Commissioning Editor - Ebury Smart Hub

Are you passionate about making books that inspire new thinking, accelerate performance and become part of the conversation? If so, we’d love to hear from you.

An opportunity has arisen in Ebury, the home of non-fiction at Penguin Random House, to join the smart non-fiction team as Commissioning Editor.

The Opportunity
We are looking for a Commissioning Editor to acquire across our list including voice-led memoir, business and narrative non-fiction. Your commissioning might be wide-ranging or with a key specialism. Whatever your niche, you’ll be responsible for making sure a range of titles are published to the highest standard, project managing them through the publishing process.

Joining a team of 6, this is a chance to be part of a dynamic, high-energy team at an exciting moment of growth and momentum for the UK’s largest dedicated non-fiction publisher.

What you’ll bring
Having spent time understanding publishing fundamentals and carving out a part of the market you’re interested in, we’re looking for someone who would have already commissioned 1-2 titles that would have otherwise sat comfortably on our list. 

Within the role:

• You’ll be expected to commission, and project manage a number of titles a year, and to work independently on them. 

• You’ll need to have a hunger for homegrown UK talent and also acquire globally-networked authors from the US and in translation.

• You’ll have an insatiable curiosity about people’s needs and passions, an eye for potential talent and original ideas that cut through the noise. Not just that, but you’ll be able to make those ideas happen, and transform them into standout books that will resonate with readers around the world. 

• You’ll blend a publishing instinct with data from our audience and insight teams.

• You’ll be an excellent networker with boundless initiative, able to forge connections both within and beyond the UK and international publishing industries.

• In addition, you’ll also be a confident partner for Marketing, Publicity, and other internal teams to develop each book’s strategy, positioning, copy and design.

About Ebury Smart Hub
Ebury’s Smart Hub publishes the best narrative non-fiction on WH Allen, leading business and personal development on Ebury Edge, and voice-driven memoir on Ebury Press. We are proud to work with standout talent, including Michael Rosen, Maria Ressa, Caitlin Moran, Janina Ramirez, Steven Bartlett, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Adam Grant and James O’Brien.

How to apply
If this sounds like you, please apply with your CV and cover letter telling us why you’re right for the role, by midnight on Sunday 17th December.   As part of your cover letter please let us know about what recent non-fiction books you wished you’d worked on and why.

Interviews will be arranged for w/c 8th January although successful candidates will be made aware of this pre-Christmas.

About Penguin:

We’re the UK’s largest publisher; made up of some 2,000 people and publishing over 1,500 books each year. Our doors are open to all kinds of talent. In a constantly evolving industry, we work hard to stretch the definition of the word publisher. Here, you’ll work with a breadth of talent who all play their part to make each of our books a success. Together, we make books for everyone because a book can change anyone.

Salary: Up to £35,000, depending on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.  

Competitive benefits package: Our people are the heart of our business, and we work hard to support a culture of responsibility and recognition.

Our benefits include:

• Financial – income protection, life assurance, childcare allowance

• Wellbeing - healthcare cash plan, critical illness cover, health checks

• Lifestyle – enhanced parental leave, tech scheme

For our full benefits list please visit: https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/what-we-offer/

Hybrid working: We’re experimenting with a hybrid way of working that suits the needs of each team. While our offices across the UK are places to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, we recognise that flexibility around where you work is just as important. For this role the department aims to be in the office twice a week, working at home on the other days. We’ll be happy to discuss this in more detail as part of the interview process. 

The recruitment process: You can read about our recruitment process at https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/how-we-hire/

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 encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing PRHCareersUK@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable to for us to support your request.

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

Company: The Random House Group Limited 

Country: United Kingdom 

State/Region: London 

City: London 

Postal Code: SW1V 2SA 

Job ID: 266335

Date:  4 Dec 2023

Location:  

London, LND, GB, SW1V 2SA