Editorial assistant – Bloomsbury Academic, education

Salary: £27,000

Location: 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: Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Support the commissioning and publication of academic education titles, working closely with editors, authors and internal production teams.

Bloomsbury Publishing is a leading independent publishing house, established in 1986, with authors who have won the Nobel, Pulitzer and Booker Prizes, and is the originating publisher and custodian of the Harry Potter series. Bloomsbury has offices in London, New York, New Delhi, Oxford and Sydney. Within Bloomsbury’s Academic division, it publishes under Bloomsbury, as well as under a number of prestigious and historic imprint names.

This is an exciting opportunity to become a key member of Bloomsbury’s award‑winning Academic division. We are seeking a highly motivated, enthusiastic and proactive Editorial Assistant to provide administrative and organisational support to our Academic Education publishing list.

The Academic Education list publishes research monographs, textbooks, academic/trade crossover titles, and digital products in the field of education. This includes subfields such as philosophy of education, teacher education, comparative and international education, higher education, and early childhood studies. Notable titles on the list include Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Reflective Teaching in Schools, and The Bloomsbury Handbook of Montessori Education. The list has a strong focus on social and environmental justice and works with a global author base.

The role supports a Commissioning Editor and a Publisher and reports to the Commissioning Editor.

The role
You will provide administrative support to the Education team to ensure the effective management of print and digital products throughout the publication process. You will liaise with authors, customers, and internal departments including Marketing, Production, and Digital to deliver a high standard of author care and support the successful delivery of projects.

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Building and maintaining strong working relationships with authors, volume editors, and series editors to deliver a high standard of author care throughout the publishing process
• Helping to keep the publishing programme on schedule through regular communication with authors and by maintaining and updating annual frontlist plans
• Preparing manuscripts for handover to Production, ensuring they meet required standards and deadlines
• Setting up new titles on Biblio (bibliographic database) and maintaining accurate book metadata in line with key milestones
• Commissioning peer reviews as requested, monitoring their progress, and ensuring timely delivery; recording and tracking all projects under review
• Drafting cover briefs and cover copy, and coordinating cover design briefing processes
• Supporting editors in the management of the backlist
• Responding promptly and professionally to internal and external queries
• Processing book orders accurately and efficiently
• Providing general administrative support to the team
• Assisting in the creation and management of companion websites

Knowledge, skills and experience

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise tasks and manage multiple deadlines
• Strong attention to detail and a high standard of written English (spelling and grammar)
• A calm, logical approach to problem-solving, particularly under pressure
• Flexibility and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships
• Excellent communication skills (both written and verbal), with the ability to handle information sensitively and professionally
• Strong IT skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word and Excel)
• Commercial awareness and a customer-focused mindset
• A commitment to quality of content, excellent author care, and maintaining the company’s reputation and long-term relationships
• Helpful to have knowledge of, or experience with, publishing processes, systems, and platforms

Additional information
The role is a full-time permanent position.

This position is eligible for Bloomsbury’s Rental Deposit Loan Scheme. To assist candidates who want to start and to establish a career in publishing, Bloomsbury offers an interest-free rental deposit to support securing somewhere to live. The rental deposit loan can be up to £3,000 and will be paid back over 2 years.

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

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.

The Book Trade Charity provide financial assistance for people looking to get into the publishing industry; you can find more information and talk directly here: http://booktradeentrysupport.org

We welcome and encourage applications from candidates who are under-represented in the creative industries.

Please make sure that you state in your application that you found this role via Creative Access