Senior Designer / Art Director, Simon & Schuster Pre-School & Novelty,Children's Publishing Division
Simon & Schuster UK is one of the leading general book publishing companies in the UK and was named Publisher of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2022 and 2023. They also won Children’s Publisher of the Year in 2023. Based in London with sister companies in the United States, Canada, Australia and India, the UK division has four imprints: Gallery, Scribner, Simon & Schuster; and Simon & Schuster Children’s Books, which publish a wide and eclectic mix of authors ranging across commercial fiction, literary fiction, general non-fiction, and children’s publications. Home to bestselling authors and award winners, Simon & Schuster UK is a publishing house of quality writing and a proud home to its authors and their exceptional work. It also runs a sales and distribution service for a number of independent and international publishers including Andrews McMeel, Black Library, Boom! Studios, Elliott & Thompson, Inner Traditions, Rebellion and VIZ Media.
Simon & Schuster International is dedicated to publishing a broad and diverse range of books for everyone, representative of the world around us. They are committed to working with and supporting writers, illustrators, and other creative partners from all walks of life, regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, nationality, religion or belief, age, social or economic circumstance.
The Children’s Publishing Division
Simon & Schuster Children’s Books is one of the leading children’s publishers in the UK, dedicated to immersing children of all ages in diverse and creative reading experiences, encouraging a lifelong love of reading. Founded in 1998, it has a record of continuously strong sales, prestigious awards, and numerous high quality and bestselling titles and series. The colour list is industry-leading and internationally renowned. Much-loved authors and illustrators include Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet (Barry the Fish with Fingers, Supertato), Benji Davies (The Storm Whale series), Beach (The Blazing Bottom series), Smriti Halls and Steve Small (I’m Sticking with You) and Claire Freedman and Ben Cort (the Aliens Love Underpants series). Simon & Schuster Children’s Books won Children’s Publisher of the Year at the 2023 British Book Awards.
The Job Profile
A Pre-School & Novelty creative team is being established at Simon & Schuster Children’s Books as part of our next phase of expansion. The newly created role of Senior Designer or Art Director, Pre-School & Novelty, dependent on level of skills and experience, will play a key role in creating the list within our colour publishing team.
In this role you’ll create, shape, champion and publish books that delight and captivate young readers. It is a hands-on role, taking the design lead within a small ‘start-up’ Pre-School & Novelty team. This is a terrific opportunity to build a list within an award-winning and ambitious team.
The Job Role
Working closely with the Pre-School & Novelty Editorial Director or Publisher to create creative Pre-School & Novelty publishing, you will lead and champion the Pre-School & Novelty publishing strategy at Simon & Schuster. You will develop, create and manage titles and series for the list working in close collaboration with internal, external and international stakeholders.
As this is a new area of the list it will be the responsibility of this role to establish workflows to ensure the start-to-end publishing cycle is fulfilled. Delivering sales materials and publications to agreed timelines and budgets, you will work closely with marketing, publicity, and sales as a key voice in conversations around commercial and promotional strategy for the Pre-School & Novelty list.
You will represent and champion Pre-School & Novelty goals and publishing strategy Simon & Schuster Children’s Books and be an ambassador for the company externally.
The Candidate Profile
You believe in the life-changing potential of reading for pleasure and have a special passion for the pre-school and novelty publications that will encourage a life-long love of books.
We seek someone highly skilled within the preschool design area who is experienced in early years publishing as well as inventive and commercially minded.
You must be driven and committed, with excellent design skills and a terrific commercial eye. You will have plenty of technical design ability, fluent in InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator and a keen eye for innovative colour work. You will have experience in supplying print ready files to production and knowledge of print systems and settings. Inventing new concepts and series branding will excite you.
You will have plenty of book fair experience with a good idea of how to produce quality sales material as required. With the ability to manage a large number of books on budget and on schedule within a very busy environment, you will be calm under pressure and thrive on meeting deadlines.
Working closely with the Editorial, Sales, Rights, Marketing, PR and Production teams, you’ll nurture strong in-house relationships, and excel in author, illustrator and agent care. Impeccable market awareness across the UK and internationally, as well as children’s pre-school and novelty editorial experience are essential as is the ability to work with Sales, Marketing and PR to build and deliver publishing strategies.
We are a small team, so you will be happy to pitch in across all areas and you will have strong communication, project, and time-management skills.
Please apply by attaching your CV and cover letter.
Simon & Schuster UK is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, colour, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, creed, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity and gender expression. At Simon & Schuster UK, the spirit of inclusion feeds into everything that we do, we believe that opportunity, access, resources and rewards should be available to and for the benefit of all.
Candidates hired for this or any other posted Simon & Schuster UK role will be employees of Simon & Schuster UK Ltd subject to all policies, including the Workplace Privacy Notice,and eligible solely for the benefits plans thereof.
Other details
- Job Family Book Cover Design
- Job Function Creative
- Pay Type Salary
- Employment Indicator Regular
- 222 Grays Inn Rd, London WC1X 8HB, UK