At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead exciting projects and collaborate with diverse teams to drive change.
- Company: Join Penguin Random House, a creative powerhouse in publishing.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, hybrid working, and a bonus scheme.
- Other info: Flexible work environment with opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact while developing your project management skills.
- Qualifications: Previous project management experience and strong organisational skills required.
The predicted salary is between 65000 - 70000 £ per year.
Job Description
We have an exciting new opportunity to join our Strategic Projects team as their new Project Manager.
This role is offered on a 6-month fixed term contract basis, with hybrid working from our office in Embassy Gardens, London (approx. 2 days per week).
Reporting to the Head of Strategic Projects, you’ll be responsible for leading teams to deliver projects that span one or more business departments.
The Project Manager will manage resources, schedules and financials whilst adhering to stage gate quality guidelines throughout the full project lifecycle.
This also includes management of issues, risks and project change requests to ensure successful and on-time project delivery.
The team
The Strategic Projects team is a key part of Penguin Random House Operations (which also includes Technology, Facilities and Distribution).
We help Penguin Random House achieve transformational change, delivering initiatives based on our strategic priorities, and supporting essential replacements to core processes and systems as they become end-of-life.
We support changes from initial conversations and prioritisations through to implementation, engaging with departments across PRH and DK to help changes take place and embed.
The role
Key responsibilities
- Provide leadership to a project team by building and motivating team members to meet project goals, adhering to their responsibilities and project milestones.
- Full project life cycle ownership: successful project delivery will include full implementation from initiation to implementation/hypercare for one or more project initiatives simultaneously.
- Report on project success criteria results, metrics, test and deployment management activities.
- Prepare estimates and detailed project plans for all phases.
- Procure adequate resources to achieve project objectives.
- Manage the day‑to‑day project activities and resources and chair the project management team meetings.
- Provide status reporting regarding project milestones, deliverables, dependencies, risks and issues, communicating across leadership.
- Understand interdependencies between technology, operations and business needs.
- Participate in feasibility studies, vendor selection and proposals for evaluation by appropriate key stakeholders.
- Review various vendor statement of works (SOWs) and specifications for requested goods and services.
- Set and continually manage project expectations while delegating and managing deliverables with team members and stakeholders.
- Develop and deliver progress reports, proposals, requirements documentation and presentations to various audiences, including project team, sponsors, and key stakeholders.
- Manage project issues and risks to mitigate impact.
- Continue professional development in order to keep abreast of emerging technologies, methods and best practices.
- Maintain and develop a good understanding of project management principles, methods and techniques.
What you’ll bring
- Previous project management experience with a track record of managing plans from creation to execution. Specifically:
- Experience of managing file management or document management projects involving user data migration.
Technical expertise is not required, but you should be confident leading delivery across business and technical teams, managing dependencies and supporting the adoption of new ways of working.
- Experience of managing technology projects involving system integrations and SAP development.
Technical expertise is not required, but you should be confident leading delivery across technical teams, managing dependencies and working with specialist SMEs and suppliers.
- Experience with the Microsoft Office digital suite, including but not limited to Outlook, Teams, Share Point, One Drive, One Note etc.
- Strong organisational skills, proactive and comfortable working in a dynamic project delivery environment.
- Good knowledge of Waterfall/Agile project management frameworks, methodologies and associated governance structures – including, but not limited to Prince2 and Scrum.
- Ability to present and explain technical information to non‑technical audiences, establishing rapport.
- Awareness of IT frameworks such as ITILv3 and the software development process, including requirement gathering, analysis/design, development tools/technologies, release/version control testing and deployment management.
- Proficient in MS Project or experienced in using a PPM tool with planning capabilities.
- Experience with SAP, enterprise system integrations and file management platforms (e. g., Box, Microsoft 365/Share Point, Nasuni) would be advantageous but is not essential.
- Experience using JIRA, Confluence and Chat GPT.
- Experience within creative, publishing, media industries is beneficial but not essential.
Application instructions
Please apply with your CV and Cover Letter by 23:59 on Monday 20th July 2026.
Here at Penguin, we believe in the power of authenticity and human creativity.
When you apply for a position, we want to encourage you to showcase your unique voice.
Throughout our recruitment process, please share your own thoughts, experiences, and skills.
This helps us get a true sense of who you are and what you might bring to our team.
We celebrate creativity and diverse perspectives, so please be yourself!
While we recognise AI tools can be helpful, we recommend using them thoughtfully to ensure your responses reflect you.
Disability Confident
As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we offer interviews to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for the role, and opt‑in on their application form.
The essential criteria for this role are listed as part of the “What you’ll bring” section.
There may be times when the volume of applications means we cannot take all eligible candidates to interview.
We encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing
Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable with, for us to support your request.
The salary for this opportunity is £65,000-£70,000, depending on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus a generous bonus scheme and benefits.
While our offices across the UK are places to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, we recognise that flexibility around where you work is just as important.
For this role we expect that you will work from our office in Embassy Gardens, London 2 days per week (typically Tuesday & Thursday).
You will be required to be flexible on other days as required by the business.
- Additional Information
- Disclosure requirements pertaining to the collection of your personal data:
Responsible for processing the information provided in your application is the company specified in the job advertisement, with its registered office as indicated.
The company processes your data for the purpose of establishing an employment relationship on the basis of Art. 6(1)b GDPR / Section 26(1) sentence 1 BDSG.
The retention period for your data is determined by the statutory time limits applicable in the respective country, beginning upon completion of the recruitment process.
You can find these here.
You can contact the company’s Data Protection Officer at the above‑mentioned postal address.
Further information on data protection and your rights can be found here.
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StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Project Manager (6m FTC) in London
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We think you need these skills to ace Project Manager (6m FTC) in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Analytical Skills:In management consulting, employers love to see your problem-solving abilities right from the get-go. Be sure to highlight any relevant analytical projects you've worked on, particularly those that show how you tackled complex problems. If you’ve done any case studies or analysis during your studies, throw those in your CV!
Tailor Your Experience for the Role:Since this is a temporary position, your application should reflect your adaptability and relevant experience quite clearly. Focus on showcasing experiences that demonstrate your ability to hit the ground running, like previous projects, internships, or freelance gigs in consulting or project management.
Craft a Targeted Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to sparkle! Use it to explain why you're interested in this temporary role at Bertelsmann-Jobs and how your skills suit the specific project needs. Remember to mention how you can provide immediate value based on your past experiences.
Include Certifications or Relevant Training:If you've got any certifications like PMP, Six Sigma, or even coursework that’s super relevant, make sure to list those in your application. Management consulting can be competitive, and these extra qualifications can help you stand out in the recruitment process.
How to prepare for a job interview at Bertelsmann-Jobs
✨Prepare for Case Studies
In management consulting, case study interviews are a big deal. Expect to tackle real-world business problems on the spot. We should practise structuring our thoughts, developing hypotheses, and presenting our solutions clearly, as this is what firms like Bertelsmann-Jobs will want to see.
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✨Highlight Your Adaptability
Since this is a temporary role, it's crucial we showcase our ability to hit the ground running. Have examples ready that illustrate how we've adapted quickly in past positions or projects. This shows that we can contribute effectively from day one at Bertelsmann-Jobs.
✨Be Ready to Discuss Cultural Fit
Temporary roles often come with a focus on team dynamics. Prepare to discuss how we align with the values and culture at Bertelsmann-Jobs. We want to highlight our teamwork experiences and how we can mesh with their consulting teams, making it clear that we're not just looking to fill a spot but to add value.
