Production Manager

Job Title: Production Manager
Department: Production
Contract: 12-month fixed-term contract, full-time

Are you a book Production Manager with lots of experience working on trade mono and colour books and plenty of line management? We are looking for an enthusiastic and proactive Production Manager for our Picador division for a 12 month fixed term contract starting in Feb 2027.

Your team:
You will be working within the Production team, which sits within our wider Publishing Operations department. We are a collaborative and fast-paced team responsible for managing the physical manufacturing and logistics of our books. We work closely with colleagues across all areas of the company—including Publishers, Editorial and Sales—as well as external suppliers to ensure our books are produced to the highest standard, on schedule, and within budget.

Your role:

As Production Manager, you will report directly to the Production Director. You will be the key point of contact for external suppliers and internal departments on all matters relating to Picador’s production. You will work closely with our publishing teams, champion best practice, and line manage more junior members of the team and support their development.

Your key responsibilities:

- Production Lead for our Picador Division: Take operational leadership of this list, dealing with all stages of the books’ lifecycle from acquisition to delivery, consulting with editorial, art, and other teams to ensure things happen as they should.
- Line Management & Team Development: Line manage production staff and work alongside the Senior Production Manager to manage team workloads and foster the professional growth of colleagues.
- Coordinate with Suppliers: Negotiate schedules, specifications, and prices with external suppliers in conjunction with other members of the team, ensuring all materials, orders, and communications are clear, accurate, complete, and on time.
- Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Liaise with Editorial, Design, Sales, and other teams to establish best practices and ensure smooth delivery of projects and timely completion of key tasks.
- Team Leadership & Meetings: Contribute to Adult Production team meetings alongside fellow managers, maintaining good operational efficiency and clear communication.
- Drive Workflow & System Improvements: Consult on central production systems, process developments, and workflow enhancements across Adult Production.

Essential experience, abilities and knowledge you’ll need to succeed:

- Trade List Experience: Proven experience running a trade publishing list of significant size within a busy publishing environment.
- L ine Management & People Skills: Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with experience in training, mentoring, and developing less experienced team members.
- Clear & Proactive Communicatio n: Exceptional written and spoken communication skills, with the ability to negotiate, share information reliably, and build positive professional relationships with external suppliers and internal stakeholders.
- Technical & Database Specialis ation: Experience of relevant production software, including Acrobat and Adobe CC, with specialized expertise in Biblio.
- Problem-Solving & Detail Orientation: A proactive, solution-oriented approach to tasks, with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail when managing records and schedules.
- Print Process Knowledge: A strong understanding of and curiosity about print processes and reprographics.

- Inclusion and representation: An active dedication to promoting diverse voices and inclusive practices, taking personal responsibility for ensuring our workplace and publishing reflect the communities we serve.
- Community: A collaborative approach to building a supportive and vibrant environment.
- Curiosity: A strong drive for learning and a readiness to embrace different perspectives.
- Integrity: A foundation of openness and honesty, taking responsibility for actions and learning from mistakes.

What you’ll get in return:
In return we can offer you a range of great projects, a supportive and collaborative working environment as well as a competitive salary and benefits package.

Salary: £46,000 - £50,000

Note on salary: The offered salary is dependent on experience and expertise. We benchmark our ranges to ensure fair, competitive compensation that grows with your impact.

Closing date: 14 October 2026

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Some of the benefits we offer:

- 28 days’ annual leave increasing with years of service + bank holidays
- Generous pension scheme
- Discounted private medical insurance or health cash plan
- Group income protection scheme
- Enhanced family pay and leave
- Flexible working hours and summer hours (early finish on a Friday during summer months)
- 2 volunteer days per year
- 75% off all Pan Macmillan books and regular staff book sales (highly reduced rates)
- Season ticket loan/advance
- Cycle to work scheme
- Discounts on shopping and gym memberships; Christmas club savings
- Daily free breakfast and monthly company lunch

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How to apply & eligibility:

- Our process: All applications must be submitted via our careers site to be considered. We are unable to accept CVs or applications sent via email.
- Our timelines: Because we review every application thoroughly and with care, our shortlisting process can take some time. We appreciate your patience and will be in touch as soon as we have an update on your application.
- Right to work: All applicants must be able to demonstrate the right to live and work in the UK in order to be considered for this role.

Our commitment to diversity & inclusion:
At Pan Macmillan, we are committed to publishing a wide range of voices that reflect the full breadth of the communities we serve. Joining us means playing an active role in bringing our titles to life as part of a team that champions inclusion at every level. We are dedicated to building a workplace that is as diverse and welcoming as the stories we tell, ensuring all perspectives are celebrated across everything we do.

We welcome applications from all individuals, including any age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. Our efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are ongoing, and we continually strive to learn and improve. You can read our full Diversity, Equity and Inclusion pledge here .

Disability confident scheme:
As a Disability Confident employer, we actively encourage applications from disabled candidates and people with long-term health conditions, aiming to offer an interview to everyone who meets the essential criteria for the role and chooses to apply under the scheme. The essential criteria can be found under our ‘Essential experience, abilities, knowledge and values you’ll need to succeed’ section.

Please note, some of our vacancies attract an exceptionally high volume of applications. In these circumstances, to ensure a fair and focused process for everyone, we may need to limit the overall number of interviews. Where this happens, we will look closely at who most closely aligns with the requirements to select the candidates applying under this scheme who best meet the essential criteria, in line with official government guidance.

Please remember that you are never required to disclose a disability to us, and you only need to share what you feel comfortable with.

Adjustment & support:
We want to ensure that all candidates are supported throughout the recruitment process. If you have any reasonable adjustments or accessibility requirements, please contact Kayelle Danyluk (Head of Talent Acquisition) at [email protected] .

Privacy notice:
All personal information which we process in connection with your application will be treated in accordance with our Recruitment Privacy Notice here . Please read this notice before submitting your application.