Production Manager, Puffin at Bertelsmann in London, gb

Company Description

Great books rely on brilliant production. We have a new opportunity for an experienced Production Manager to join our Puffin team on a permanent basis and help to bring them to life.

The team

As the largest global children’s publisher, Puffin is the home to some of the most iconic characters, authors and illustrators alongside dazzling new talent. We believe the right book can inspire a child to feel they can be and do anything.

You’ll be joining a collaborative team where you’ll work closely with colleagues across the business and play an important part in delivering high-quality books, solving production challenges and helping shape how we work.

The role

The Production Manager opportunity is a collaborative and varied role where you’ll work closely with colleagues across our Editorial, Design, Sales, Inventory and Finance teams, as well as our external suppliers. You’ll use your sound commercial judgement and production expertise to find practical solutions to manufacturing, costing and scheduling challenges, whilst looking for opportunities to improve the way we work and drive positive change.

Building strong supplier relationships will be an important part of the role. You’ll influence and negotiate with external partners, balancing quality, cost and schedules to make sure our books and associated formats are delivered on time, within budget and to a high standard.

You’ll also play an important role in supporting and managing members of the team, creating an environment where people can successfully develop, contribute and do their best work.

From managing the production of books to working on custom product, you’ll bring a keen eye for detail alongside ideas, solutions and a collaborative approach — partnering with our creative teams to turn their ambitions into beautifully produced books.

Key responsibilities:

• Have a confident understanding of the needs and goals of your Production team and use this to inform your decision-making with high commercial awareness.

• Take a proactive role in shaping how we work by evaluating, critiquing, improving, and communicating our processes and best practices.

• Be authoritative and influential, serving as an ambassador and point of contact for the team. Provide trusted production advice and support to other departments.

• Develop and communicate a proactive and collaborative production approach, partnering with Editorial, Design, and Sales to drive innovation and growth.

• Demonstrate market and commercial awareness, showing a strong understanding of business needs and how the team can best support the Children’s Publishing Division.

• Take initiative and lead on ad-hoc projects and tasks outside of the usual Trade and Non-Trade production cycles. Approach production solutions creatively and innovatively, contributing to the department’s strategic initiatives and process improvements.

• Contribute to a calm, constructive, and mature atmosphere in the team, being a positive influence within the department and the broader company.

• Be confident in your understanding of production processes, systems, terminology, and the broader company and industry. Guide, advise, and formally train junior team members.

What you will bring

Essential criteria:

• Experience of children’s book production.

• Experience of colour and mono book production.

• Experience of mentoring, training or managing a team.

• Experience of managing a varied workload with a track record of successfully delivering to deadlines while meeting the expectations of multiple stakeholders.

• Great communication and negotiating skills, adept at building and maintaining relationships.

Desirable criteria:

• Experience of CE Testing.

• Experience of novelty and co-edition production.

• Experience with Biblio.

Application instructions

Please apply with your CV and Cover Letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 23:59 Sunday 4th October 2026.

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.

We anticipate that this recruitment will include a 2-stage interview process, taking place in person at our Embassy Gardens office. We are looking for the successful candidate to join the team in December 2026.

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.

Salary

The salary band for this opportunity is £45,000-£50,000 depending on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.

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.

This role is offered with hybrid working, with 3 days per week required in the office (during probation), reducing to 2 days per week after probation.

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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