Managing Editorial Coordinator - Penguin General

Full job description
Managing Editorial Coordinator – Penguin General

Are you curious to learn more about the practicalities of how a book gets published? Would you like the opportunity to work on a wide range of imprints and genres, including fiction, non-fiction, mono and illustrated titles?

Penguin General has an exciting opportunity for an Editorial Coordinator to join Penguin General’s busy managing editorial team. This wide-ranging role is pivotal within the division, with responsibility for overseeing the progress of offsets, reprints and backlist titles as well as providing general editorial assistance to the rest of the team.

About team/business area

Penguin General is one of the eight publishing divisions that make up Penguin Random House UK. There are five imprints at Penguin General: Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Penguin Life, Viking and Sandycove. The latter is based in Dublin. Our broad family of authors ranges from world-class prize winners to emerging talent, including Zadie Smith, Richard Osman, Barack and Michelle Obama, Ben Macintyre, Dolly Alderton, Arundhati Roy, John le Carré, Meera Sodha, Stanley Tucci, Antony Beevor, Hanif Kureishi, Jonathan Coe, India Knight, Emily Henry and Leigh Bardugo.

General is made up of extremely talented colleagues, who set a high bar in terms of quality of output, and who take pride in their work and strive for both individual and collective success. We advocate a ‘learning mindset’: being curious and humble about what we don’t know in order to grow. We strive to create a working culture that is progressive, energising and fun, where difference is valued. Colleagues are treated with respect, stretched to learn and develop their skills, and can turn up to work as their authentic professional selves.

The role

Key responsibilities:

Oversee the progress of offsets, reprints, and backlist titles.
Provide general editorial assistance to the copy-editorial team.
Ensure titles are delivered according to schedule, budget, and high standards.
Check proofs, book freelancers, coordinate mailings, and update systems.
Prepare paperback material for production.
Gain insight into the practicalities of book publishing and the critical path.
Assist senior members and the wider team on their titles.

What you’ll bring

Essential criteria:

Be organized and systematic with excellent administrative skills.
Possess impeccable grammar and spelling.
Show exceptional attention to detail.
Have the capacity to cope with a demanding and changing workload.
Demonstrate strong interpersonal, communication and teamwork skills.
Be able to work independently and take initiative, yet at the same time liaise well and on a regular basis with other departments.
Have the ability to prioritize tasks and work calmly when under pressure.
Be capable of working to deadlines and managing multiple projects simultaneously.
Be a problem solver with the ability to anticipate problems and resolve them at speed.

Preferred criteria:

Demonstrate an understanding of the processes through which a text passes from typescript to bound copy.
Have experience of copy-editing and proofreading work.
Have experience of working on a range of books – this could be fiction and non-fiction, mono and illustrated, original and offset titles, in a consumer environment.

Disability Confident

If you have opted into our disability confident scheme, the above “essential criteria” section is what you must meet to be considered for our interview scheme. Please note, there may be occasions where the volume of applicants means we can’t take all eligible candidates to interview.

Application instructions

Please apply with your CV and cover letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 11:59pm on 10th August 2025.

Please ensure you include a cover letter, as it is a crucial part of our assessment process. The cover letter offers an opportunity to show how your experience and interests align with the role requirements. Typically, we expect the cover letter to be no more than one or two pages in length.
Please note we are looking for someone to join the team as soon as possible, but we are also happy to accommodate a reasonable notice period for the right candidate.
We anticipate a two-stage interview process which will include a virtual first-stage interview and in-person second stage interview. We are happy to discuss this further with you throughout the recruitment process.

Salary

Circa £29,500 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.

What you can expect from us

Our people are the heart of our business, and we work hard to support a culture of responsibility and recognition.

Hybrid working

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 the successful candidate to work from our London-based office a minimum of three days per week and offer the remaining two days to be worked remotely.

Company: The Random House Group Limited | Job ID: 281912