Production Manager, Penguin General (15m FTC)

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

Job summary

Penguin Random House UK is seeking a Production Manager to lead the Penguin General Production team on a 15-month fixed term contract from December 2026 to March 2028. You will oversee mono and colour title production, manage a talented team, and collaborate across Editorial, Design, Sales and Finance to deliver titles on time and within budget.

You will drive process improvements, build strong supplier relationships, and provide strategic, production-focused guidance while maintaining high

Qualifications

• Excellent experience of mono and colour book production.
• Experience of managing, mentoring or developing others.
• Strong leadership and decision-making skills, with the confidence to take ownership of complex issues.
• Excellent communication, influencing and negotiation skills, with experience of building strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external suppliers.
• Strong commercial awareness, with the ability to balance quality, cost, schedule and wider business priorities when making decisions.
• A proven ability to manage competing priorities and oversee a varied workload, remaining calm, positive and effective under pressure.
• Excellent attention to detail, combined with the ability to see the bigger picture and understand the needs of the wider publishing division.
• Experience of working with Biblio and Adobe Creative Cloud.

Responsibilities

• Manage, support and develop Penguin General Production team, providing guidance, coaching and production expertise and helping them to deliver their best work.
• Apply strong commercial judgement to production decision-making, balancing quality, cost and schedule while considering the priorities of the Production team and wider business.
• Take a proactive role in shaping how the team works, reviewing and improving processes, sharing best practice and identifying opportunities to work more effectively.
• Act as a senior point of contact for Production, providing trusted advice, resolving complex production issues and representing the team confidently with colleagues across Editorial, Design, Sales and other departments.
• Build collaborative relationships across Penguin General, working with key stakeholders to identify production solutions that support the division's publishing plans and demonstrate where Production can add value.
• Manage and influence key supplier relationships, negotiating effectively and working with suppliers to achieve the right balance of quality, cost, service and schedule.
• Lead on projects and initiatives beyond the day-to-day production of titles, contributing to departmental priorities and strategic initiatives.
• Contribute to a collaborative and solutions-focused team environment, being a positive influence within the department and the broader company.

Skills

Mono & colour book production

Managing/mentoring others

Leadership & decision-making

Communication, influencing & neg.

Commercial awareness

Prioritisation & workload management

Attention to detail

Biblio & Adobe Creative Cloud

Tools

Biblio

Adobe Creative Cloud

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity to join the Penguin General Production team as Production Manager. This role is offered on a 15-month fixed term contract basis from December 2026 to March 2028.

About Penguin General

Penguin General publishes a broad range of books from prize-winning writers and bestselling authors across literary and popular fiction, crime, history, nature, politics and culture. Our authors include Richard Osman, Robert Macfarlane, Han Kang, Meera Sodha, Ben Macintyre, Alice Loxton and Emily Henry.

The role

We’re looking for an enthusiastic Production Manager with strong knowledge of both mono and colour book production, a commercial outlook and the confidence to advise and make decisions. You’ll oversee the production of a varied list of titles, including special, exclusive, signed and illustrated co-editions, ensuring books are delivered on time, within budget and to a high standard.

Alongside managing your own titles, you’ll manage and develop members of the Production team, supporting them to do their best work and providing clear direction and trusted production advice. You’ll work closely with colleagues across Editorial, Design, Sales, Inventory and Finance, as well as external suppliers, taking ownership of complex manufacturing, costing and scheduling challenges and helping shape effective ways of working across the team.

Key responsibilities:

• Manage, support and develop members of the Penguin General Production team, providing guidance, coaching and production expertise and helping them to deliver their best work.
• Apply strong commercial judgement to production decision-making, balancing quality, cost and schedule while considering the priorities of the Production team and wider business.
• Take a proactive role in shaping how the team works, reviewing and improving processes, sharing best practice and identifying opportunities to work more effectively.
• Act as a senior point of contact for Production, providing trusted advice, resolving complex production issues and representing the team confidently with colleagues across Editorial, Design, Sales and other departments.
• Build collaborative relationships across Penguin General, working with key stakeholders to identify production solutions that support the division's publishing plans and demonstrate where Production can add value.
• Manage and influence key supplier relationships, negotiating effectively and working with suppliers to achieve the right balance of quality, cost, service and schedule.
• Lead on projects and initiatives beyond the day-to-day production of titles, contributing to departmental priorities and strategic initiatives.
• Contribute to a collaborative and solutions-focused team environment, being a positive influence within the department and the broader company.

What you’ll bring

• Excellent experience of mono and colour book production.
• Experience of managing, mentoring or developing others.
• Strong leadership and decision-making skills, with the confidence to take ownership of complex issues.
• Excellent communication, influencing and negotiation skills, with experience of building strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external suppliers.
• Strong commercial awareness, with the ability to balance quality, cost, schedule and wider business priorities when making decisions.
• A proven ability to manage competing priorities and oversee a varied workload, remaining calm, positive and effective under pressure.
• Excellent attention to detail, combined with the ability to see the bigger picture and understand the needs of the wider publishing division.
• Experience of working with Biblio and Adobe Creative Cloud.

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.

Disability Confident

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. The essential criteria for this role are listed as part of the ‘What you’ll bring’ section. 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 [e-mail]. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable with, for us to support your request.

The salary for this opportunity is c.£40,000 depending 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 a minimum of 2 days per week (Tuesday & Thursday), and be available to attend on other days as required by the business.