Head of design

Closing date: 9th June 2025

Salary: £46,000 - £52,000 (London); £42,320 - £47,840 (Sheffield), (+bonus +benefits)

Location: This role can be based at our London office, or our regional offices in Sheffield, with a blend of in-office (3 days) and homeworking (2 days) per week.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly-experienced, confident and creative head of design to join the Hodder & Stoughton art department.

For the past 150 years and counting, Hodder and Stoughton has proudly published quality, bestselling fiction and non-fiction across some of the biggest brands in the world, and across a multitude of genres. Our authors include global sensations John Connolly, John Grisham and Stephen King, broadcasting stars Sara Cox, Clive Myrie, Graham Norton and Lucy Worsley, and contemporary fiction and literary gems John Connolly, Stephanie Garber, Mike Gayle, Sophie Hannah and David Nicholls, to name but a few. We are also proud to publish non-fiction hits by household names including Ella Mills, Stuart Broad, Johannes Radebe, Paris Fury and more.

We have enjoyed countless bestsellers, celebrated hundreds of awards and welcomed authors and colleagues from every part of the world through our doors. A passion for creativity, inclusivity and drive for ambition are imprinted on everything we have done throughout the past century and a half, and on what we do now.

What you'll be doing

• You will be a senior and valuable member of the team, working across all lists to deliver bestselling, consumer-first designs.
• As a leader within the Art department you will support the Deputy Art Director with the day to day running of the department, contributing to creative processes, helping develop members of the team and ensure that their creative output is delivered to a high standard, alongside your own designs.
• You will be experienced at all aspects of publishing design, responsible for driving all phases of design from conception to production and keeping all stakeholders up to date on progress, pushing for excellence at every stage.
• You will be confident and experienced in author and stakeholder meetings, be a keen reader with a developed awareness of publishing and design trends.
• You’ll work closely with staff across all other departments, developing great working relationships.

Who we are looking for

• This position would be perfect for a highly experienced Senior Designer wanting to take their career to the next level.
• We are looking for someone who has demonstrable experience in market leading design as well as line management and an enthusiasm for contributing to the Art Department as a whole.
• You will have expert market knowledge across a variety of genres.
• You should possess a meticulous eye for detail, have great communication skills and enjoy working as part of a team.

In your application, please submit your CV, cover letter outlining relevant experience and a portfolio of recent work.

What we offer

Our staff are our greatest asset, and our benefits reflect this:

• 28 annual leave days per year, increases to 29 days after 2 years' service and goes up to 30 days after 5 years' (+ bank holidays)
• Private medical insurance
• Generous pension schemes
• Rent deposit loans
• 2 community days per year
• Summer hours (finishing at 1pm on Fridays during the summer months)
• Retail discounts through Hachette rewards
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Eye care vouchers
• Wide-ranging training library
• Development programmes (including mentoring)
• Up to 70% off book purchases
• A charity bookshelf
• 12 Staff-led employee networks that are voluntary, including Gender Balance, Thrive, Pride, All Together, Wellbeing and religious networks
• Season ticket loans
• And much more!

Our commitment

Hachette employs people on the basis of their abilities. We aim to attract and develop talent from a base as broad as the world of readers we want to reach, with a wide and representative range of age, faith, disability, race, gender, sexuality and socio-economic, regional and cultural backgrounds.

If you are shortlisted and need us to make any adjustments to help you attend for interview, please let us know.

We believe publishing should be for everyone, at any stage of their career and in any role. We value the experience gained from any and all different jobs, and that is why we encourage applicants from all walks of life, especially if those walks didn’t initially include publishing.

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