitment stage. There may be some situations where volume of applicants means we can’t take all eligible candidates to interview.

We want to make sure disabled applicants can be their best at each step of the recruitment journey. If you need adjustments during the application process, we encourage you to get in touch with us at http://PRHCareersUK@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk. 

Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable to for us to support your adjustment request. Find out more about our approach here: www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/applying-for-roles-with-a-disability

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/