Senior/Content Editor

HarperCollins Publishers

Location London
Team Collins Learning
  • Closing: 5:00pm, 10th Feb 2020 GMT

Perks and benefits

Work from home option
Healthcare
Retirement benefits
Wellness programs
Employee Assistance Programme
Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
Extra holiday
Professional development
Mentoring/coaching
Paid volunteer days
Flexible benefits scheme
Cycle to work scheme

Candidate happiness

8.68 (23751)

Job Description

Introduction to the team

Collins has been publishing educational and informative books for almost 200 years. Throughout this rich heritage we have maintained an impressive record in creating market-leading products across various sectors. Our publishing for schools continues to deliver up-to-date and engaging student resources and exceptional teacher support to help schools tackle new initiatives and utilise the latest technology. We produce resources for UK and International curricula to support teachers and pupils at school and outside the classroom environment.

Purpose of the Role

You will be an experienced member of the team with a core competency in either editorial project management or commissioning content.  You will take full ownership of smaller, self-contained projects with support from your line manager, or will work alongside a Product Manager to take final manuscripts or digital concepts and see them through the design and development stages to finished product.  You may already have some development and commissioning experience, but will be looking to develop in any of the following areas: project management, content development; commissioning; author management; contracts and legal. 

Key Responsibilities:

Commissioning:

  • Work with a Product Manager and Publisher to capture requirements for new products, and input into the most efficient, cost-effective and appealing way to realise a product idea.

  • With line manager’s support and QA, produce the Product Development Specification and author brief, commission and contract the author

  • Responsible for excellent author care.

  • Collate information to produce new ideas and therefore costings, present this for sign off.

Product Development:

  • With line manager’s support, works with author to produce final manuscript, then passes to external specialist editor/copy-editor. 

  • May oversee copy editorial work on some projects and then project manage through design stages to completion.

  • Resolve editorial queries on manuscripts and proofs.

  • Work with designers to produce proofs.

  • Work with designer, sales and marketing and publisher to produce draft and final cover.

  • Ensure projects hit milestones on schedule, that tasks are completed on or below budget and to a high-quality standard.

  • Helps us to continually refine and improve our processes.

  • Answers customer queries on own content. With support, commissions auxiliary resources on demand (reps and customer services) such as matching charts.

Experience

  • Editorial experience in educational publishing.

  • Project management across a number of simultaneous products, print and digital.

  • Worked with teams of authors and freelancers.

Skills / Competencies

  • Clear, effective and engaging communication skills.

  • Unswerving attention to detail – in products and in planning.

  • Excellent organisation, time and resource management with realistic goals.

  • Proactive in trouble-shooting and solving problems.

  • Questioning/analytical approach – suggestions to improve process/products.

  • Flexibility – ability to juggle demanding workload and prioritise.

  • Proactive and innovative.

  • Excellent people management skills.

  • Confident with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint.

  • Personal leadership skills to influence/win over stakeholders, especially through presenting new products.

  • Experience of managing budgets.

  • Ability to step back and see bigger picture to plan, prioritise and make decisions.

 

Disposition

  • Upbeat, enthusiastic and self-motivated

  • Relishes challenge

  • Remains calm and focused when working under a heavy workload

  • Confident to take responsibility for projects

  • A team player, keen to learn, help and share knowledge

  • Diplomatic

  • Has a genuine interest in educational publishing and its opportunities/challenges

 

Removing bias from the hiring process

Applications closed Mon 10th Feb 2020

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Removing bias from the hiring process

  • Your application will be anonymously reviewed by our hiring team to ensure fairness
  • You’ll need a CV/résumé, but it’ll only be considered if you score well on the anonymous review

Applications closed Mon 10th Feb 2020