Production Manager, Penguin General (15m FTC)

Bertelsmann-Jobs; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 36,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fixed-term contract

London office

Job summary

Penguin General is seeking a Production Manager to lead the Production team on a 15-month fixed-term contract from December 2026 to March 2028. You will oversee mono and colour production, manage budgeting and scheduling, and guide the team to deliver high-quality titles on time.

You will work closely with Editorial, Design, Sales, Inventory and Finance, shaping processes and driving commercial outcomes while mentoring team members and building strong supplier relationships.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in mono and colour book production.
• Proven leadership and mentoring abilities.
• Strong communication, negotiation and stakeholder management.
• Ability to balance quality, cost and schedule.

Responsibilities

• Manage and develop Production team members.
• Apply strong commercial judgement to production decisions.
• Shape team processes and share best practices.
• Act as senior point of contact for Production with stakeholders.
• Build collaborative relationships with Editorial, Design, Sales, Inventory and Finance.
• Manage supplier relationships and negotiate terms.
• Lead on cross-title projects and strategic initiatives.
• Contribute to a positive, solutions-focused team environment.

Skills

Mono & colour production

People leadership

Mentoring / developing others

Communication & negotiation

Commercial awareness

Budget & scheduling

Stakeholder management

Attention to detail

Tools

Biblio

Adobe Creative Cloud

Job description

• Contract
• LegalEntity: The Random House Group Limited
• Compensation: up to GBP 40,000 - yearly

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.

Additional Information

Disclosure requirements pertaining to the collection of your personal data:

Responsible for processing the information provided in your application is the company specified in the job advertisement, with its registered office as indicated. The company processes your data for the purpose of establishing an employment relationship on the basis of Art. 6 (1) b GDPR / Section 26 (1) sentence 1 BDSG.

The retention period for your data is determined by the statutory time limits applicable in the respective country, beginning upon completion of the recruitment process. You can find these here .

You can contact the company’s Data Protection Officer at the above-mentioned postal address.

Further information on data protection and your rights can be found here .