Senior Production Designer

Sourcebooks; Naperville (IL); Hybrid; USD 58,000 - 68,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Health savings account

401(k)

Disability insurance

Life/AD&D insurance

Paid time off

Job summary

Sourcebooks is seeking an experienced Senior Production Designer for our Adult & YA cover design team. You will turn approved front cover designs into full-cover layouts and prepare final files for print and digital release.

You will lead high-volume production projects, mentor junior designers, and collaborate with creative, editorial, marketing, and manufacturing teams to ensure consistency across formats and series.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in book production design, print production or similar role.
• Strong mastery of the Adobe Creative Suite for print and digital books.
• Attention to detail and ability to manage multiple projects.
• Experience mentoring other production designers.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex book cover production projects from approved design through final files.
• Build full-cover layouts, mechanicals, ARC files, reissues, and related materials.
• Prepare and review files for manufacturing; verify color, resolution and preflight needs.
• Collaborate with designers and art directors to implement feedback and approvals.
• Work with manufacturers and vendors to interpret specs and solve problems.
• Manage multiple projects with organized version control and quality control.
• Mentor junior designers and act as a senior technical resource.
• Identify opportunities to improve workflows, templates, and cost-effective production.

Skills

Book cover production design

Adobe Creative Suite

Attention to detail

Project management

Mentoring

Communication & collaboration

Print production knowledge

Tools

Adobe InDesign

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Acrobat

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Senior Production Designer to join our Adult & YA cover design team. This is a hands-on senior individual contributor role. You will turn approved front cover designs into accurate, high-quality full-cover layouts and prepare final files for print and digital release.

This role requires advanced production expertise and demands a high level of attention to detail, excellent communication skills, and a collaborative, growth mindset-focused attitude. You will lead complex, high-volume production projects, partner closely with creative, editorial, marketing, and manufacturing teams, and help ensure consistency across authors, series, imprints, and formats. You will also serve as a senior technical resource for the team by mentoring other production designers and helping improve how we work.

You would be a strong fit for this role if you enjoy solving production problems, care about craft and accuracy, and bring sound design judgement to collaborative work!

Applications must include a portfolio demonstrating relevant book cover production, print production, or comparable technical design experience.

The location for this position can be hybrid or remote in New York or Naperville, Illinois or remote based in any of the following states: Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin.

This is an exempt salary position with a salary range of $58,000 - $68,000. We determine starting pay based on a thorough evaluation of job-related factors, including geographic location, market conditions, relevant experience, training, and education. This process ensures a fair and competitive salary that aligns with both the company and the candidate’s qualifications.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead complex book cover production projects from approved design through final print- and digital ready files.
• Build full-cover layouts, mechanicals, Advance Reading Copy (ARC) files, reissues, and related production materials.
• Prepare and review files for manufacturing. Verify color management, image quality, resolution, typography, and preflight requirements.
• Partner with designers and art directors to implement feedback and preserve creative intent. Coordinate with editorial and marketing on approvals and production needs.
• Work with manufacturing and vendors to interpret specifications, evaluate production options, and solve technical problems.
• Manage multiple projects and deadlines while maintaining organized files, accurate version control, and consistent quality.
• Mentor and train junior production designers and serve as a senior technical resource for the team.
• Identify opportunities to improve workflows, templates, documentation, file optimization, and cost-effective production solutions.

What You Bring:

• 8+ years of experience in book production design, print production, prepress, or a comparable production-focused design role. Book cover production experience is strongly preferred.
• Expert knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite, particularly InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and Acrobat.
• Advanced knowledge of print production and prepress. This includes color management, resolution standards, PDF workflows, mechanicals, printer specifications, and specialty print production.
• A portfolio demonstrating relevant book cover production, print production, or comparable technical design work.
• Exceptional attention to detail, organization, and quality control.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize deadlines, and work efficiently in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience mentoring or training other production professionals.
• Strong communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and process-improvement skills.

Why Sourcebooks?

Sourcebooks is a thriving entrepreneurial publisher driven by our mission to change lives through books. The fifth-largest publisher in the U.S. by print units sold, we bring extraordinary authors to readers in dynamic, data-driven ways, leading to hundreds of national and international bestsellers. Our insight-driven approach has earned us recognition from Fast Company as a Most Innovative Company, a Best Workplace for Innovators, a Most Loved Workplace by Newsweek, a Best Workplace by Inc., and Publishers Weekly’s nod as “the most successful self-made publisher operating in the 21st century.” Story by story, book by book, we have changed more than 300 million lives. Join us as we change 300 million more!

Full-time employees are eligible for our comprehensive benefits program. Our range of benefits include, but are not limited to, Medical/Prescription drug insurance, Dental, Vision, Health Care, Dependent Care, Flexible Spending Account, Health Savings Account 401(k), Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance, Life/AD&D Insurance, & generous paid time off.