Editorial Director, Bloomsbury Lifestyle - Fixed Term Contract

Editorial Director, Bloomsbury Lifestyle – Fixed Term Contract

The opportunity

Bloomsbury Lifestyle publish Cookery, Gift, Lifestyle and Wellbeing books. We are home to cookery brands like Poppy O’Toole, beautiful books like Padella, out-of-the-box gift books like The Crisp Sommelier and wellbeing books like The Walking Cure. 

We are looking for an Editorial Director to commission and publish Gift and Lifestyle. Authors in this space on the Bloomsbury Lifestyle list include Slutty Cheff, Mr Doodle, Verity Babbs, Kristiane Westray, Neil Ridley, Ian Martin, Edward Powys Mathers and many others.

The successful candidate will have proven experience of commissioning bestsellers and an ability to discover and secure talent ahead of the curve. They will be passionate about delivering the publishing strategy and seeking out new publishing opportunities that align with it, driving growth and profitability.

They will have a strong network of agent and author relationships. Alongside deep knowledge of the gift and lifestyle book market as well as wider trends, they will also have an eye for online and social media research and an ability to develop ideas into commercially successful projects. Strong skills in pitching, packaging and publishing their books are essential, along with experience working across mono and four-colour titles.

The right candidate will bring energy and creativity to our ambitious, forward-thinking, mutually-respectful team. They will be collaborative and professional, helping junior members of the team develop their skillset as well as building great relationships across the business.  

The Role

• Commissioning commercially successful books
• Early discovery of talent via direct approaches, and securing that talent quickly
• Maintaining a strong network with agents and authors
• Effective online and social media research
• Managing a Commissioning Editor
• Developing ideas into successful projects
• Market awareness of lifestyle trends
• Taking books from pitch to publication with maximum impact
• Working to critical path and managing budgets and production
• Delivering profitable publishing in line with strategy and divisional targets
• Contributing to team spirit and positivity and professionalism
• Communicating confidently and collaborating across the business

Knowledge, skills and experience 

• Proven experience of commissioning success
• Talent for discovering new projects
• An ability to pitch, package and publish with maximum impact
• A strong network and market awareness
• Proven experience of delivering profitable publishing
• Managerial experience

Additional information

The role is a full-time, 6 – 8 month Fixed Term Contract position, exact length TBC.

Salary Range: £44,000 - £51,700 per annum

The role is based at our London office 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 & 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 by 23:59 on Wednesday 1st of April 2026.

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
• Learning & Development - Free access to LinkedIn Learning, BookMachine Campus, InRehearsal & IPG Skills Hub
• Share Save Scheme
• AXA Healthcare Plan (Private Medical Insurance)
• Ride to Work Scheme
• Peppy Health App
• In-house Doctor
• Eye Care Voucher Scheme
• EAP Advice and Counselling

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