Overview

Editor, Children’s (Puffin) – Penguin Random House UK

Penguin Random House UK is the UK’s largest publisher, with around 2,000 staff and more than 1,500 books published each year. This role sits in Puffin Non-Fiction and offers the opportunity to work with a broad range of brand authors and contemporary classics in children’s non-fiction.

The role

This exciting role encompasses editorial and administrative tasks. You’ll primarily be supporting the growth of the Puffin Non-Fiction team, working with a broad range of brand authors as well as contemporary classics of the future. You will be responsible for the editorial workflow and project-management of a wide range of titles through to publication. This is a great opportunity to join a creative and commercial team with collaborative support to develop your editorial skills in a non-commissioning role.

Key responsibilities

• Proactively providing editorial support to senior members of the team throughout all stages of the book-making process, while taking responsibility for your own designated projects.
• Collaboratively working on the in-house process for specific books, including scheduling and running costings.
• Taking responsibility for managing the editorial workflow and project-managing a wide range of titles through to publication; developing and honing editorial skills across the list.
• Providing Biblio support across Puffin Non-Fiction titles, compiling metadata, jacket and cover copy.
• Working closely with authors and brand owners on existing projects at different stages of publication.
• Providing excellent author care and acting as a point of contact for authors and agents, answering questions where possible and passing queries on to managers.
• Attending new project meetings, reading proposals, and engaging in conversations about new book ideas.
• Editing manuscripts for a select number of titles.
• Liaising with in-house teams, authors and agents.
• Presenting titles at internal meetings.
• Contributing to the publishing vision by inputting ideas for format, binding, design, price and promotional campaigns.

What you’ll bring

We’re looking for someone with demonstrable editorial experience and solid market knowledge in publishing. You might currently be an Assistant Editor or Project Editor looking for your next challenge, or an Editor wanting hands-on experience on a different type of list and exposure to household brands and names. 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.

• Proven skills in editing and working with authors and agents.
• Understanding of managing multiple stakeholders of varying seniorities.
• Initiative, creative motivation, and a proactive nature.
• Proven skills in managing the Biblio data system.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Ability to prioritise, multitask and work under pressure.
• Demonstrable understanding of project management and critical path requirements.
• Proven editing and proofreading skills.

Preferred criteria

• Engaged with popular culture, well-informed on current trends, and design awareness.
• Team player with interpersonal sensitivity.

Application instructions

Please apply with your CV and cover letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 11:59pm on Sunday 7 September 2025. Please note we have an extended deadline on this advert because of the summer holiday break.

As part of your cover letter, please respond to the following questions (no more than 300 words in total):

1. We’re looking for someone with a real interest in Non-Fiction. Tell us about a children’s Non-Fiction book from the last two years that has impressed you. What stood out?
2. This position will involve helping to manage exciting projects across the list. Please share an example of a project you have worked on and the role you played within the team.

Please ensure you include a cover letter, as it is a crucial part of our assessment process. The cover letter offers an opportunity to show how your experience and interests align with the role requirements. Typically, we expect the cover letter to be between 1-2 pages. We are looking for someone to join the team as soon as possible, but we are happy to accommodate a reasonable notice period for the right candidate.

Salary and working arrangements

Circa £33,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits. There is scope to consider salary depending on experience.

We expect you will work from the office 3 days a week; we are happy to discuss flexible working during the recruitment process.

Additional details

• Seniority level: Mid-Senior level
• Employment type: Full-time
• Job function: Writing/Editing
• Industries: Book and Periodical Publishing