Production Manager, Puffin

Great books rely on brilliant production. We have a new opportunity for an experienced Production Manager to join our Puffin team on a permanent basis and help to bring them to life.

The team is the largest global children’s publisher, Puffin, home to some of the most iconic characters, authors and illustrators alongside dazzling new talent. We believe the right book can inspire a child to feel they can be and do anything. You’ll be joining a collaborative team where you’ll work closely with colleagues across the business and play an important part in delivering high-quality books, solving production challenges and helping shape how we work.

The role is a collaborative and varied one where you’ll work closely with colleagues across our Editorial, Design, Sales, Inventory and Finance teams, as well as our external suppliers. You’ll use your sound commercial judgement and production expertise to find practical solutions to manufacturing, costing and scheduling challenges, whilst looking for opportunities to improve the way we work and drive positive change. Building strong supplier relationships will be an important part of the role. You’ll influence and negotiate with external partners, balancing quality, cost and schedules to ensure our books and associated formats are delivered on time, within budget and to a high standard. You’ll also play an important role in supporting and managing members of the team, creating an environment where people can successfully develop, contribute and do their best work.

Key responsibilities:

• Have a confident understanding of the needs and goals of your Production team and use this to inform your decision-making with high commercial awareness.
• Take a proactive role in shaping how we work by evaluating, critiquing, improving, and communicating our processes and best practices.
• Be authoritative and influential, serving as an ambassador and point of contact for the team.
• Provide trusted production advice and support to other departments.
• Develop and communicate a proactive and collaborative production approach, partnering with Editorial, Design, and Sales to drive innovation and growth.
• Demonstrate market and commercial awareness, showing a strong understanding of business needs and how the team can best support the Children’s Publishing Division.
• Take initiative and lead on ad-hoc projects and tasks outside of the usual Trade and Non-Trade production cycles.
• Approach production solutions creatively and innovatively, contributing to the department’s strategic initiatives and process improvements.
• Contribute to a calm, constructive, and mature atmosphere in the team, being a positive influence within the department and the broader company.
• Be confident in your understanding of production processes, systems, terminology, and the broader company and industry.
• Guide, advise, and formally train junior team members.

What you will bring:

• Experience of children’s book production.
• Experience of colour and mono book production.
• Experience of mentoring, training or managing a team.
• Experience of managing a varied workload with a track record of successfully delivering to deadlines while meeting the expectations of multiple stakeholders.
• Great communication and negotiating skills, adept at building and maintaining relationships.
• Experience of CE Testing.
• Experience of novelty and co-edition production.
• Experience with Biblio.

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.

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 PRHCareersUK@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable with, for us to support your request.

The salary band for this opportunity is £45,000-£50,000 depending 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. This role is offered with hybrid working, with 3 days per week required in the office (during probation), reducing to 2 days per week after probation.