Deputy Publishing Director, Jonathan Cape - 13 month Fixed Term Contract

We are looking for an experienced Deputy Publishing Director to join the Jonathan Cape imprint of Vintage, on a 13-month contract starting in November 2022, to cover a period of parental leave. 

At Jonathan Cape our publishing has been setting trends for a century. Our carefully curated list, respected and admired across the globe, ranges from commercial to literary fiction, pioneering graphic novels to award-winning poetry, and rich non-fiction spanning memoir, nature writing, history, politics and ground-breaking ideas books. Our prizewinning and bestselling non-fiction authors include Yuval Noah Harari, Helen Macdonald, Afua Hirsch, Tim Spector, Maggie Nelson, Henry Marsh, Helen Lewis, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, Jung Chang, Colin Grant, Rory Stewart, Charlotte Higgins and Dave Goulson.

The Opportunity

We are looking for a knowledgeable, highly organised and strategic publisher to work on all aspects of Cape’s non-fiction publishing, including publishing strategy, structural editing, author care and day-to-day management of a list of approximately 12 non-fiction titles a year. The Deputy Publishing Director is also responsible for supporting the Publishing Director in managing and developing Jonathan Cape’s publishing, strategy and workflow to ensure growth, profitability and quality of publishing. 

Candidate Profile

• The ideal candidate would have experience at editorial director level or above.
• You will possess sound commercial judgement, creativity and editorial flair, combined with a proven ability to prioritise work effectively, and keep books on schedule and within budget. 
• You will be highly organised, proactive, with an attention to detail, excellent communication and time-management skills, and an ability to remain calm under pressure. 
• You will have an in-depth understanding of publishing processes, with experience overseeing books from acquistion to publication.
• You will have a curiosity and passion for a very broad range of non-fiction, and will bring editorial expertise to every aspect of Cape’s non-fiction publishing.
• You will be confident working with high-profile authors, have excellent skills in author care, and strong relationships across the industry.
• You will be comfortable acting as an internal and external ambassador for Jonathan Cape, and working closely with other departments to develop energetic and effective campaigns.
• You will have a deep understanding of the publishing landscape and marketplace: retailers, media, audiences and competitors. 

If this sounds like the role for you, we'd love to hear from you. Please apply with your CV and cover letter (addressed to Michal Shavit) by the end of the day on Sunday 14th August. 

What you can expect from us:

Salary: £53,000 - £77,000 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:

 •   27 days paid holiday entitlement in year one (plus bank holidays), increasing a day each year up to 30 days
•    Medical cover
•    Life assurance
•    Cycle to Work scheme
•    Discounted gym membership
•    Generous pension scheme
•    Summer working hours (role dependent) 
•    Volunteering policy and charity matching
•    Employee Assistance programme
•    Mentoring programme
•    Extended gender neutral parental leave
•    Access to books and eBooks across Penguin Random House UK
•    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/

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