Production Transitions Manager in Oxford

We are seeking a skilled production specialist to lead the setup of workflows for journals launching or transitioning into OUP. In this role, you will gather and assess product specifications from stakeholders, recommend best‑practice production approaches, identify suitable suppliers, and ensure all requirements are thoroughly documented and accurately configured within our systems. You will work closely with colleagues across the business to coordinate all interdependent setup activities, guaranteeing a smooth and well‑managed transition into production.

Once journals enter live production, you will oversee their performance, ensuring adherence to agreed timelines and quality standards while troubleshooting issues as they arise. You will monitor supplier output, provide clear progress updates to internal teams and partners, and manage the effective handover of new titles to our business‑as‑usual support functions. Your work will help ensure a seamless launch experience for editors, authors, suppliers, and internal stakeholders alike.

As a senior member of the team, you will also play an active role in continuously improving our production processes. This includes initiating and delivering projects that enhance quality, efficiency and standardisation; documenting new capabilities within the workflow; and providing training, mentoring and guidance to colleagues. You will bring strong relationship‑building skills to your interactions with suppliers, societies, editorial offices and internal departments, ensuring that everyone involved in the journal's lifecycle understands our processes and is set up for success.

• Significant experience in production, including the management of new, sensitive, or significantly complex work.
• Experience managing sensitive client relationships or complex stakeholder engagement.
• Excellent presentation skills.
• Ability to comprehend and communicate complex information.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Superior negotiation and influencing skills.
• Experience managing contractors or 3rd‑party suppliers.
• Experience in creating or managing technical documentation.
• Good organizational skills.
• Experience successfully managing multiple projects to completion.
• Ability to work independently, handle multiple projects simultaneously, and work to tight deadlines.
• Ability to work in a team.
• Ability to learn quickly and work flexibly with varied software.
• Good IT skills.

• Experience in a publishing environment.
• Experience of client account management.
• Familiarity with copyediting and typesetting processes.
• Familiarity with XML.
• Experience managing production of a significant number of products in a publishing environment.

We care about work/life balance here at OUP. With this in mind we offer 25 days' holiday that rises with service, plus bank holidays and Christmas closure (3‑days) and a 35‑hour working week. We are open to discussing flexibility in respect to working patterns, dependent on role. We also have a great variety of active employee networks and societies. We help make your money go further by contributing to your pension up to 12%, offering loans and savings schemes through our partnership with Salary Finance, in addition to travel to work schemes and access to a wide range of local discounts. This role comes with the added benefit of a discretionary annual payment.