Editor - Macmillan Children’s Books fiction & non-fiction

Closing date for applications: 5th August 2025

Salary: £33,000

Location: This is a full time, permanent role, and will be based in our offices in Farringdon, London, with some flexibility to work from home each week.

Calling all creative editors! Work with high profile authors and rising stars to help shape stories for young readers.

Join our award-winning MCB and First Ink publishing team! As an editor, you’ll have the opportunity to shape and champion outstanding books for young readers from middle-grade to YA.

You will be an essential part of a passionate and creative team dedicated to publishing a diverse, engaging and dynamic list for young readers. We have an exceptional list of authors and high-profile brands, which includes YA voices such as Tomi Adeyemi, Elle McNicoll and Hafsah Faizal, middle-grade authors like M.G. Leonard, Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Pari Thomson, and non-fiction from influential figures like Hamza Yassin, Marcus Rashford and Dara McAnulty. And we have been publishing poetry at Macmillan for thirty years on our award-winning list.

As an editor, you will guide your assigned fiction and non-fiction titles from acquisition through to publication. You’ll be at the heart of the publishing process, supporting key brands, leading on select projects and given the opportunity to strategically acquire under the leadership of the editorial director. Working with authors and agents directly and forging strong relationships with in-house colleagues, you’ll get the opportunity to work on a range of fiction and non-fiction projects including, crucially, highly-illustrated middle-grade and graphic novels for all ages.


Responsibilities

• Edit and oversee the publication process for your own and assigned titles
• Support senior editors on priority projects, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the acquisition and publishing process
• Support new acquisition costings, oversee backlist projects, collaborate on proposals for new proposals and pursue a select number of new acquisitions under the guidance of the editorial director
• Brief covers, manage metadata for your own titles and undertake essential administrative tasks to keep books on critical path
• Prioritise author care and build agent relationships, and work closely with the design, production, sales, rights and communications teams to champion books and ensure high-quality processes at all times

Knowledge, skills and experience

• Experience as an assistant editor within a publishing house
• Editing, proofreading, and project management skills
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written
• Familiarity with the children's fiction and young adult market, along with experience in managing book lifecycles
• Experience working directly with authors and illustrators (desirable)

Some of the benefits we offer:

• 28 days’ annual leave increasing with years of service + bank holidays
• Generous pension scheme
• Discounted private medical insurance
• Group income protection scheme
• Enhanced family pay and leave
• Flexible working hours and summer hours (early finish on a Friday during summer months)
• 2 Volunteer Days per year
• 75% off all Pan Macmillan books and regular staff book sales (highly reduced rates)
• Season ticket loan/advance
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounts on shopping and gym memberships; Christmas club savings
• Daily free breakfast and monthly company lunch

Additional information

All applicants must be able to demonstrate the right to live and work in the UK in order to be considered for this role.

At Pan Macmillan, we are highly committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) at every level of our organisation. We welcome applications from all individuals, including any age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. Our efforts to promote DE&I are ongoing, and we continually strive to learn and improve our policies and practices. You can read our full Diversity & Inclusion Pledge on our website.

We want to ensure that all candidates are supported throughout the recruitment process, if you have any reasonable adjustments or accessibility requirements please get in contact.

Please state in your application that you found this role through Creative Access.