Senior Production Lead – End-to-End Book Production 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 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, e‑books, 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.