Job Description

We seek an exceptional leader to become the next Managing Director of Transworld. This is a critical role with responsibility for the continued success and future vision of the division.

The Managing Director reports to the CEO of the Penguin Random House UK and sits on the PRH UK Leadership board. They are responsible for the P&L of the publishing house, for delivering on the financial goals set by PRH centrally and for upholding high standards across all aspects of the publishing process. Central to this is the development of a happy, inclusive and high-performing working culture.

About Transworld

Transworld is one of seven adult publishing houses within Penguin Random House, with an annual turnover of between \xc2\xa350-60m. Its recent successes include two of the biggest-selling books of recent years - Spare by Prince Harry and Lessons in Chemistry by debut author Bonnie Garmus.

Transworld has three distinctive imprints: Bantam, the home of big-hitting commercial fiction and non-fiction; Doubleday, \'where the greatest stories begin\', which was shortlisted for Imprint of the Year at the recent British Book Awards; and Torva, a new non-fiction list of expert voices who reimagine the status quo.

Its bestselling authors include Kate Atkinson, Belinda Bauer, John Boyne, Dan Brown, Bill Bryson, Lee & Andrew Child, Jilly Cooper, Richard Dawkins, Ben Elton, Tess Gerristen, Sam Harris, Stephen Hawking, Paula Hawkins, Terry Hayes, James Holland, Ruth Jones, Rachel Joyce, Sophie Kinsella, Shari Lapena, Elliot Page, Donal Ryan, Curtis Sittenfeld, Terry Pratchett and Markus Zusak.

At the beating heart of Transworld is a passion for our authors, a belief in their books, and a hunger for success. Transworld has an unrivalled reputation for turning debuts into bestsellers and for creating \'brand-name\' authors who lead in their varied genres.

Candidate Profile

Deep leadership experience, able to champion and develop a team that is already highly successful.

Culturally inquisitive and creative, with an instinctive insight and feel for content that is special.

Fundamental appreciation of the commercial, with a deep understanding of the retail and consumer market, ambitious for the division and able to drive it forward with a growth mindset.

A natural ambassador who will thrive in forging meaningful relationships with authors, agents and across the wider publishing ecosystem.

Commitment to embrace and advocate for inclusion across every aspect of Transworld.

Experience of significant P&L responsibility.

Excellent negotiation skills and proven experience negotiating at a high level.

Able to take decisions confidently despite ambiguity, and to deliver clear prioritisation in line with strategy and vision.

Enthusiasm for the wider cultural conversation and keenness to engage broadly across publishing and beyond.

Exceptional organisational skills and resilience to manage a wide range of complex situations and discussions.

Core Responsibilities

Set clear strategic goals and targets for the division, by imprint, by department and by commissioning editor; a high degree of prioritisation is required in partnership with the senior team, and especially finance, sales and communications.

Long-term publishing strategy, collaborating with imprint heads on long-term plans and keeping abreast of trends and market data to ensure a growth mindset is embedded throughout the division.

Ultimate decision-taking over all acquisitions, ensuring robust and inclusive conversations, the viability of investments, and advising on acquisition strategy.

Publishing operations, managing every aspect of the division\xe2\x80\x99s day to day business including campaign budgets, packaging, scheduling, and print decisions.

People management, oversight of all people areas from hiring, performance, and development to wellbeing.

Diversity and Inclusion, leading the divisional action plan and working group, placing inclusion at the core of Transworld.

Relationship management (UK & Global), devoting meaningful time to internal and external relationships, from collaboration and alignment with publishing divisions and Group functions, to key authors and agents.

Please apply with CV and cover letter addressed to Tom Weldon by midnight on Wednesday 2nd August.

Further information:

Direct reports: 6

Division size: 62

Compensation: highly competitive in line with the Penguin Random House UK leadership pay approach.

Location: Transworld is based at our Embassy Gardens, London office.

Our creativity is inspired by different perspectives, so we want our culture to be one of belonging, where everyone feels welcome and where differences are celebrated.

As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we\'re part of the offer an interview scheme. This is where disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role can opt in to get to the next recruitment stage. There may be some situations where volume of applicants means we can\'t take all eligible candidates to interview.

We want to make sure disabled applicants can be their best at each step of the recruitment journey. If you need adjustments during the application process, we encourage you to get in touch with us at . Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable to for us to support your adjustment request. Find out more about our approach here:

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

Penguin Books