Senior Designer, Audio (12 month FTC) at Arvato Systems in London, gb

Job Description

We’re looking for a Senior Designer to join Penguin Random House Audio on a 12-month fixed-term contract, covering a period of parental leave, bringing fresh creative ideas to reach and engage listeners.

About the team

At Penguin Random House Audio, we’re the UK’s leading audiobook publisher, dedicated to creating exceptional listening experiences for audiences everywhere. Working with some of the world’s most exciting authors, narrators and creative talent, we publish bestselling and award-winning audiobooks across every genre — from major new releases to carefully curated new recordings of popular classics.

Audio is one of the most dynamic and fast-growing areas of publishing, and at PRH Audio we combine creative ambition with commercial rigour to deliver market-leading work.

The role

You’ll lead on design across our audiobook marketing campaigns, with plenty of scope to develop the bigger idea as well as bring it to life. You might be shaping the look and feel of a major audiobook campaign to engage new and existing listeners, creating video or social content from the audiobook recording process, designing assets for an author or narrator, or working on internal communications to showcase Penguin Audio to authors and agents.

A passion for audio and an understanding of our listeners is key to the role. You’ll consider who we’re trying to reach, what interests them and use that understanding to shape creative ideas that get noticed.

You’ll also manage our Junior Designer, providing creative guidance, supporting their development and overseeing the team’s design workload.

Key responsibilities

• Developing creative ideas and designs for campaigns across some of our biggest audiobooks.
• Creating engaging social media, video and other digital assets for campaigns, authors and narrators.
• Using an understanding of different audiences to help shape creative ideas and campaigns.
• Managing and supporting our Junior Designer, providing creative guidance and overseeing their workload.
• Contributing to BBC audiobook cover meetings, including briefs and feedback on cover designs.
• Designing materials for wider Audio projects, including pitch documents and presentations.
• Working with freelancers and external agencies to develop and deliver creative ideas.
• Keeping up with design, social media and wider cultural trends and sharing inspiration with the team.

What you’ll bring

You’ll be a creative and thoughtful designer with a passion for audio. You’ll have high standards and great attention to detail, alongside the organisation and flexibility to manage several projects at once.

Essential criteria:

• Strong technical design skills and experience creating work for marketing campaigns.
• Excellent knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite, particularly InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator.
• Experience with animation or motion graphics and creating video or other moving digital content.
• Strong creative thinking, with the ability to develop an idea from initial concept through to finished work.
• An understanding of different audiences and how this can inform creative work.
• An understanding of the wider market and commercial environment, with an interest in helping audiobooks reach new audiences.
• Excellent organisation, with the ability to manage deadlines, changing priorities and the workload of a junior team member.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to give and respond to feedback and build good working relationships.
• An interest in audiobooks and wider design and cultural trends.

You don’t need to have worked in publishing before. What matters is that you can show us great creative work and an understanding of how design can help a campaign connect with its audience.

Application instructions

Please apply with your CV, cover letter and portfolio (all in PDF format) by 23:59 on Thursday 22nd October 2026. The cover letter and portfolio should be uploaded as additional documents.

Please ensure you include a cover letter, as it is a crucial part of our assessment process. This is your opportunity to tell us why you’re interested in the role and how your experience and interests align with what we’re looking for. Typically, we expect the cover letter to be no more than one or two pages.

We expect first-stage interviews to take place during the first week of November.

Salary

The salary for this opportunity is c. £38,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.

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 PRHCareersUK@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable with, for us to support your request.

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 you to work from our Embassy Gardens office a minimum of two days a week, typically on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

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.

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