Are you an experienced, proactive and creative non-fiction editor with a keen eye for finding and championing the most fascinating and compelling non-fiction books on the market? If you love serious non-fiction, from memoir to polemic, pop culture to politics, and looking to start building a list of quality non-fiction projects with the potential to top the charts, then we’d love to hear from you.

Reporting to the Publisher for Mudlark/Smart Thinking, we are looking for an editor with demonstratable experience within a busy editorial team and is now looking to make the next step in their career. The Commissioning Editor will inherit a brilliant list of serious non-fiction projects as well as have the opportunity to acquire and publish approximately 8-10 books a year on to the Mudlark/Smart Thinking list, covering a range of non-fiction genres, including memoir, polemic, social issues, pop culture, music, travel, nature and ecology, history and politics.

This is a brilliant opportunity to work on a highly varied list that includes the likes of Rory Carroll, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Adam Buxton, Felicity Cloake, and Charlie Higson, and for an editor to bring their own vision, taste and publishing acumen to the non-fiction imprint.

Core responsibilities:

• Contribute approximately 8-10 titles a year to the Mudlark/Smart Thinking list, ensuring that the publication process is carried out to the highest standards of quality and accuracy, to budget and within deadline

• Full ownership of your stable of authors, seeing their books through to publication for physical, digital and audio editions.

• Create strategies in conjunction with key team members to launch your books to the top of the charts and reach new markets and readerships.

• Cultivate and maintain strong contacts across scouting and agenting network

• Keep abreast of current publishing trends and market dynamics, as well as displaying intuition about future trend developments

• Full editorial responsibilities – including copywriting and writing design briefs – for a range of titles, including digital formats. Seeing titles through from manuscript to finished copies, and liaising with comms and sales teams to ensure best-in-class publication

• Research and prepare pitch presentations for new business, including liaising with designers internally and externally

• Manage budgets, schedules and critical paths

• Occasional editorial support for Publisher and Managing Director where necessary

• Liaise with authors and agents, and working with the project editorial team managing freelance copyeditors and proof-readers

• Strong connections with global rights teams, as well as international editors and sales teams

Experience/ Skills:

• Robust editorial experience in commercial non-fiction books

• Entrepreneurial attitude and solid commercial awareness.

• Excellent author and/or agency relationships

• A global thinker, someone who can see beyond the book and help us to develop digital, international and audio sales

• Well organised with the ability to prioritise and manage workload, and ability to deal with a mixture of long and short-term demands

• Excellent communication skills (presentation) and strong written skills (catalogue and cover copy)

• Financial awareness. Full familiarity with budgeting and cost-control processes in relation to specific projects and lists

• A good team player who can work on their own initiative and carry through projects

• Driven to exceed expectations.

• Adept team-player. Able to contribute in wider discussions of the Division’s publishing and business

Benefits

• Hybrid working model (3 days in the office)

• 28 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 

• Summer Hours  

• 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 

• Relocation Rent Support Loan  

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

• 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 2 volunteering days 

• We're a certified Carbon Neutral company

• Green Electric/Hybrid Car Benefit Scheme (salary sacrifice)

• With Trees for Life we plant a tree in the Highlands of Scotland for every permanent hire

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

• Subsidised canteen and retail discounts 

• Onsite prayer room 

  The Book Trade Charity offers financial support to people looking to enter the book trade but who may struggle to afford the costs of attending interviews and undertaking internships or entry level positions. For more information visit  https://www.btbs.org/

At HarperCollins, we value authenticity and integrity in our recruitment process. To ensure a fair and accurate evaluation of all applications, we ask that all responses to assessment questions reflect your own thoughts, experiences, and capabilities.  This allows us to fairly assess your knowledge, skills, and experience to determine how they align with the role. We value diverse perspectives and genuine contributions, even if answers are not perfect. The use of AI tools or external assistance to generate responses is discouraged unless explicitly permitted for specific tasks.

If you wish to discuss anything regarding this position and/or your application to this role, please reach out directly to 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.

Please note, if you are interested in the role you would need to submit your application via Applied. We do not accept email applications.