Senior production sub-editor

Deadline for applications: 10th May 2024

Salary: £32,000 per annum

Are you an experienced, talented and multi-skilled layout sub-editor looking for your next role within a busy team?

The Stage Media Company has an excellent full-time opportunity for an experienced, talented and multi-skilled layout sub-editor to work across both its well-established and long-running titles: The Stage, the essential title covering the UK theatre industry, and The Bookseller, the leading trade magazine and website for the publishing industry in the UK.

We require an eagle-eyed, meticulous and SEO-savvy sub with strong InDesign and Photoshop skills, and experience of web publishing platforms, to work across web and print, ensuring that quality meets the highest levels of accuracy and house style.

Work will be split evenly across web and print. Applicants must have a keen eye for detail and the ability to work on their own initiative and prioritise tasks. Above all, we are looking for someone with precision for copy editing and a flair for eye-catching headlines and grabby intros.

The role will involve closely following the publications’ style guides. An excellent command of English grammar and punctuation is essential. However, please note, that while the role involves writing tasks including headlines and social media posts, this is not a writing role.

A journalism qualification, including media law, is essential, as is an interest in, and knowledge of, the theatre and UK books industries. This role would suit an accomplished sub-editor with extensive experience of working on established publications (trade/consumer/nationals) who enjoys web publishing as much as print layout work and is keen to develop their sub-editing career as part of a busy and multi-skilled production department. Experience of supervising a team of sub-editors would be an advantage.

The main purpose of the role

• To sub and publish content across The Stage and The Bookseller's digital and print publications, ensuring that quality meets the highest levels of accuracy and house style.
• To edit and publish web stories, reviews, features and columns, as well as lay out magazine and newspaper pages using InDesign, with both flair and attention to detail, and to agreed deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to editorial production, following quality, house style and speed of delivery requirements
• Create/develop page templates as required
• Sub and post copy to the website using the company's web publishing platform
• Sub and lay out allocated pages for weekly paper/ magazine using Adobe InDesign
• Create and publish eye-catching social media posts
• Complete allocated pages and online content to agreed daily deadlines
• Always work towards accepted style, standards and legal requirements
• Locate/source pics when necessary
• Assume responsibility for tasks requiring greater input on design/layout
• Create/develop page templates as required
• In the event of the absence of both head of production and production manager, and with support from the editor, oversee the production schedule, allocating work as required and ensuring that deadlines are met, including passing pages to the printers
• Supervise relevant production team members when required, as above
• Support the production manager as required
• Provide cover for team members as required
• Assist with training and offer support to other members of the production dept
• Assist with training and offer support to other depts where required

Knowledge, skills and experience

• First-class copy-subbing and layout skills
• Thorough working knowledge of InDesign and Photoshop
• Journalism qualification including media law
• Experience of using web publishing platforms, eg WordPress
• Excellent written and verbal skills
• Social media skills – crafting eye-catching posts and tweets
• Proven experience of meeting production deadlines
• Knowledge of SEO (desirable)
• Experience of supervising a team of sub-editors (desirable)
• Illustrator skills (desirable)
• Organised, cooperative and demonstrates excellent attention to detail
• Able to positively contribute to a team-oriented, collaborative environment
• Ability to balance competing priorities
• Ability to work calmly under pressure
• Able to work independently and also as part of a team
• Willingness to participate in continual learning
• Intuitive to business needs

This list is non-exhaustive and may be amended from time to time depending on the requirements of the role.

The Stage Media Company welcomes people from a range of backgrounds, and with different perspectives. We are committed to equal opportunities in employment and encourage applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds and abilities.

Please let us know if you require reasonable adjustments at any point during the application and/or recruitment process.

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