Deputy Design Manager, Quadrille (12-month FTC)

Are you a creative professional eager to work in a hands-on, fast-paced design environment? Quadrille is seeking a passionate and innovative Deputy Design Manager to join our team on a 12-month Fixed Term basis to cover a period of parental leave.

About the team

Quadrille is a global, award-winning food and lifestyle publisher.  We believe in the transformative power of books – our mission is to enrich readers’ lives, ignite creativity and spark conversations.  Our emphasis is on high-quality illustrated books with integrity and longevity. Home to experts, household names and bright new talent in everything from cookery to craft, lifestyle and gift, we combine cutting-edge design with inspiring content for audiences around the world. 

The role

In this pivotal role, you'll collaborate closely with our Design Manager, bringing your artistic vision and organisational skills to life across our diverse book programme. Your role will involve ensuring high-quality work across all projects, staying updated on industry trends, and maintaining focus on sustainability and social impact throughout the entire design process.

Responsibilities will include:

• Supporting the work of the Design Manager in managing the staff and workloads of the Design team.
• Scheduling and overseeing the Design work, working with both in-house and freelance designers and illustrators, ensuring adherence to critical paths.
• Assembling creative teams for photoshoots (photographers, stylists, etc) and art-direct the shoots where necessary.
• Working closely with both the Editorial and Production departments at all stages of the process and maintain good communication throughout.
• Establishing and maintaining good relationships with authors and communicate design concepts effectively.
• Ensuring a continuously high standard of design across the entire list, working to keep Quadrille at the forefront of book design.
• Establishing and overseeing the vision and creative direction of each book, bearing in mind the readership, market and design positioning.
• Liaising with the production department on specifications and finishes across the list, with the aim of innovating new concepts and packages.
• Ensuring the delivery of sales materials such as presentations, blads, Firebrand materials, POS and Fair displays within agreed time frames across the entire publishing programme.
• Liaising with the Design Manager, Managing Director and Finance team over budget strategy and forecasts, with an eye on reducing origination costs where possible.

What you’ll bring:

• A proven track record in design, including designing and commissioning outstanding book covers across a range of styles, with expertise in project management and art direction.*
• In-depth knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite including InDesign and Photoshop*
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and who is confident dealing with stakeholders at all levels*
• Effective time management, proactive problem-solving, and the ability to deliver projects on time and within budget.
• The ability to collaborate with design agencies, freelancers, and other creatives such as photographers and illustrators.
• The ability to take and share professional feedback and foster collaborative teamwork.
• A commitment to high design standards, creative vision, and staying ahead of industry trends, considering sustainability across every aspect of the design process.

Application instructions

Please apply with your CV, cover letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role, and portfolio (either link or attachment) by 11:59pm on Wednesday 11th December 2024.

Please ensure you include a cover letter alongside your CV and portfolio as it offers an opportunity for you to tell us how your experience and interests align with the role requirements. We ask that the portfolio or website that you submit best represents the scope of your design work as this will form a critical part of our assessment process.

Salary

Circa £40,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.

What you can expect from us

Our people are the heart of our business, and we work hard to support a culture of responsibility and recognition.

Our benefits include:

• Financial – income protection, life assurance, childcare allowance
• Wellbeing – healthcare cash plan, critical illness cover, health checks
• Lifestyle – enhanced parental leave, tech scheme, free and discounted books

For our full benefits list please visit: https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/what-we-offer/

Hybrid working

While our offices across the UK are places to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, we recognise that flexibility around where you work is just as important. For this role, we expect that you will attend the office at least 2 days a week, and we will discuss this through the recruitment process.

About Penguin

We’re the UK’s largest publisher; made up of some 2,000 people and publishing over 1,500 books each year. Our doors are open to all kinds of talent. In a constantly evolving industry, we work hard to stretch the definition of the word publisher. Here, you’ll work with a breadth of talent who all play their part to make each of our books a success. Together, we make books for everyone because a book can change anyone.

The recruitment process

You can read about our recruitment process at https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/how-we-hire/

As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we offer interviews to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for the role, and opt-in on their application form. The essential criteria for this role are marked with an asterisk* as part of the ‘What you’ll bring’ section. There may be times when the volume of applications means we cannot take all eligible candidates to interview.

We encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing PRHCareersUK@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable to for us to support your request.

Please note, we are not able to accept agency CVs for this role. Any CVs sent speculatively will not be eligible for a fee.

Company: Quadrille Publishing Limited 

Country: United Kingdom 

State/Region: London 

City: London 

Postal Code: SW11 7BW 

Job ID: 275052