Production Editor (part-time)

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Production Editor to join our team. This is a permanent, part-time role for 3 days a week (21 hours), with the potential for increased hours in the future.

Main Objective
• Supervise production and prepress workflows, against agreed budgets and deadlines, in liaison with the Head of Production and the production team

Copy-editing
• Work closely with Editorial to ensure commissioning editors hand over manuscripts to agreed timetables and that manuscripts are complete and ready to enter production
• On occasion this may require liaising with pre-production freelance development editors, to ensure manuscripts are ready
• Assemble material (chapter files, figure artwork etc.), prepare preliminary pages
• Review manuscript files, clean up as required and prepare for copy-editing
• Oversee copy-editing from handover to typesetting
• Book, brief and manage freelance copy-editors. Check and monitor freelances’ work. Agree deadlines and job fees/budgets
• Liaise with authors, volume editors and others throughout the production stage. Supply authors with a detailed production timetable

Post copy-editing
• Check copy-edited files and pass for typesetting along with metadata (style sheets etc.)
• Review page proofs and circulate in-house
• Receive final print files, upload for printing and archive in-house
• Send print files and print orders to the Production Manager/Print Buyer and ensure print jobs are carried out to deadline
• Liaise with the Design Manager to ensure cover art is prepared to deadline
• Place orders for eBook conversion external suppliers and ensure prompt delivery

Housekeeping/Admin
• Keep all correspondence filed centrally on the office server
• Day-to-day liaison as required with the Head of Production, Production Manager/Print Buyer and Design Manager
• Keep internal title records up to date on in-house system (Stison)

Finance/Reporting
• Log invoices on Stison for work done, approve and pass to Finance for payment
• Attend production team meetings and print meetings
• Attend book fairs and other events as appropriate

We’d love it if you had…

You will be a publishing professional with 3+ years’ experience in book production and/or project management, ideally in a supervisory role. It may suit someone returning to work or with other part-time commitments.

You are a self-starter with initiative who is organized and methodical in your approach to work, have a sharp eye for detail, the ability to juggle several roles and can adhere to time-sensitive schedules and deadlines.

You will be comfortable briefing, managing and monitoring the work of freelances copy-editors, proofreaders, indexers, typesetters, cartographers, designers and others and have a broad familiarity with book printing processes and conventions. Some experience of costing projects and managing budgets will be an advantage.