Editor

Pan Macmillan Ltd.; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 34,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days’ annual leave

Generous pension scheme

Staff book sales discounts

Cycle to work scheme

Breakfast and team lunches

Job summary

Pan Macmillan Ltd. seeks an Editor for the Preschool, Brands & Classics list in London. You will lead editorial planning, commission titles, and write text for activity books while coordinating design briefs and licensor approvals.

You will manage projects end‑to‑end, ensuring market alignment and inclusive publishing practices, with a collaborative, team‑oriented environment and a competitive salary.

Qualifications

• Publishing experience in full‑colour illustrated or licensed publishing for children.
• Experience as Assistant Editor or equivalent in a commercial publishing environment.
• Project‑managing titles from acquisition to final files.
• In‑house writing for activity books and narrative text.
• Knowledge of the contemporary children’s book market and Macmillan Preschool, Brands & Classics list.
• Experience with licensed publishing and working with license holders.
• Commitment to inclusion, diversity and representation in publishing.
• Collaborative approach within a team and with licensors, authors and illustrators.

Responsibilities

• Strategy & editorial planning to develop backlist and new titles.
• Commissioning and overseeing roughly five or six titles per year.
• In‑house writing for projects including narrative text.
• Write design briefs for covers and internal layouts.
• Ensure alignment with brand values and audience.
• Content editing, copyediting and proofreading.
• Manage projects and costs from creation to publication.
• Liaise with freelancers and manage editors/writers.

Skills

Editorial strategy

Project management

In‑house writing

Market knowledge

Licensing experience

Inclusion & DEI

Collaboration

Integrity

Tools

MS Office

Adobe Creative Cloud

Google Workspace

Canva

Biblio

Job description

Job Title: Editor
Department: Macmillan Children’s Books, Colour 0–6
Contract: Permanent, full‑time

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Editor to join the Preschool, Brands & Classics team at Macmillan Children’s Books, working on books for children including licensed and classic 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, Palm Pals 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 Editor, you will play a critical role in 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, managing titles from the initial idea or submission through to delivering final files to the printer.

Your key responsibilities:

• Strategy & editorial planning: Contributing to the goals and strategy identified by the Publishing Director through the creation and development of new, backlist, re‑use and re‑jacketed titles.
• Commissioning & oversight: Commissioning, costing and contracting approximately five or six titles a year for publication and being editorially responsible for a further number of titles.
• In‑house writing: Writing text for in‑house projects including narrative, rhyme and activity text.
• Design briefing: Writing design briefs for covers and internal layouts.
• Brand & audience alignment: Ensuring titles are suitable for their intended audience and align with the values of the brand they relate to.
• Editing & proofreading: Content editing, copyediting and proofreading.
• Project & cost management: Project management of specified new, reissue and re‑use titles from creation through to publication, alongside the maintenance of costings through to publication.
• Freelance management: Managing freelance editors and writers.
• Systems & data administration: Using Publishing Management systems (Biblio), Vista, File Director and Bookscan and other internal data sources.
• Marketing & sales copy: Drafting of cover copy, Title Information sheets, catalogue, book fair and presentation copy as required.
• Stakeholder relations: Liaising with licensors and agents/authors/illustrators to relay information and to seek approvals.

Your usual day might include writing design briefs and internal text for activity books, managing and editing upcoming frontlist titles, second‑editing titles for a senior colleague, helping to generate ideas for new titles in a publishing programme, and sending layouts to licence holders for approval.

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

• Publishing experience: Experience of working in full‑colour illustrated or licensed publishing for children. Significant experience as an Assistant Editor or equivalent within a commercial publishing environment.
• Project management: Experience of project‑managing titles from acquisition through to final files.
• In‑house writing & creative development: Experience writing text for in‑house projects and creative development of new titles.
• Market knowledge: Knowledge of the contemporary children’s book market and an active interest in children’s publishing, with a clear understanding of the Macmillan Children’s Books Preschool, Brands & Classics list.
• Licensed publishing: Familiarity with specific requirements of licensed publishing and experience working with licence holders.
• Inclusion and representation: An active dedication to promoting diverse voices and inclusive practices, taking personal responsibility for ensuring that our workplace and publishing reflect the communities we serve.
• Community: A collaborative approach to building a supportive and vibrant environment.
• Curiosity: A genuine 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:

• Editor-level experience: Experience at Editor level.
• Specialised formats: Experience working on multi‑format children’s programmes, such as magazines, activity books, or high‑concept novelty and gift titles.
• Licensing experience: Direct experience working with high‑profile licence holders and managing formal approval processes.
• Creative writing skills: Proven creative writing ability, particularly in writing original rhyme, narrative fiction, or play‑based activity text.
• Visual awareness: A clear sense of design, typography, and page layout to support visual briefing.
• Software/tools: Experience working with systems and tools such as MS Office, Adobe Creative Cloud, Google Workspace, Canva, and Biblio.

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:

£34,000 to £36,000

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:

23 September 2026

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.

Some of the benefits we offer:

• 28 days’ annual leave increasing with years of service + bank holidays
• Generous pension scheme
• Discounted private medical insurance or health cash plan
• Group income protection scheme
• 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

Our commitment to diversity & inclusion:

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 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 diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are ongoing, and we continually strive to learn and improve. You can read our full Diversity, Equity and Inclusion pledge here.

Disability confident scheme:

As a Disability Confident employer, we actively encourage applications from disabled candidates and people with long‑term health conditions, aiming to offer an interview to everyone who meets the essential criteria for the role and chooses to apply under the scheme. The essential criteria can be found under our ‘Essential experience, abilities, knowledge and values you’ll need to succeed’ section.

Please note, some of our vacancies attract an exceptionally high volume of applications. In these circumstances, to ensure a fair and focused process for everyone, we may need to limit the overall number of interviews. Where this happens, we will look closely at who most closely aligns with the requirements to select the candidates applying under this scheme who best meet the essential criteria, in line with official government guidance.

Please remember that you are never required to disclose a disability to us, and you only need to share what you feel comfortable with.

Adjustment & support:

We want to ensure that all candidates are supported throughout the recruitment process. If you have any reasonable adjustments or accessibility requirements, please contact Kayelle Danyluk (Head of Talent Acquisition) at [e-mail].

Privacy notice:

All personal information which we process in connection with your application will be treated in accordance with our Recruitment Privacy Notice here. Please read this notice before submitting your application.