Senior Metadata Manager, Academic & Professional

Senior Metadata Manager, Academic & Professional division

The opportunity

This newly created role, in Bloomsbury’s friendly, award-winning metadata unit, will work globally across departments – including operations, editorial, marketing, sales, and production –to maximise the quality, timeliness, discoverability and effectiveness of our bibliographic data.

Reporting to the Head of Metadata and Discovery, this role will review, develop and expand current internal systems and processes. As well as looking externally to ensure we have our finger on the pulse of SEO trends, and can respond dynamically to changing supply chain needs.

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic, commercially focused, critical thinker with experience of working with metadata in the academic publishing industry.

The role

• Lead on a broad-ranging, global backlist metadata enhancement project. The initial focus will be on a series of case studies to develop a methodology which can be scaled across a high volume of titles
• Company acquisitions – work with operations, marketing and editorial on the migration of data from legacy systems into Biblio with a view to becoming the principal acquisitions metadata specialist
• Central role in researching, developing, testing and introducing key metadata initiatives to the business, including:
  • The use of new technologies in assisting editorial and marketing data processes
  • Application and maintenance of contributor and institutional persistent identifiers (ORICD, ISNI, Ringgold and ROR) in Biblio, Bloomsbury's title management system
• Line management of one Metadata Manager whose responsibilities include monthly quality control checks; exception reporting; metadata training and style guides; and internal subject and product classification codes
• Work closely with metadata colleagues in the US office, as well as the Consumer and Special Interest divisions, to identify best practice for metadata and feed into the company-wide metadata strategy for the business

Knowledge, skills and experience 

• Commercially focussed, with proven skills in data strategy and metadata best practice within an academic publishing setting
• Extensive experience of bibliographic databases and understanding of how data is used by key stakeholders both internally and externally throughout the supply chain
• An aptitude for seeking out automated solutions and using technology to simplify processes and improve efficiency
• Confident communicator, adept at building relationships and working closely, and persuasively, with other departments at all levels
• Experience of coordinating departmental procedures/projects and encouraging teamwork
• Excellent attention to detail, including proofreading and copywriting experience
• High standard of Excel
• Proven analytical skills
• Knowledge of Amazon’s metadata requirements and the ONIX for Books standard is desirable
• An understanding of industry-standard controlled taxonomies, Thema, BISAC, ISNI, ORCID, Ringgold and ROR, is advantageous

Additional information

The role is a full-time permanent position.

Salary Pay Point: £48,000

The role can be based at either our London office 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, OR at our Oxford office, Kemp House, Chawley Park, Cumnor Hill, Oxford OX2 9PH with travel to London once a month.

This is 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 Wednesday and Thursday.

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 by 31st January 2025.

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
• Work Anywhere Fortnight - For two weeks of any calendar year. The minimum period for Working Anywhere is one week, the maximum period is two weeks.
• Season Ticket Loan
• Share Save Scheme
• AXA Healthcare Plan (Private Medical Insurance)
• Peppy Health App
• In-house Doctor
• Eye Care Voucher Scheme

Company culture – Employee Voice Meetings, Staff Networks (Bloom, Accessibility, Mental Health, Pride, and Parents, Guardians and Carers, Multi-Faith) and 14 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.