Publishing Director, Ebury Food in London

Are you a leader with a passion for food? Just imagine... Working closely with the world’s most talented chefs and food writers, leading a team of creatives to find the new breakout cookery stars, and shaping the future of how we eat. That’s the brief as Publishing Director of Ebury’s Food Hub at Penguin Random House UK.

About Ebury Food: As the No.1 cookbook publisher in the UK, and respected globally, the list is simply unrivalled. From Yotam Ottolenghi, Nicola Lamb and Julius Roberts to Mary Berry, the Batch Lady and Bored of Lunch, the depth of talent is exceptional. It’s a thriving, ultra-creative team. Ebury’s hub model blends editorial, publicity and marketing, and feeds on ideaflow.

Key responsibilities:

• Set the vision and strategy for Ebury Food, shaping a bold, market-leading list that defines how we cook and eat today.
• Inspire and lead a team of talented editors, fostering a culture of creativity, pace and inclusion.
• Lead acquisitions, signing exceptional authors and brands with both creative flair and commercial impact.
• Represent Ebury Food at the highest level, building influential relationships across agents, chefs, creators and partners.
• Build brilliant author relationships, championing talent and ensuring every book is published to the highest standard, balancing creative ambition with sharp commercial and operational delivery.
• Drive true collaboration across editorial, marketing and publicity to create distinctive, culture-shaping campaigns.
• Use insight and instinct to make smart, confident decisions that grow the reach and success of the list.

What you’ll bring:

• A strong track record and network in illustrated lifestyle and cookery publishing. Your experience may come from wider publishing, food media or talent management.
• Proven people management experience and a clear and inclusive leadership style – driving your vision, while nurturing and empowering a team of stellar talents.
• The ability to see ahead of the curve and adapt – from health breakthroughs to viral trends.
• A sure eye and gut instinct for standout talent, and the persuasive power to bring them on board.
• An eye for design – to transform a book cover in a moment of inspiration.
• Relentless creativity, both in yourself and your team – self-generating ideas is critical to our growth.
• A purpose to diversify our talent and reach ever wider audiences.

Benefits:

Competitive salary dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus 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 typically be in the office on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Equal opportunities and accessibility:

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 to for us to support your request.