Design Manager, Education

Design Manager, Education

The opportunity

Bloomsbury Education are looking to recruit a Design Manager. This position is a managerial and design role.

Our educational book publishing is diverse, producing books for teachers and small children. The candidate will need to apply themselves to educational covers, fiction covers, 4 colour interior layout, mono interior layout and art direction. Creating content from scratch and stock imagery and commissioning illustrators for illustrated titles.

At Bloomsbury, we make our books collaboratively and the successful candidate will work closely with the Educational editorial team.

This role reports to the Creative Director.

The role

• Developing and overseeing projects from initial designs to final print-ready files
• Producing own artwork or commissioning artwork from illustrators for front list titles and re-packaging existing backlist content, while always maintaining the quality and integrity of our publishing
• Manage programming and scheduling of the Educational list, ensuring projects are delivered on time and to budget
• To support and develop other members of the Educational team
• The engage and manage freelance designers on multiple project, ensuring projects run to critical path
• To manage freelance budgets on projects, assigning the right level of freelance to the project budget
• To be able to make considered illustrator selections for projects and source and develop new talent in illustration
• Working within a team, with shared objectives of delivering growth through quality publishing and brand extension
• Maintaining excellent relationships with illustrators, agents and external stakeholders

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

• Highly experienced design leader with significant demonstrated Senior design experience, preferably in children’s educational publishing
• The ability to work within a team, collaborating with Editorial, Sales, Rights and Marketing and Publicity
• Proven experience of working with author and illustrator brands and a track record of sensitively managing important relationships is essential
• Technically proficient in all creative suite programmes: InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator
• Solid experience of 4 colour and mono printing processes. Proficient in creating open files (including cover finishes) and print ready PDF’s for repro and print.
• Strong, clear, confident communicator
• Practical, highly organised and ambitious to deliver the very best results
• Committed to maintaining our high standards of quality and integrity as we deliver growth

Additional information

The role is a full-time permanent position

Salary Range: £45,000 – £50,000

The role is based at Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP on a hybrid-working pattern of 2 days office based / 3 days home based (or fully office based if preferred).  Allocated office days for this role are: Monday and Tuesday

Please apply with a CV and covering letter addressed to Human Resources (Word or PDF format only) via the ‘APPLY NOW’ button detailing how you meet the requirements outlined above for this role and also a digital portfolio of current/recent work by close date:  10th May 2024

For best results, please use a desktop to apply as some mobile browsers may not fully support the application portal.

Bloomsbury reserve the right to close the role early if we exceed the required number of applications

Bloomsbury Benefits

As well as a fantastic opportunity to join a global award-winning organisation, Bloomsbury offers the following competitive benefits package:

Working Pattern

• hybrid working pattern of: 2 days office based / 3 days home based (or fully office based if preferred)

Holidays

• 25 days holiday
• 3.5 days Christmas company holiday

Other Benefits

• Two paid Personal Wellness Days
• Flexible Fridays – take Friday afternoon off by working an additional 3 hours and 30 minutes earlier in the week
• Season Ticket Loan
• Share Save Scheme
• AXA Healthcare Plan (Private Medical Insurance)
• In-house Doctor
• Eye Care Voucher Scheme

Company culture – Employee Voice Meetings, Staff Networks (Bloom (BAME), Accessibility, Mental Health, Pride, and Parents, Guardians and Carers, Multi-Faith) and 21 Mental Health First Aiders trained across the UK offices, Publishing Events and access to free Publishing Resources

For additional benefits see below

Bloomsbury is a place where anyone of any background, race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, gender identity, age, ability, or socio-economic status can thrive, feel comfortable, and be heard and accepted. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

We are willing to make any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please flag to the recruitment team if required

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK – Bloomsbury Publishing do not sponsor visa applications