Senior commissioning editor / editorial director / publishing director

Closing date: 17th March 2025

Salary: £38,000+ dependent on experience and location (+bonus +benefits)

Location: This role can be based at our London or Sheffield office, with a blend of in-office (3 days) and homeworking (2 days) per week.

Are you a successful, ambitious and experienced non-fiction commissioner looking to take the next step in your career?

Weidenfeld & Nicolson is one of the most prestigious and long-standing imprints in the history of British publishing. Our books are agenda-setting, award-winning, best-selling and genre-defining.

Since its inception in 1949, W&N has been widely recognised for its commitment to and track record of excellence in non-fiction publishing. In recent years, the imprint’s illustrious history has been reanimated by a new commissioning team, who have delivered multiple unmissable publications, and become known for their agility, ambition and dynamism.

This is a rare and exciting opportunity to join one of the industry’s oldest and most prestigious imprints. Working within W&N’s tight-knit team of editors, you’ll be responsible for the development of a dynamic publishing programme, championing bold, high quality and commercially successful non-fiction that captivates readers worldwide. Your commissioning will span across a wide range of subjects, including popular history, books by major cultural figures, and standout interventions in science and current affairs.

What you’ll be doing

Collaborating with teams across publishing, sales, rights, marketing and PR, you’ll play a key role in bringing exceptional future bestsellers to a global audience. You will acquire new titles, nurture strong relationships with authors and agents and play an instrumental role in shaping the list for years to come.

We’re looking for someone to make an immediate impact in this exciting new role. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record acquiring and successfully publishing quality non-fiction titles and must possess a strategic vision for growing the list.

Who we are looking for

• We are looking for a creative, ambitious and commercially focused non-fiction publisher.
• You will be a proactive commissioner with entrepreneurial flair who is comfortable with generating ideas and making direct approaches to authors and agents.
• You will have strong commercial instincts and outstanding non-fiction market awareness.
• You will be keenly alert to trends, consumer interests and the evolving technology landscape that will help you navigate the rapidly changing non-fiction space.
• You will be motivated by success and have a reputation for tirelessly pursuing sales for your books.
• You will be comfortable working with a wide range of authors, including academics, journalists and high profile names.
• You will relish this unique opportunity to actively contribute to W&N’s non-fiction strategy.

What we offer

Our staff are our greatest asset, and our benefits reflect this:

• 28 annual leave days per year, increases to 29 days after 2 years’ service and goes up to 30 days after 5 years’ (+ bank holidays)
• Private medical insurance
• Generous pension schemes
• Rent deposit loans
• 2 community days per year
• Summer hours (finishing at 1pm on Fridays during the summer months)
• Retail discounts through Hachette rewards
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Eye care vouchers
• Wide-ranging training library
• Development programmes (including mentoring)
• Up to 70% off book purchases
• A charity bookshelf
• 12 Staff-led employee networks that are voluntary, including Gender Balance, Thrive, Pride, All Together, Wellbeing and religious networks
• Season ticket loans
• And much more!

Our commitment

Hachette employs people on the basis of their abilities. We aim to attract and develop talent from a base as broad as the world of readers we want to reach, with a wide and representative range of age, faith, disability, race, gender, sexuality and socio-economic, regional and cultural backgrounds.

If you are shortlisted and need us to make any adjustments to help you attend for an interview, please let us know.

Please state in your application that you found this role through Creative Access.

The Book Trade Charity offers financial support to people looking to enter the book trade but who may struggle to afford the costs of attending interviews and undertaking junior roles. For more information visit

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