Senior Designer

We have an exciting opportunity for a talented and highly creative Senior Designer to join the Puffin 6+ team on a permanent basis.

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

Puffin is home to so many imaginative and best-selling authors and illustrators – and we believe children need choice and opportunities to discover the books they will love. Our designers work on a huge range of different books, but what they all have in common is clever creativity, strong commercial instinct and outstanding design.

Reporting to the Deputy Art Director you will work across a wide range of titles, primarily focusing on the fiction list – from colour books for developing readers through to YA and crossover titles, and in every genre.

As Senior Designer, you will take responsibility for the full design process of titles, from early concept development and visual research through to print ready files. You will lead projects, commission illustrators and creatives, and work closely with colleagues in Editorial, Production, Sales and Rights to ensure each book meets its creative vision, market positioning and commercial goals.

This role suits someone who thrives in a fast-paced, hands-on environment, is confident presenting ideas, and combines big-picture creative thinking with strong technical expertise and attention to detail.

• Lead projects from pitch to print, driving them through all stages.
• Build strong creative partnerships with established, high-profile illustrators and authors,
• Identify and nurture emerging talent to deliver distinctive market-leading work.
• Generate original ideas and creative approaches.
• Balance creative ambition with commercial priorities, budgets and timelines.
• Commission and art direct illustrators and designers building strong relationships with external creatives.
• Effective communication including strong negotiation skills, ensuring spend is managed effectively.
• Planning and management of schedules to align priorities and workflow.
• Build strong relationships with editorial, sales, production, rights, marketing and publicity teams.
• Regular and ongoing input into creative meetings.
• Keeping up to date with current design trends in publishing and the wider creative industries, bringing fresh thinking and proactive research to identify new concepts and initiate original approaches.

• A highly creative portfolio with experience in children’s publishing including illustrated fiction and YA, demonstrating work on commercially successful titles and brands
• A clear understanding of the commercial publishing landscape
• A demonstrable interest in and understanding of the children’s publishing market, including current illustrators, authors, brands and visual trends.
• Demonstrable ability to generate original creative ideas across a range of formats
• Proven experience in developing titles from concept through to launch, supported by a strong commercial approach
• A flexible, agile and solutions-focused approach, experience championing creative ideas, with the ability to respond positively and at pace to changing priorities.
• Experience sourcing, commissioning and building effective relationships with illustrators and freelance designers
• Excellent technical design skills with advanced knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite and print production processes.
• Strong project-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects with different lead times. Delivering accurate, high-quality work on schedule and within budget, balancing creative ambition with the time and investment available.
• Ability to keep all…