Editorial Director, Harvill Secker

At Harvill Secker, we publish books that bring us together; the most exciting voices from the UK and around the world who thrill and transport readers, with ground-breaking literary novels, bestselling crime and thrillers, immersive historical fiction and culturally engaged non-fiction and memoir.

We are looking for an Editorial Director to take our general and crossover fiction to the next level of creative and commercial success, with a focus on publishing approximately ten books a year, backed by our award-winning Vintage teams. 

This is an exciting opportunity for you to head up and help shape the strategy for the Harvill Secker crime and thriller list with its celebrated collection of A-list authors including Jo Nesbo, Denise Mina and Abir Mukherjee, as well as developing our general commercial fiction publishing. You’ll be acquiring exciting new writers as well as building existing authors to new levels of success.

You’ll have the skills to mould and manage a book at every stage of its life, from the seed of an idea to publication and beyond, planning for success in all formats with financial awareness and a clear understanding of the market. You’ll be able to work collaboratively with Marketing, Publicity, Vintage paperbacks and other internal teams to develop each book’s strategy, positioning, copy and design. You’ll be adept at communicating with high-profile authors and agents, and have a keen eye for spotting the next rising talent.

If you have an enthusiasm for attention-grabbing fiction we want to hear from you. 

Please apply with a CV and cover letter by 4th July.

Salary: up to £56,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits

We’re currently working remotely, and expect to be able to return to our office from late July. At this point, we will also 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). 

What you can expect from us:
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. 

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.