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Are you passionate about children’s publishing? Do you have an editorial eye and want to work on some of the biggest Children’s brands? We have a new opportunity for a Commissioning Editor to join our Puffin Picture Books and Classic Preschool brands team on a full-time and permanent basis, based at our office in Embassy Gardens, London.

From classic brands such as Beatrix Potter, Spot and The Very Hungry Caterpillar to picture book creators including Tom Fletcher, Nadia Shireen and Rashmi Sirdeshpande, Nathan Bryon, Dapo Adeola and Rachel Bright, the Puffin picture books team work with some of the biggest names, and brightest new talents, to bring stories to life that change and shape lives.

The Opportunity

Joining a team of 12, we’re looking for someone who can take our list to the next level. To do this, you’ll need to have enthusiasm and energy, a passion for books of all shapes and sizes, an interest in what’s happening in the world around you and be a creative who’s full of ideas.

At Penguin Random House, we make books for everyone because a book can change anyone, and we’re looking for someone with a real drive to fulfil that purpose and find books for our picture book list for children of all backgrounds.

As Commissioning Editor, you’ll play a key role in the change and growth of our list, seeking out new writers and taking control of each project through the editorial process; from acquisition to publication and beyond. That means you’ll be overseeing all stages of the book’s life and presenting and pitching new titles to a number of internal departments including marketing and publicity, sales, design, and rights teams.

Day to day you can expect a varied workload which may include:

• Identifying gaps in the list and wider market and finding books and authors to fill them

• Proactively seeking out talent and voices from beyond the world of children’s books who have the potential to write market-leading picture books for a broad audience

• Constantly paying attention to the wider entertainment industry to keep abreast of trends and key players in the market.

• Editorial work on picture books, writing notes on plots, structure and characters

• Managing brand relationships at a more senior level working with estates, licensors and Rights holders for authors such as Roald Dahl and Eric Carle

What you’ll bring

This is an exciting area of publishing that’s moving quickly, and we’re less concerned with your level of experience than your entrepreneurial attitude, and your passion to make exciting things happen. Where you will have experience is in taking projects from a creative vision through to completion, balancing creativity with a commercial mind.

You’ll be confident project managing a number of a projects concurrently, handling multiple priorities while keeping attention to detail. You’ll demonstrate financial awareness and analytical ability and ensure each book is executed to the highest standard within any constraints. Importantly, you’ll come with a love for all things Children’s publishing and ready secure new and innovative titles onto our list.

If you’re ready to join the Puffin Picture Books team in this exciting new role, please apply by midnight on Thursday 2nd March, sending us your CV and cover letter.

As part of your Cover Letter, we’d like you to respond to the following question (no more than 200 words):

What approach would you take to seeking out new talent for the Puffin picture book list from beyond the publishing industry?

What you can expect from us

Salary: Starting salary of £33,000, plus bonus and benefits

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.

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://[email protected]. 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: http://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: https://btbs.org/grants

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: Penguin Books Limited

Country: United Kingdom

State/Region: London

City: London

Postal Code: SW11

Job ID: 257476