Publishing Production Manager | Editorial Operations Specialist

Role overview

Production and editorial responsibilities

• Oversee production from manuscript submission and editorial preparation through publication; develop schedules, calendars, timelines, and resource plans.
• Coordinate editorial contributors, authors, designers, typesetters, printers, digital teams, suppliers, and distribution partners.
• Track projects, milestones, manuscripts, handovers, approvals, revisions, queries, and production documentation.
• Review manuscripts and files for completeness, consistency, formatting accuracy, editorial specifications, and quality.
• Coordinate editing, proofreading, fact-checking, typesetting, layout, quality assurance, and preparation of print and digital editions.
• Manage print specifications, suppliers, print quality, budgets, quotations, purchase orders, costs, and vendor performance.
• Maintain schedules, costs, approvals, contracts, and delivery records; coordinate ISBNs, metadata, copyright documentation, and permissions.
• Align publication schedules with marketing, sales, publicity, and distribution; support announcements, promotional materials, catalogues, and release information.

Workflow, reporting, and collaboration

• Identify production risks and delays, resolve workflow issues, and take corrective action to keep projects on schedule.
• Establish standard procedures and improve efficiency through automation, digital tools, templates, and process standardization.
• Coordinate digital assets, version control, archiving, document security, and confidential handling of manuscripts and contractual materials.
• Track turnaround time, error rates, budget variance, and on-time delivery; prepare reports, project updates, forecasts, and management summaries.
• Support onboarding and training of editorial production staff, freelancers, and external contributors.
• Coordinate post-publication corrections, reprints, updated editions, and digital revisions; consider accessibility and technical requirements across formats.

Qualifications and experience

• Bachelor's degree in Publishing, Communications, English, Journalism, Media Studies, Printing Technology, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Relevant professional experience in publishing production, editorial operations, print production, or content project management.
• Previous coordination of editorial teams, schedules, and multiple publication projects is preferred.
• Strong understanding of publishing workflows, manuscript preparation, copyediting, proofreading, typesetting, and production quality control.
• Familiarity with print and digital publishing, e-book production, content distribution, editorial style guides, formatting, and publication specifications.
• Project management, organization, time management, written communication, attention to detail, and ability to manage deadlines and competing priorities.

Tools and specialist knowledge

• Familiarity with Adobe InDesign, Acrobat, Microsoft Office, or comparable publishing and document-production tools.
• Editorial management systems, digital asset management platforms, and project tracking software are advantageous.
• Knowledge of ISBNs, publishing metadata, copyright permissions, and production documentation is beneficial.
• Understanding of print specifications, paper selection, color management, binding, printer coordination, and digital publishing accessibility is advantageous.
• Strong budget management, cost estimation, vendor coordination, problem-solving, reporting, and cross-functional collaboration capabilities.

What the employer offers

• Competitive salary and employee benefits, with opportunities to manage diverse print and digital publishing projects.
• Professional development, industry training and events, collaboration with publishing professionals, and opportunities to introduce process improvements.
• The posting describes potential advancement toward senior publishing production, editorial operations, publishing project direction, or publishing operations leadership roles.