Project Editor
Are you passionate about children’s literature? Do you have experience editing, proof-reading and project managing books from start to finish? We have the role for you, offered on a 12-month fixed term contract.
The Opportunity
Working alongside the wider editorial team whose remit spans across Puffin, Ladybird and Penguin brands, in this role you will project-manage a number of catalogue titles with the aim of making them as accessible as possible for new generations of readers, including evaluating how they are typeset; determining if changes should be made to endmatter or content; and establishing a consistent approach across the list. Working closely with Commissioning and Managing Editorial, Design, Production and Sales, as well as freelancers and external stakeholders, you will establish budgets and set schedules for your titles, write new copy and metadata, brief artwork and design direction for any new content, oversee consultant reads, fact-checking and proofreading requirements as appropriate.
What you’ll bring
You’ll be creative, reliable and unflappable with excellent desk-editing, copy-editing and project management experience, combined with outstanding organisation and time management skills. Personal initiative and the ability to work autonomously are also important in this role.
You’ll be liaising with commissioning editors, managing editors, production controllers, as well as designers, freelancers and external stakeholders, so strong communication skills are a must.
Working across a world-class list that includes Puffin and Ladybird original publications and retellings, you’ll need to have a real passion for children’s publishing and an understanding of how to approach text sensitively to ensure language and content is inclusive for today’s readers.
The successful individual will have the proven ability to communicate effectively at all levels and will also enjoy working on multiple titles and tasks at the same time. This is a superb opportunity for an experienced, confident individual looking to join a world-class children’s publisher and to have personal impact on shaping our content.
How to apply
If this sounds like the right role for you, please apply with your CV and cover letter addressed to Kelly by midnight on Wednesday 30th November. As part of your cover letter, we’d like to see an example of your writing, in no more than 200 words, please include new cover copy for your favourite children’s classic.
We are open to discussing the possibility of the role being part-time for the right candidate.
While our offices are places to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, we recognise that flexibility about where you work is just as important for doing your best work and for your wellbeing. For this role, there are meetings and activities that you will need to attend in person at our offices in Embassy Gardens. We are open to discussing the exact balance of office to remote working through the recruitment process.
What you can expect from us:
Salary: Up to £35,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align with 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.