Studio Manager

Pan Macmillan Ltd.; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A renowned publishing company in London is seeking a Studio Manager to oversee design workflows and lead a creative team. The successful candidate will manage cover design processes for both Adult and Children's imprints, ensuring timely delivery and budget adherence. Essential skills include expertise in the book design lifecycle, strong communication, and hands-on design experience. This full-time role offers a collaborative environment and a competitive salary with benefits, including flexible working hours and generous leave policies.

Benefits

28 days’ annual leave

Generous pension scheme

Discounted private medical insurance

Flexible working hours

75% off all company books

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of the end-to-end book design lifecycle.
• Hands-on design experience for expert technical guidance.
• Exceptional communication skills and building trust with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Manage and oversee the workflow across the entire Design team.
• Lead and mentor a talented team of artworkers.
• Create, correct and adjust artwork for print.

Skills

Workflow expertise

Design fluency

Integrity

Solutions-oriented

Curiosity

Community

Systems knowledge

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Biblio

Google software

Job description

Job Title: Studio Manager

Department: Art & Design

Contract: Permanent, full-time

Summary pitch: We are looking for an experienced and highly organized Studio Manager to join our fast-paced, creative team. The successful candidate will be adept at multitasking and possess excellent project-management skills. A key requirement is the confidence to proactively develop and implement efficient workflow processes across the entire design team.

Your team

The Art & Design department is a highly creative, collaborative and vibrant team, central to the publishing process of every title. We are responsible for the development of cover solutions across all genres, working closely with other in-house teams from initial cover brief to final print-ready artwork. This involves sourcing, commissioning and developing design work, illustration and photography, as well as creating artwork ourselves. We pride ourselves on being forward-thinking – constantly looking for new ideas and processes – and we thrive in our role at the core of each title’s publication.

Your role

As Studio Manager, you will be the central point of contact for all Pan Macmillan Adult imprints and select Macmillan Children’s Books imprints, managing the cover design and overseeing subsequent production and delivery. A core responsibility is to manage the workflow of our in‑house designers, freelancers and a small team of artworkers, ensuring all covers are delivered on schedule and within budget. This includes balancing workloads, identifying priorities and continuously improving processes. Furthermore, you will be responsible for maintaining the accuracy of all design data, including schedules on Biblio, budgets and invoices.

Your key responsibilities

• Manage and oversee the workflow across the entire Design team.
• Lead and mentor a talented team of artworkers while cultivating an inclusive, innovative and creative culture.
• Innovate and implement new processes to improve team efficiency.
• Set priorities and ensure adherence to the Critical Path.
• Create, correct and adjust artwork for print.
• Negotiate and resolve technical print issues with the Production team.
• Manage freelance resources and contracts.
• Maintain a high level of accuracy for design data, schedules (Biblio), budgets and invoices, ensuring invoices are paid on time.
• Handle all reprint and third‑party rights requests.
• Manage core Art meetings and create agendas and minutes as required.
• Input data into Biblio and generate reports when needed.

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

• Workflow expertise: A deep understanding of the end‑to‑end book design lifecycle, with the ability to navigate a project from initial concept to physical product.
• Design fluency: Hands‑on design experience, ensuring you are able to provide expert technical guidance and maintain high standards.
• Integrity: Exceptional communication skills, with a proven ability to build trust and influence stakeholders at every level of the business.
• Solutions‑oriented: A proactive approach to problem‑solving, with the ability to identify bottlenecks and resolve them before they impact the studio.
• Curiosity: A future‑focused mindset, with a commitment to embracing new technologies and evolving studio practices for the digital age.
• Community: The ability to act as a bridge between creative and commercial teams, ensuring everyone is aligned and informed.
• Systems knowledge: Adobe Creative Suite, Biblio and Google software.

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.

Closing date

11 January 2026

Some of the benefits we offer

• 28 days’ annual leave increasing with years of service + bank holidays
• Generous pension scheme
• Discounted private medical insurance
• 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

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.

All applicants must be able to demonstrate the right to live and work in the UK in order to be considered for this role.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

At Pan Macmillan, we are highly committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at every level of our organisation. 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 DEI are ongoing, and we continually strive to learn and improve our policies and practices. You can read our full Diversity & Inclusion Pledge: https://www.panmacmillan.com/about/diversity-and-inclusion

Accessibility 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

Please note that all personal information which we process in connection with your application will be treated in accordance with our Recruitment Privacy Notice available here: https://panmacmillan.com/recruitment-privacy-notice. Please read our Recruitment Privacy Notice before submitting your application.