Senior commissioning editor

Salary: The role will be based at our London or Sheffield office, with a blend of in-office (3 days) and homeworking (2 days) per week

Lead the commissioning of lifestyle books, spotting trends and shaping a list of internationally successful titles.

Part of Headline at Hachette UK, Welbeck Illustrated has a mission to publish beautiful books that are bought by book-lovers and gift-givers all around the world. Across our Welbeck and OH imprints, we create illustrated titles covering lifestyle, food, drink, fashion, music, film, sport and more. We work with brands from Chanel to Shakespeare’s Globe, the Rolling Stones to the BBC, FIFA to Formula 1.

“Welbeck is a buzzing imprint where everyone has a voice – you can channel your creativity and at the same time become integral to the team. Not only do we get to make beautiful books that entertain, engage and inspire, but we get to work with the most talented people in the industry. What’s not to love?”

Heather Boisseau, Editorial Director, OH

“I know it’s a cliché, but no two days at Welbeck are the same, with such a unique range of titles on all the subjects we love, like music, fashion, sport and cookery. It’s this variety of titles that make it such a fantastic place to work, with the challenge of shaping the books to appeal to our stylish readers.”

James Empringham, Art Director

Headline is a division of Hachette UK, and home to the very best of commercial publishing, with authors including Maggie O’Farrell, Matthew Perry, Matthew McConaughey and Oasis.

What you'll be doing

Are you an experienced commissioner of illustrated books?

Do you have sharp commercial instincts?

Will you thrive on the challenge of generating ideas for a list of lifestyle books?

Welbeck is looking for an ideas-led commissioner to create beautiful illustrated books across a broad range of lifestyle subjects such as food and drink, craft, reference and gift on its OH imprint.

Perfect for a confident, creative commissioner looking to take that next step, this exciting role comes with the freedom to shape your own list of internationally successful books, backed by a tight-knit team of experienced publishers and in-house designers. If you have a track record of smart, successful illustrated publishing and a nose for the biggest lifestyle trends and brand partnerships then we’d love to hear from you.

Who we are looking for

You will need the vision to spot publishing opportunities based on global trends and the skills to turn those ideas into visually stunning books with the broadest possible appeal. Responsible for the running of your list, our new Senior Commissioning Editor will work with the OH Editorial Director and the Welbeck Publishing Director to build and manage a profitable illustrated programme.

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
• Dental 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
• An active range of staff-led employee networks that are voluntary, including AgeWise, Gender Balance, Thrive, Pride, All Together, Wellbeing, Women in Techand 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.

We want everyone to have the opportunity to perform at their best during our recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, you can let us know at the ‘Reasonable Adjustments’ section of your application. We’ll make sure you’re supported throughout the process.

The Book Trade Charity offers financial support to people looking to enter the book trade but who may struggle to afford the costs of attending interviews and undertaking junior roles. For more information visit https://btbs.org/grants

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.