If you are someone who has extensive, current experience of developing and designing Children’s Fiction for the UK and international markets, we would love to hear from you.

The Farshore Design team at HarperCollins have an exciting opportunity for a creative and talented Children’s Fiction Art Director with ambition and creative vision, to lead our design team. You will be designing children’s fiction, across all age ranges, from illustrated young fiction, middle grade through to YA.

Working closely with the Publisher and Creative Director, the candidate will be a champion of Farshore and Electric Monkey’s Fiction lists, identifying and bringing both new and proven talent to the list. You will have responsibility for planning, directing and leading a team of designers, developing appropriately targeted commercial books for children.

Experience and Skills

• Experience of designing market leading covers and interiors.

• Negotiating with and commissioning illustrators, either directly or via agents and delivering clear commercial briefs and art direction for all areas of the market.

• Supervising, managing and developing designers and freelancers

• Relevant consumer, trend and market awareness in order to help develop new commercial concepts.

• Excellent communication and presentation skills – being able to present design concepts, approaches and work in progress to various internal and external stakeholders.

• You will have the vision and drive to make the books that you work on a commercial success.

Key Responsibilities

• Developing and generating new products in line with the publishing strategy – longer term planning and influencing the publishing strategy

• Supervising, managing and developing designers and freelancers as necessary: day-day workload, technical and designing skills

• Allocation/Delegation/resource management – Planning for the future

• Taking responsibility to develop new processes and structures as the business requires

Please note we will request portfolios at a later stage in the recruitment process.

Benefits

• Hybrid working model (2+ days in the office)

• 26 days holiday plus bank holidays (option to buy and sell holiday days)

• Enhanced pay for maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave

• Private healthcare cover and life assurance

• Free access to HeadSpace, employee assistance programme (24 hour helpline), mental health first aiders, and a wellbeing portal

• Season ticket loans (from day 1 for entry level) and cycle to work scheme

• Employee networks: HC All In (open forum), Elevate (for ethnic minority colleagues), HarperParents, Menopause at Work and Pride at HC

• Unlimited training on our Learning and Development portal, management courses (up to MA level) and mentoring programmes

• Virtual GP and eyecare vouchers

• Gym membership discount

• Onsite physiotherapy (London only)

• Charitable donation matching and volunteering day

• We're a certified Carbon Neutral company

• Free e-books and audiobooks, newspaper subscriptions and discounts on books

• Subsidised canteen and retail discounts

• Onsite prayer room

If you wish to discuss anything regarding this position and/or your application to this role, please reach out directly to our Talent Acquisition Manager at stephanie.jemmett@harpercollins.co.uk with subject heading ‘Vacancy Query’ plus the job title and we will aim to get back to you within 5 working days.