Design Assistant - Puffin

Design Assistant - Puffin

We have an exciting opportunity for a Design Assistant to join our Puffin 6+ team on a permanent basis.

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 team: By bringing together the greatest stories, brands and authors of any global children’s publisher, Penguin Random House Children’s are here to help create and rediscover heroes for each new generation.

Puffin is home to so many imaginative and best-selling authors and illustrators. Our designers work on a huge range of different books but what they all have in common is clever creativity and outstanding design.

The role: We are looking for a creative, enthusiastic and organised individual to assist our design team.

As a Design Assistant you’ll be responsible for tasks ranging from:

• Practical day to day design and admin support

• Updating brand sheets and making corrections

• Managing reprints

• Producing eye-catching and creative acquisition pitches

• Scheduling meetings and liaising with illustration agents

• And working on your own projects where appropriate.

This is an entry level position, but you should be able to demonstrate a keen design eye, good typographic skills, creative flair and a desire to learn.

What you’ll bring

Essential Criteria

• Strong skills in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator)

• Experience/knowledge of MS Office Excel/Word/Outlook

• Demonstrable interest in design for Publishing, ideally for children’s books

• Effective communication skills

• Organised, able to prioritise and juggle multiple responsibilities

• An ability to ensure that all work is delivered to the highest standard and on schedule 

• Resilient and flexible in their approach and able to work to tight deadlines

• Creative, willing to contribute ideas, absorb feedback and manage changes of creative direction

• Inquisitive and keen to learn about all aspects of publishing design

Disability Confident

If you have opted into our disability confident scheme, the above is the essential criteria you must meet to be considered for our interview scheme. Please note, there may be occasions where the volume of applicants means we can’t take all eligible candidates to interview.

Application instructions

Please apply by 23:59 on 6th March with a CV, Cover Letter, and a PDF of three examples that showcase the range of your design work.

Within your Cover Letter, please tell us why you’re interested in design and why you’d like to join the Penguin Random House Children’s Art Department. Untailored Cover Letters will not be accepted.

• Please ensure you include a cover letter, as it is a crucial part of our assessment process. The cover letter offers an opportunity to show how your experience and interests align with the role requirements. Typically, we expect the cover letter to be no more than one page in length.

• Please note we are looking for someone to join the team as soon as possible, but we are also happy to accommodate a reasonable notice period for the right candidate.

• We anticipate a two-stage interview process which will include a virtual first-stage interview and in-person second stage interview. We are happy to discuss this further with you throughout the recruitment process.

Salary

£27,500 plus 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 – discounted shopping, season ticket loan, rental deposit loan

• Wellbeing – healthcare cash plan, employee assistance, gym loan

• Lifestyle – taste card, 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 the successful candidate to work from our London office a minimum of three days per week, with a maximum of two days per week working remotely.

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 listed 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: The Random House Group Limited 

Country: United Kingdom 

State/Region: London 

City: London 

Postal Code: SW11 7BW 

Job ID: 278024