Commissioning Editor, UCL Press (12-Month FTC)

UCL is London’s global university. LCCOS – Library, Culture, Collections and Open Science – provides outstanding staff, services and resources to support the world‑class research, education and enterprise undertaken in UCL, and connects the world with UCL through innovative programming and engagement activities. LCCOS is acknowledged as an international leader in Open Science and Scholarship.

About the role

UCL Press, the university’s scholarly publisher, is seeking a part‑time Commissioning Editor to join its busy team. As an experienced Commissioning Editor in scholarly books publishing, you will be working with leading authors, mainly in the humanities and social sciences, and will have ownership of your own dedicated lists. The role is responsible for acquiring new books, working with authors throughout the submissions process, developing proposals, seeking peer review reports, presenting new proposals to the Editorial Board, and guiding manuscript development. UCL Press launched in 2015 as the UK’s first fully open access university press and has a lively programme of award‑winning books, journals and textbooks disseminated globally. This is a fixed‑term role until September 2027 in the first instance. The appointment is eligible for hybrid working with a minimum of 2 days a month on site, on set team days (first and third Wednesday of each month). The appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Research and Professional Services Staff. This role does not meet the eligibility requirements for a Skilled Worker Visa certificate of sponsorship under UK Visas and Immigration legislation. Therefore, UCL will not be able to sponsor individuals who require right to work in the UK to carry out this role.

About you

This role requires extensive experience of commissioning scholarly books at an academic press. Candidates must have experience of book acquisition, peer review, working with editorial boards, collaborating with production and marketing colleagues, developing and editing manuscripts and production schedules, and a strong understanding of open‑access publishing.

What we offer

• 27 days annual leave + 6 closure days (Christmas and Easter) as well as statutory holidays
• Hybrid and flexible working
• Ability to buy 5 additional annual leave days
• Enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity leave
• Carer’s leave

Other benefits

We also offer a defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE), a cycle‑to‑work scheme, a season ticket loan and an on‑site gym. As part of the UCL community you can access free lunch‑hour lectures, exhibitions and museums and collections. On campus, UCL has the Bloomsbury theatre hosting a range of performances and a series of bars, cafés and other facilities, which UCL staff can use.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London’s global university, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce, including but not limited to people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women. Our department is working towards an Athena SWAN award. We are committed to advancing gender equality within our department.