Commissioning Editor, Penguin Press
We have a rare opportunity for a Commissioning Editor to join the team at Penguin Press.
About Penguin Press
Penguin Press is the home of Penguin Classics, Allen Lane, Particular Books, Pelican and Penguin Poetry. Our authors include Dostoyevsky, Austen, Tove Ditlevsen, Audre Lorde and Seichō Matsumoto on the Classics list; and Naomi Klein, Jonathan Haidt, Greta Thunberg, Fuchsia Dunlop, Claudia Rankine and Caleb Femi on the contemporary lists.
The opportunity
Reporting to a Publishing Director and working alongside the wider Editorial team, you will acquire, edit and publish titles across our imprints, and contribute to our catalogue publishing.
We are looking for a creative, highly motivated individual with relevant prior publishing experience. A self-starter, you’ll have wide-ranging taste, strong communication skills, and an exceptional eye for detail. You’ll be confident joining some ongoing projects while also seeking out new publishing opportunities.
Application instructions
If this sounds like your next role, please apply with your CV and a cover letter by 11:59pm on Sunday 21st July. Within the cover letter, please tell us about one recent Penguin Press title that has caught your eye and one author or book that you think we should publish (within 250 words).
What you can expect from us
Salary: c. £38,000 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 – discounted shopping, season ticket loan, rental deposit loan
Wellbeing - healthcare cash plan, employee assistance, gym loan
Lifestyle – taste card, tech scheme, free and discounted books
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. At Penguin Press colleagues typically spend two to three days per week in the office. We are happy to discuss this further as part of the interview process. Please note that over the course of 2024 all of our London-based teams will permanently relocate to our Embassy Gardens office in Nine Elms. We’ll be happy to answer any questions on this 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 offer interviews to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for the role, and opt-in on their application form. There may be times when the volume of applications means we cannot 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.