Senior Editor, Fiction

Role overview

Pan Macmillan is hiring a Senior Editor, Fiction to join its Macmillan Children’s Books and First Ink publishing teams in London. This permanent position sits within a creative, award-winning group focused on bringing compelling fiction to young readers, spanning middle grade, young adult and crossover publishing.

Team environment

You’ll work with a highly collaborative editorial team that develops an ambitious and varied children’s and YA list. The catalogue includes notable authors and brands across fiction, non-fiction and poetry, with a strong emphasis on diverse voices, commercial appeal and reader engagement.

What the role involves

In this role, you will oversee books from early idea development through to publication and beyond. A major part of the job is shaping fiction IP, supporting titles through launch, and working closely with authors, agents and internal colleagues to maximise both creative quality and commercial performance.

Core duties

• Maintain and support the current fiction list so it continues to perform strongly in international markets.
• Generate and refine fresh intellectual property that responds to shifts in the middle-grade and YA market.
• Identify promising books and negotiate acquisitions in partnership with authors, agents and external contacts.
• Assess incoming submissions, read manuscripts critically and prepare editorial reports.
• Manage assigned titles end to end, including pitching ideas, producing title information sheets, briefing cover concepts, drafting sales copy, maintaining records and reviewing sales data.
• Carry out editorial work at every stage, from high-level structure through to line-level polish.
• Track publishing and market developments to guide acquisition choices and wider list strategy.
• Handle contract drafting, negotiation and completion for new acquisitions.
• Work across design, production, sales, rights and communications to support strong launches and publicity.

Experience and capabilities needed

The ideal candidate brings substantial publishing experience, especially in children’s and YA books, along with a strong commercial instinct. You should be confident editing at structural, developmental and line level, including experience with US-originated titles. Strong planning and prioritisation skills are essential, as is the ability to manage multiple complex projects to deadline while keeping an eye on detail.

You’ll also need excellent verbal and written communication skills, established relationships within the literary agent and publishing community, and a clear commitment to inclusive publishing practices. The role suits someone collaborative, curious and honest, with a sense of responsibility for their work and a willingness to learn from setbacks.

Tools and systems

Experience using MS Office, Google Workspace and Biblio would be helpful.

Compensation and benefits

The salary range for this role is £38,000 to £42,000, with the final offer depending on experience and expertise. Pan Macmillan offers a competitive benefits package alongside the salary.

• 28 days of annual leave, increasing with length of service, plus bank holidays
• Generous pension arrangement
• Discounted private medical cover or a health cash plan
• Group income protection
• Enhanced family pay and leave
• Flexible working hours and summer hours, including an early Friday finish during summer
• Two volunteer days each year
• 75% discount on Pan Macmillan books plus regular heavily discounted staff book sales
• Season ticket loan or advance
• Cycle to work scheme
• Retail and gym discounts, plus Christmas club savings
• Free breakfast every day and a monthly company lunch

Work location and contract

This is a full-time, permanent position based in Pan Macmillan’s Farringdon, London offices, with some flexibility to work from home during the week.

Application and eligibility notes

Applications must be submitted through the company careers site; CVs or email applications will not be accepted. Shortlisting may take time because every application is reviewed carefully. Candidates must have the right to live and work in the UK.

Inclusion and accessibility

Pan Macmillan is committed to publishing a broad range of voices and building an inclusive workplace. Applications are welcomed from candidates of all ages, genders, ethnicities, disabilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, socio-economic backgrounds, religions and beliefs.

Under the Disability Confident scheme, disabled candidates and people with long-term health conditions who meet the essential criteria and apply under the scheme are intended to receive an interview where possible. If there are special requirements or reasonable adjustments needed during recruitment, candidates can contact Kayelle Danyluk, Head of Talent Acquisition, at kayelle.danyluk@macmillan.com.

Privacy

Personal information submitted with an application will be handled in line with the company’s Recruitment Privacy Notice.