Senior Production Controller in London

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly skilled, organized, and collaborative Senior Production Controller to join our busy Adult Production team. In this role, you will manage a high volume of mono titles from start to finish, with the opportunity to work on bespoke, high-spec projects and exclusive editions for our renowned Tor and Pan imprints. This is a 12-month, fixed-term contract to cover parental leave within the team.

Your team:

The Pan Macmillan production department is an expert, efficient, and collaborative team who play an essential role in bringing our books to life. We make books of all types for every area of the market. We pride ourselves on a supportive environment where we work closely with our colleagues in Editorial, Art, Operations, and Sales to ensure every book is produced to the highest standards, on time, and within budget.

Your role:

Reporting to the Production Manager, you will play a critical role within the Adult production team. In this dynamic and rewarding role, you will manage projects from initial acquisition to final completion. You will work fluidly across our varied adult lists, driving the production of complex, multi-edition projects with particular focus on our flagship Tor list.

Your key responsibilities:

• End-to-end production management: Manage the production process for a diverse range of adult titles, ensuring every book, from standard mono to high-spec special editions, meets Pan Macmillan’s quality standards.
• Manufacturing oversight: Order and monitor printings from initial confirmation through to final delivery, acting as a primary point of contact for external suppliers to ensure a seamless supply chain.
• Financial stewardship: Produce accurate costings at every stage of the critical path to support informed business decisions and maintain healthy project margins.
• Commercial negotiation: Proactively negotiate schedules, specifications, and pricing with external suppliers to secure the best value without compromising on quality or deadlines.
• Data integrity: Manage and update Biblio and other internal systems to ensure product records, schedules, and approvals are accurate and accessible to the wider business.
• Cross-departmental collaboration: Partner closely with the Editorial, Art, Operations, and Sales teams to align production schedules with marketing beats, retail requirements, and core process improvements.

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

• Book production expertise: Proven experience in book production (ideally within trade publishing), with a practical understanding of mono manufacturing and advanced knowledge of book specifications.
• Technical literacy: A comprehensive working knowledge of typesetting, repro, ebooks, and print processes, alongside proficiency in industry-standard software (such as Biblio and Adobe Acrobat).
• Commercial & financial awareness: A high level of numeracy with the ability to produce accurate costings, negotiate competitive pricing with suppliers, and manage invoices precisely.
• Project management & prioritisation: Excellent organisational skills with a demonstrated ability to manage a complex workload and maintain schedules across multiple high-priority titles.
• Collaboration & communication: Clear, persuasive written and spoken communication skills, with a natural ability to build positive relationships with both internal stakeholders and external global suppliers.
• 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.

Desirable skills we’d love you to have:

• Special-edition management: A proven understanding of the exclusive edition market, including the technical requirements for managing tip-ins, special finishes, and bespoke customer materials.
• Innovation mindset: A proactive interest in how emerging technologies and AI tools, such as Gemini, can be harnessed to improve process efficiencies and creative problem-solving.

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 range: £40,000 to £43,000

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: 7 June 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 and gym memberships; Christmas club savings
• Daily free breakfast and monthly company lunch

This is a 12-month fixed-term contract, and will be based in our offices in Farringdon, London, with some flexibility to work from home each week.

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 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.

You can read our full Diversity & Inclusion Pledge here: Diversity & Inclusion Pledge.

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 kayelle.danyluk@macmillan.com.

Please note that all personal information which we process in connection with your application will be treated in accordance with our Recruitment Privacy Notice available here: Recruitment Privacy Notice. Please read our Recruitment Privacy Notice before submitting your application.