Macmillan Children's Publishing Group is seeking an experienced Associate
Director of Production to lead the frontlist production team for the Feiwel &
Friends, Henry Holt, and Godwin Books imprints, as well as Conversions for MCPG.
In this hands-on leadership role, you'll coach and support a team of production
managers while also managing your own list of 40–45 titles a year, spanning
picture books, chapter books, novelty books, and graphic novels.
You'll serve as a key liaison to Editorial, Design, Managing Editorial, and the
Publishers; own 4-color workflows across the group; and partner with a
co-Associate Director and other department leads to maintain department-wide
workflows, the Safety Testing program, and offsite materials storage. The ideal
candidate brings deep expertise in children's book manufacturing, strong vendor
relationships, and a talent for keeping complex projects on schedule, on budget,
and at the highest quality.
What You'll Do:
Management: Supervise and coach the production team in all aspects of
production and manufacturing including, but not limited to: scheduling,
prepress, estimating, printing and binding for text & components. Manage some
of the seasonal launch tasks as pertains to the team.
Maintain quality and coach team to manage vendors and review projects with an
eye to high-quality standards.
Ensure Production Managers manage their projects in compliance to corporate
workflows and procedures, including entering project data into systems
(Biblio and RSuite), contracting with vendors using approved scales,
archiving and closing out projects.
Collaboration with Internal Stakeholders: Provide editorial with options for
product delivery. Investigate manufacturing options for print materials
(books, media, components, etc.)
Work with the Production Management team to keep projects on track in terms
of schedule, budget, quality, vendor assignments.
Attend weekly status meetings with managing editorial, production editorial,
design, and art to track title progress.
Coordinate with internal customers about project details and department
protocols. Help teams set priorities.
Managing a Title List: manage a medium sized list that includes some priority
titles through the production/manufacturing process.
Vendor Management: Maintain strong relationships with established vendors.
Negotiate prices for non-contract projects and ensure vendors are conforming
to Macmillan contracts. Evaluate vendor performance and oversee quality
control reviews, issues and resolutions.
What You'll Bring:
15 years of book production experience with at least 10 years in Children's.
Excellent knowledge of all facets of book production and manufacturing. Must
be highly organized and detail minded. Must have basic understandings of
overall business of publishing and how production issues affect the success
of a publishing company. Experience in people management a plus.
Ability to prioritize. Works collaboratively with others in a professional
manner. Able to adapt to changes, delays and unexpected events. Anticipates,
identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner.
Working knowledge of Biblio and RSuite (desirable)
Knowledge of the Google platform (desirable)
Salary range: $105,000 - $115,000
FSLA status: Exempt
This position is classified as remote but is tied to our New York, NY office
located at 120 Broadway. Employment is subject to New York State tax withholding
under applicable regulations.
Macmillan Publishers is the U.S. trade company that is part of the Holtzbrinck
Publishing Group, a large family-owned group of media companies headquartered in
Stuttgart, Germany. Holtzbrinck Publishing Group's publishing companies include
prominent imprints around the world that publish a broad range of award-winning
books for children and adults in all categories and formats.
U.S. publishers include Celadon Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Flatiron
Books, Henry Holt & Company, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Children’s Publishing
Group, The St. Martin's Publishing Group, and Tor Publishing Group. In the UK,
Australia, India, and South Africa, companies in the Holtzbrinck Publishing
Group publish under the Pan Macmillan name. The German publishing company,
Holtzbrinck Deutsche Buchverlage, includes among its imprints S. Fischer,
Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Rowohlt, and Droemer Knaur.
Macmillan is proud to be an equal opportunity employer consistently striving to
foster a culture where everyone belongs. We welcome applicants of all
backgrounds and identities. Qualified applicants are evaluated without regard to
race, color, religion, age, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation,
gender identity or expression, disability status, physical ability,
neurodiversity, genetic information, protected veteran status, family and
economic status and background or any other characteristic protected by federal,
state, or local law. We prohibit discrimination of any kind and will provide
reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in
accordance with applicable law.