Senior Editor

Department: Kingfisher

Contract: Permanent, full-time

Your team: Kingfisher are a specialist children’s non-fiction and reference publisher. We publish contemporary and engaging books for children aged 0–12 years old, from highly illustrated encyclopedias to trend‑led titles and illustrated non‑fiction gift books. You will join a dedicated, experienced team working closely with the Publisher and Publishing Director to deliver innovative formats for a global audience. We have a strong focus on the US market and work closely with our US sales colleagues to turn market insights into books that resonate with readers. We are a collaborative group that thrives on creativity, reacting to trends, and delivering high‑quality content.

Your role: As Senior Editor, you will be a key driver for our custom publishing growth. You will take ownership of titles from initial concept to final files, ensuring every book meets our high standards for quality, budget, and scheduling. This role is ideal for a commercially minded editor who enjoys dynamic, customer‑led publishing. You will create books that respond thoughtfully to market trends and specific retail opportunities in the UK and US.

Your key responsibilities:

• Project leadership: Oversee the editorial development and production of a diverse range of titles, ensuring they meet Kingfisher’s quality benchmarks.
• Commercial growth: Partner with sales leads to identify and develop publishing opportunities that support our custom publishing strategy.
• Financial management: Manage individual book budgets and P&Ls, ensuring titles remain viable and on track.
• Collaborative partnership: Build and maintain supportive relationships with authors, illustrators, and external suppliers to ensure successful project outcomes.
• Market awareness: Use your knowledge of the US and UK markets to ensure our books meet current customer preferences and popular formats.

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

• Illustrated publishing knowledge: Demonstrable experience in illustrated children’s information books and pre‑school publishing, from commissioning through to final files.
• Commercial awareness: Comfort working with numbers, including an understanding of P&L and financial tracking for a publishing list.
• Attention to detail: An exceptional eye for detail and a commitment to maintaining high standards across content development, copy editing, and proofreading.
• Adaptability and organisation: A calm and methodical approach to managing multiple projects simultaneously while meeting key production deadlines.
• Market insight: A deep and active knowledge of the contemporary children’s book market in both the UK and US.
• Commercial fluency: Strong numeracy skills and a clear understanding of P&L and financial management for a specific publishing list.
• Innovation and efficiency: A forward‑thinking approach to publishing with an openness to exploring new tools and technologies, such as AI, to improve workflows and create more efficient processes.
• Inclusion and representation: An active dedication to promoting diverse voices and inclusive practices, taking personal responsibility for ensuring that 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.

Desirable skills we’d love you to have:

• Software/tools: Experience working with systems and tools such as MS Office, Adobe Creative Cloud, Google Workspace, Canva and Biblio.
• Novelty formats: Familiarity with the specific requirements and production processes involved in creating novelty or toy books.

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 starting from: £37,000

Closing date: 7 April 2026

Some of the benefits we offer:

• 28 days’ annual leave increasing with years of service + bank holidays
• Generous pension scheme
• Discounted private medical insurance
• 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, Tastecard+ and gym memberships; Christmas club savings
• Daily free breakfast and monthly company lunch

This is a full time, permanent role, and will be based in our offices in Farringdon, London, with some flexibility to work from home each week.

Application process & inclusion:

Please note: All applications must be submitted via our careers site to be considered. We are unable to accept CVs or applications sent via email. All applicants must be able to demonstrate the right to live and work in the UK in order to be considered for this role.

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 are highly committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at every level of our organisation. 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 DEI are ongoing, and we continually strive to learn and improve our policies and practices.

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).