Production assistant, academic & professional - fixed-term contract

Closing date for applications: 2nd January 2026

Salary: £27,000

Contract: Full-time, fixed-term contract ending 31st of December 2026

Kickstart your publishing career in Bloomsbury’s academic and professional division, working at the heart of the production process.

Bloomsbury’s academic and professional division publishes books in both print and digital formats across a range of subjects, including design, fashion, history, philosophy, music, drama, education and theology. We are looking for a production assistant to join our busy production team on a fixed term contract until 31st of December 2026. The role reports to the production manager and oversees reprints, print on demand and new-in-paperbacks across a range of backlist titles. This would be an excellent first job for someone keen to enter the book publishing industry within the production-editorial environment.


Responsibilities

• Project estimating, costing and scheduling
• Print buying
• Liaising with editorial, design, digital, sales and marketing colleagues
• Overseeing external prepress and print suppliers
• Managing our file archives
• Providing administrative support to the team

Knowledge, skills and experience

• Excellent organisational and time-management skills
• Proven IT skills (knowledge of Word and Excel essential)
• Keen eye for detail
• Editorial and/or office experience (desirable but not essential)

Additional information

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.

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.

Please apply with a CV (Word or PDF format only) and answer the application questions via the ‘Apply’ button detailing how you meet the requirements outlined above for this role by 23:59 on Friday 2nd of January 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. Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK.


Bloomsbury Benefits

As well as a fantastic opportunity to join a global award-winning organisation, Bloomsbury offers the following competitive benefits package:

• Hybrid working pattern of: 2 days office based / 3 days home based (or fully office based if preferred)
• 25 days holiday and 3.5 days Christmas company holiday
• 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

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

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.

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