Assistant Editor, Children's Books — Flexible Hours & Hybrid in London

Pan Macmillan UK is one of the largest general book publishers in the UK, with imprints including Macmillan, Mantle, Pan, Picador, Boxtree, Sidgwick & Jackson, Bello, Tor, Kingfisher, Macmillan Children's Books, Two Hoots, Bluebird, Campbell Books, Macmillan New Writing and Macmillan Digital Audio. Pan Macmillan is part of Macmillan Publishers International Limited.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Assistant Editor to join the Preschool, Brands & Classics team at Macmillan Children’s Books, working on books for children including novelty board books, picture books, activity books and gift books.

Your team: The Preschool, Brands & Classics list is home to leading authors including Rod Campbell and Camilla Reid, heritage brands such as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and high-quality licensed publishing including Moomin, Sylvanian Families and LEGO. We are a small and friendly team within the wider Colour 0–6 division, working closely with the design, production, sales, marketing and rights teams to create market-leading titles for every child.

Your role: As the Assistant Editor, you will play a critical role in supporting the editing and production of titles across the Preschool, Brands & Classics list. Working as part of a busy and dynamic team, you will help develop full-colour books of various formats for children aged 0 to 6, from the initial idea or submission through to delivering final files to the printer.

Your key responsibilities:

• Editorial support: Work with the Publishing Director and Senior Editorial team on new titles throughout the publishing process, including creative development stages, writing, editing, copy-editing and proofreading.
• Backlist management: Assist in the creation and development of backlist, reissue, re-use, and re-jacketed titles, including those for special markets, as agreed with the Publishing Director.
• Brand & stakeholder engagement: Develop and edit branded and licensed titles using style guides and asset banks, and liaise with licensors and external stakeholders to ensure efficient approvals.
• Content development: Assist in the development and creation of novelty and gift titles, including writing copy and liaising with authors and illustrators.
• Project coordination: Monitor title progress and manage schedules, sales copy, and metadata.

Your usual day might include writing design briefs and copy for activity books, managing and editing reissue and anniversary editions, second-editing new titles for a senior colleague, researching the market, writing copy for sales material, and updating and maintaining internal data systems.

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

• Editorial foundation: Experience working as an Editorial Assistant within a commercial publishing environment with a clear understanding of the end-to-end editorial process.
• Communication: The ability to draft clear, professional copy and communicate effectively with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including authors, illustrators, and colleagues across the business.
• Organization & prioritization: A proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, meeting deadlines and maintaining accuracy while navigating changing priorities.
• Numerical literacy: Comfortable working with data and figures, such as managing project schedules or basic costings.
• Creative writing: Experience in writing engaging content for children, such as back-of-book blurbs, activity pages, or short-form copy.
• Software/tools: Experience working with systems and tools such as MS Office, Adobe Creative Cloud, Google Workspace, Canva, and Biblio.
• Attention to detail: A precise and thorough approach to copy-editing, proofreading, and checking visual assets for consistency and quality.
• Visual awareness: An ability to review layouts and illustrations with a critical eye for composition, colour, and brand alignment.
• Collaboration: A dedicated team player who contributes to a supportive environment and works well across different departments.
• 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:

• Assistant editor experience: Prior experience at the Assistant Editor level is highly advantageous.
• Specialist format experience: Previous experience working on multi-format children’s publishing, such as novelty and gift books, magazines, or licensed products.
• Creative contribution: Experience contributing to the creative development or writing process for branded or high-concept titles.
• Market insight: An interest in and awareness of the contemporary children’s book market, including current trends and competitor activity.

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: £30,000 to 35,000. 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.

Some of the benefits we offer:

• 28 days’ annual leave increasing with years of service + bank holidays
• Discounted private medical insurance or health cash plan
• 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 full time, permanent role, and will be based in our offices in Farringdon, London, with some flexibility to work from home each week. 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.