Managing Editorial Assistant - Vintage (FTC to August 2025)

Managing Editorial Assistant – Vintage (FTC to August 2025)

With a catalogue of over 6,000 titles, Vintage publishes some of the world’s most thought-provoking, unforgettable, beautifully designed books – from contemporary trailblazers to our red spine Vintage Classics. Our broad family of authors ranges from world-class prize-winners to emerging talent, including Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, Jo Nesbo, Afua Hirsch, Rukmini Iyer, Ocean Vuong and Ian McEwan.

The Role

Key responsibilities:

• Attending weekly progress meetings and maintaining the department diary, ensuring this is kept up to date.
• Recording and monitoring the progress of titles against the critical path, communicating key dates to the relevant parties and chasing progress.
• Circulating all cover proofs and ensuring they are reviewed promptly.
• Proofreading covers and marketing materials.
• Coding invoices, recording costs and organising posting for the team.
• Preparing prelims for a number of paperback editions.

What you’ll bring

• Excellent organisation skills to keep books on schedule.
• Ability to be both proactive and reactive, anticipating problems and intercepting them as they arise.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to work closely with colleagues and external contacts, including authors.
• Use of diplomacy and tact to follow up on deadlines.
• Impeccable attention to detail and accuracy.
• Stellar proofreading skills.

Disability Confident

If you have opted in to our disability confident scheme, below are the essential criteria you must meet to be considered. Please note, there may be occasions where the volume of applicants means we can’t take all eligible candidates to interview.

• Demonstrable interest in Publishing and/or Managing Editorial and/or Vintage.
• Proven written ability showcased through your application.
• Experience/knowledge of MS Office Excel/Word/Outlook.
• Demonstrable understanding of managing multiple stakeholders at varying seniorities.
• Demonstrable communication skills.

Application instructions

Please apply with your CV and cover letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 11:59pm on Tuesday 21st January.

• Please ensure you include a cover letter, as it is a crucial part of our assessment process. The cover letter offers an opportunity to show how your experience and interests align with the role requirements. Typically, we expect the cover letter to be no more than one page in length.
• As part of your cover letter, give us an example of a project you’ve organised and made happen, from conception through to delivery (in no more than 250 words).
• If selected to interview, you will be asked to complete a short proofreading test.

Salary

£27,500 plus benefits.

What you can expect from us

Our people are the heart of our business, and we work hard to support a culture of responsibility and recognition.

Our benefits include:

• Financial – discounted shopping, season ticket loan, rental deposit loan
• Wellbeing – healthcare cash plan, employee assistance, gym loan
• Lifestyle – taste card, tech scheme, free and discounted books

For our full benefits list please visit: https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/what-we-offer/

Hybrid working

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 the successful candidate to work from the office a minimum of two days per week, with a maximum of three days per week working remotely.

About Penguin

We’re the UK’s largest publisher, made up of some 2,000 people and publishing over 1,500 books each year. Our doors are open to all kinds of talent. In a constantly evolving industry, we work hard to stretch the definition of the word publisher. Here, you’ll work with a breadth of talent who all play their part to make each of our books a success. Together, we make books for everyone because a book can change anyone.

The recruitment process

You can read about our recruitment process at https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/how-we-hire/

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. 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 to for us to support your request.

Please note, we are not able to accept agency CVs for this role. Any CVs sent speculatively will not be eligible for a fee.

About Penguin:

We’re the UK’s largest publisher; made up of some 2,000 people and publishing over 1,500 books each year. Our doors are open to all kinds of talent. In a constantly evolving industry, we work hard to stretch the definition of the word publisher. Here, you’ll work with a breadth of talent who all play their part to make each of our books a success. Together, we make books for everyone because a book can change anyone.

How to apply: Please apply with your CV & Cover Letter by 23:59 on XXXX date.

Salary:

Competitive benefits package: Our people are the heart of our business, and we work hard to support a culture of responsibility and recognition.

Our benefits include:

Early career section – delete as appropriate:

• Financial – discounted shopping, season ticket loan, rental deposit loan
• Wellbeing - healthcare cash plan, employee assistance, gym loan
• Lifestyle – taste card, tech scheme, free and discounted books

Mid-senior section – delete as appropriate:

• Financial – income protection, life assurance, childcare allowance
• Wellbeing - healthcare cash plan, critical illness cover, health checks
• Lifestyle – enhanced parental leave, tech scheme,

For our full benefits list please visit: https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/what-we-offer/

Hybrid working: We’re experimenting with a hybrid way of working that suits the needs of each team. 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…

INCLUDE FOR VBR QUADRILLE BASED ROLES Please note that over the course of 2024 all of our London-based teams will permanently relocate to our Embassy Gardens office in Nine Elms. We’ll be happy to answer any questions on this as part of the interview process.

The recruitment process: You can read about our recruitment process at https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/how-we-hire/

As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we're part of the offer an interview scheme. This is where disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role can opt in to get to the next recruitment stage. There may be some situations where volume of applicants means we can't 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 to for us to support your request.

Please note, we are not able to accept agency CVs for this role. Any CVs sent speculatively will not be eligible for a fee.

Company: The Random House Group Limited 

Country: United Kingdom 

State/Region: London 

City: London 

Postal Code: SW11 7BW 

Job ID: 276815