Head of PR (Michael Joseph)

Are you ready to step into a more senior role? Are you commercially aware, with a knack of building hype around the latest title? We have an exciting opportunity for a passionate, confident, digital savvy Head of PR to join our award-winning team at Penguin Michael Joseph - a division of Penguin Random House, the world’s leading book publishing company. 

The Opportunity

The Head of PR will be responsible for creating and driving the strategy for our Pathways list, (this is our health and wellbeing publishing, made up of authors such as Dr Julie, Roxie Nafousi; Dr Federica Amati and Eckhart Tolle among others). You would bring consumer first thinking and work closely with a small team consisting of publisher and marketer to grow the commercial success of our Pathways publishing.

Alongside this, you will be able to plan and implement your own select innovative and targeted publicity campaigns, both in the UK and more widely in key international markets. You will also work on key catalogue titles in this area.

You will represent a strong voice in the division and will need to establish yourself as a trusted expert for colleagues and contacts both within and outside the organisation. You will build strong working relationships with authors and agents to provide the highest-level of author care.

This role reports into the PMJ Publicity Director and has no direct reports.

Detailed responsibilities include:

• Working closely and effectively with the Publisher and Marketer to shape strategy for the Pathways list

• Planning and implementing effective and creative promotional campaigns

• Event creation and management e.g., book festivals, bookshops, and media showcases

• Managing individual campaign and event budgets

• Presenting publishing highlights to key media contacts

• Developing new and nurturing existing media contacts to grow publicity coverage

• Contributing to writing pitches to secure new talent

• Reading and providing input on new and potential book acquisitions

• Global campaign management, where relevant, including coordinating international press requests for group companies

• High profile talent management

What you’ll bring

You don’t need to have worked in publishing before to be considered for this role, but a passion to work within the health and wellbeing area of publishing is essential.  Perhaps you’ve worked in entertainment or media PR previously, or in a PR agency – whatever your PR background, we’d like to hear from you if you:

• Have a keen interest in the Non-Fiction book market

• Are a creative thinker, using innovative strategy to build campaigns

• Are an excellent team player, who excels in strategic and problem solving conversations

• Have excellent communication skills, confident pitching and presenting internally and externally

• Have proven senior publicity management experience, especially working with high-profile talent and multiple, complex stakeholders

How to apply

If this sounds like you and you’re ready for the challenge, please apply with your CV and Cover Letter by 11:59pm on Sunday 30^th June.

As part of your cover letter, please tell us in no more than 250 words which Health and Wellbeing influencers have caught your attention this year and what you might be looking for in a platform that could either be a good promotional vehicle for a book or be someone we might look to commission for a book.

About Penguin Michael Joseph

Penguin Michael Joseph are the publishers of a focused but varied list of the UK’s best-loved commercial fiction and non-fiction writers, from big brand name authors such as Jamie Oliver, Marian Keyes; Raynor Winn, Stephen Fry, Jojo Moyes and Nadiya Hussain to launching exciting new voices such as Ishi Robinson; working with leading Tik Tok authors such as Monica Murphy and Tillie Cole as well as a growing list of health and wellbeing writers who are experts in their fields.