Production Manager

Penguin Random House UK; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 36,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Benefits

Job summary

Penguin Random House UK’s Ebury Production team seeks a Production Manager for a 9‑month fixed-term contract from December 2026 to September 2027 in London. You will lead mono and colour production, manage budgets and schedules with internal teams and external suppliers.

The role emphasizes leadership, supplier negotiation, and driving process improvements across Editorial, Design, Sales and Inventory. Hybrid work with two days at the Embassy Gardens office is expected.

Qualifications

• Excellent experience of colour and mono book production.
• Experience of mentoring, training or managing direct reports.
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to stay calm under pressure.
• Experience of managing a varied workload with deadlines while meeting multiple stakeholders.
• Great communication and negotiating skills; adept at building relationships.
• Experience of working with Biblio and Adobe Creative Cloud.

Responsibilities

• Have a confident understanding of the needs and goals of the Production team to inform decision-making with commercial awareness.
• Proactively shape how we work by evaluating and improving processes and best practices.
• Be an ambassador and point of contact for the team; provide production advice to other departments.
• Develop a collaborative production approach with Editorial, Design and Sales to drive growth.
• Demonstrate market and commercial awareness to support the Publishing Division.
• Lead ad-hoc projects outside usual production cycles; contribute to strategic initiatives.
• Contribute to a calm, constructive atmosphere and be a positive influence within the team.
• Guide and train junior team members on production processes and terminology.

Skills

Color production

Mono production

Mentoring/leadership

Attention to detail

Deadline-driven

Biblio/Adobe Creative Cloud

Tools

Biblio

Adobe Creative Cloud

Job description

We have a fantastic opportunity to join our Ebury Production team as a Production Manager. This role is offered on a 9-month fixed term contract basis from December 2026 to September 2027.

The team

We publish for people’s every need and passion, from food, personal development and memoir, to smart thinking, parenting and business. We work in close partnership with stellar talents like Yotam Ottolenghi, Michaela Coel, Fearne Cotton, Charlie Mackesy, Stacey Solomon, Tom Felton, Adam Grant, Wim Hof, Mary Berry and Brené Brown.

The role

We’re looking for an enthusiastic Production Manager with experience of both mono and colour production who is passionate about making a difference, who has a commercial outlook and is comfortable driving change.

As a Production Manager you will work closely and collaboratively with internal teams across Editorial, Design, Sales, Inventory, Finance as well as external suppliers, to identify and implement solutions for reprographic, manufacturing, costing, and scheduling challenges.

An important part of this role includes managing supplier relationships; you will play a key part in influencing and negotiating with external suppliers.

You’ll not only support and manage members of the team you’ll also understand the importance of inspiring, developing and enabling them to do your best work.

Your keen eye for detail will ensure everything is delivered on time, within budget, and to high-quality standards. You’ll manage the production of books and associated formats, including working on custom product, bringing ideas and solutions to the creative teams.

Key Responsibilities:

• Have a confident understanding of the needs and goals of your Production team and use this to inform your decision-making with high commercial awareness.
• Take a proactive role in shaping how we work by evaluating, critiquing, improving, and communicating our processes and best practices.
• Be authoritative and influential, serving as an ambassador and point of contact for the team. Provide trusted production advice and support to other departments.
• Develop and communicate a proactive and collaborative production approach, partnering with Editorial, Design, and Sales to drive innovation and growth.
• Demonstrate market and commercial awareness, showing a strong understanding of business needs and how the team can best support the Ebury Publishing Division.
• Take initiative and lead on ad-hoc projects and tasks outside of the usual Trade and Non-Trade production cycles. Approach production solutions creatively and innovatively, contributing to the department’s strategic initiatives and process improvements.
• Contribute to a calm, constructive, and mature atmosphere in the team, being a positive influence within the department and the broader company.
• Be confident in your understanding of production processes, systems, terminology, and the broader company and industry. Guide, advise, and formally train junior team members.

What you will bring

• Excellent experience of colour and mono book production.
• Experience of mentoring, training or managing direct reports
• You’ll have excellent attention to detail and will be able to demonstrate a calm, positive and flexible approach to your work – even when under pressure.
• Experience of managing a varied workload with a track record of successfully delivering to deadlines while meeting the expectations of multiple stakeholders.
• Great communication and negotiating skills, adept at building and maintaining relationships.
• Experience of working with Biblio and Adobe Creative Cloud required.

AI

Here at Penguin, we believe in the power of authenticity and human creativity. When you apply for a position, we want to encourage you to showcase your unique voice. Throughout our recruitment process, please share your own thoughts, experiences, and skills. This helps us get a true sense of who you are and what you might bring to our team.

We celebrate creativity and diverse perspectives, so please be yourself! While we recognise AI tools can be helpful, we recommend using them thoughtfully to ensure your responses reflect you.

£40,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.

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 you will work from the Embassy Gardens office in London 2 days per week (typically Tuesday & Thursday).