Senior Designer

Penguin Random House UK; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

Penguin Random House UK is seeking a highly creative Senior Designer for the Puffin 6+ team on a permanent basis. You will lead the full design process from concept to print, collaborating with Editorial, Production, Sales and Rights to deliver market-ready titles.

This role requires strong creative vision, technical print production expertise, and the ability to manage multiple projects with commercial sensitivity.

Qualifications

• Portfolio demonstrating work in children’s publishing, including illustrated fiction and YA.
• Strong understanding of the commercial publishing landscape and market needs.
• Experience collaborating with illustrators and authors on book projects.
• Ability to generate original creative concepts across formats.
• Proven track record from concept to launch with commercial awareness.
• Excellent time management and ability to manage multiple projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead design projects from pitch to print across Puffin 6+ titles.
• Build partnerships with established illustrators and authors.
• Identify and nurture emerging talent for distinctive work.
• Generate original creative approaches while balancing budgets and timelines.
• Commission and art direct illustrators and designers with external collaborators.
• Communicate effectively, negotiate budgets, and manage schedules.
• Coordinate with editorial, production, sales, rights, and marketing teams.
• Keep up with publishing design trends and proactive research.

Skills

Creative portfolio

Children's publishing

Idea generation

Project management

Adobe Creative Suite

Print production

Budget management

Communication/negotiation

Tools

InDesign

Photoshop

Illustrator

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity for a talented and highly creative Senior Designer to join the Puffin 6+ team on a permanent basis.

About the team

By bringing together the greatest stories, brands and authors of any global children’s publisher, Penguin Random House Children’s create and rediscover heroes for each new generation.

Puffin is home to so many imaginative and best-selling authors and illustrators – and we believe children need choice and opportunities to discover the books they will love. Our designers work on a huge range of different books, but what they all have in common is clever creativity, strong commercial instinct and outstanding design.

The role

Reporting to the Deputy Art Director you will work across a wide range of titles, primarily focusing on the fiction list – from colour books for developing readers through to YA and crossover titles, and in every genre.

As Senior Designer, you will take responsibility for the full design process of titles, from early concept development and visual research through to print ready files. You will lead projects, commission illustrators and creatives, and work closely with colleagues in Editorial, Production, Sales and Rights to ensure each book meets its creative vision, market positioning and commercial goals.

This role suits someone who thrives in a fast-paced, hands-on environment, is confident presenting ideas, and combines big-picture creative thinking with strong technical expertise and attention to detail.

Key responsibilities:

• Lead projects from pitch to print, driving them through all stages.
• Build strong creative partnerships with established, high-profile illustrators and authors,
• Identify and nurture emerging talent to deliver distinctive market-leading work.
• Generate original ideas and creative approaches.
• Balance creative ambition with commercial priorities, budgets and timelines.
• Commission and art direct illustrators and designers building strong relationships with external creatives.
• Effective communication including strong negotiation skills, ensuring spend is managed effectively.
• Planning and management of schedules to align priorities and workflow.
• Build strong relationships with editorial, sales, production, rights, marketing and publicity teams.
• Regular and ongoing input into creative meetings.
• Keeping up to date with current design trends in publishing and the wider creative industries, bringing fresh thinking and proactive research to identify new concepts and initiate original approaches.

What you’ll bring

• A highly creative portfolio with experience in children’s publishing including illustrated fiction and YA, demonstrating work on commercially successful titles and brands
• A clear understanding of the commercial publishing landscape
• A demonstrable interest in and understanding of the children’s publishing market, including current illustrators, authors, brands and visual trends.
• Demonstrable ability to generate original creative ideas across a range of formats
• Proven experience in developing titles from concept through to launch, supported by a strong commercial approach
• A flexible, agile and solutions-focused approach, experience championing creative ideas, with the ability to respond positively and at pace to changing priorities.
• Experience sourcing, commissioning and building effective relationships with illustrators and freelance designers
• Excellent technical design skills with advanced knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite and print production processes.
• Strong project-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects with different lead times. Delivering accurate, high-quality work on schedule and within budget, balancing creative ambition with the time and investment available.
• Ability to keep all administration and file management up-to-date and accurate.

£37,650 - £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’llwork from our London office a minimum of three days per week.

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.