Production Editor

Updated: 3 months ago
Location: Bristol, ENGLAND
Job Type: FullTime

Bristol University Press (BUP) and its imprint Policy Press (PP) are looking to appoint a Production Editor to join our small, committed and friendly production team.

BUP is an academic publisher committed to publishing the highest-quality international scholarship in the social sciences and aligned disciplines, with a focus on global social challenges. As a not-for-profit university press, we put integrity before profit to provide an internationally respected platform for the global scholarly community to disseminate work that matters. 

The successful candidate will be responsible for taking allocated titles through production from receipt of final typescript to bound copy, ensuring that they’re published in all formats to time, budget and to BUP quality standards. The books for which they’ll be responsible include academic monographs, general non-fiction (trade), textbooks and policy review titles.

We’re looking for a candidate with meticulous attention to detail, an excellent command of written English and first-rate organisational skills.

  • Providing an exceptional level of care to both eminent, experienced authors as well as first-time, early-career authors.
  • Working on a high volume of in-flight titles while maintaining quality standards and meeting deadlines.
  • Creating, maintaining, and updating schedules and reporting changes to interested parties as needed.
  • Collaborating closely with internal colleagues and external suppliers to co-ordinate production of titles.
  • Liaising with and briefing freelancers such as copy-editors, typesetters, indexers and proofreaders.
  • Consulting with colleagues in commissioning and marketing to ensure they’re informed of issues and updates as necessary.
  • Using initiative and in-depth knowledge to on occasion independently respond to author and freelancer queries and to solve problems.
  • Copy-editing and proofreading additional content when necessary.
  • Giving guidance and support to the Assistant Production Editor, volunteers and temporary staff when required.
  • Ensuring maintenance of current and future resource requirements for own work area, in this instance for XML; ensuring that coding instructions are up-to-date and changes to instruction rolled out in a controlled manner.
  • Experience working in a busy production department.
  • Proven ability to liaise and negotiate effectively with high-profile, international author- academics, as well as freelancers and suppliers.
  • Proven ability to work under pressure on a large number of projects and consistently meet deadlines.
  • Excellent copy-editing and proofreading skills, using industry standard guidelines with substantial onscreen editing experience.
  • Meticulous attention to detail, delivering an exceptionally high standard of accuracy.
  • Strong Microsoft Office skills and knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite software and XML.

We are currently operating a blended working policy. For this role, our expectation is that a minimum of one day a week will be in the office (based in central Bristol on campus).

For informal queries, please contact Vaarunika Dharmapala at [email protected] .

The advert will close at 11.59pm on Sunday 28th of January 2024 


We recently launched our strategy  to 2030 tying together our mission, vision and values.


The University of Bristol aims to be a place where everyone feels able to be themselves and do their best in an inclusive working environment where all colleagues can thrive and reach their full potential. We want to attract, develop, and retain individuals with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives – particularly people of colour, LGBT+ and disabled people - because diversity of people and ideas remains integral to our excellence as a global civic institution.


Available documents

Bristol University Press (BUP) and its imprint Policy Press (PP) are looking to appoint a Production Editor to join our small, committed and friendly production team.

BUP is an academic publisher committed to publishing the highest-quality international scholarship in the social sciences and aligned disciplines, with a focus on global social challenges. As a not-for-profit university press, we put integrity before profit to provide an internationally respected platform for the global scholarly community to disseminate work that matters. 

The successful candidate will be responsible for taking allocated titles through production from receipt of final typescript to bound copy, ensuring that they’re published in all formats to time, budget and to BUP quality standards. The books for which they’ll be responsible include academic monographs, general non-fiction (trade), textbooks and policy review titles.

We’re looking for a candidate with meticulous attention to detail, an excellent command of written English and first-rate organisational skills.

  • Providing an exceptional level of care to both eminent, experienced authors as well as first-time, early-career authors.
  • Working on a high volume of in-flight titles while maintaining quality standards and meeting deadlines.
  • Creating, maintaining, and updating schedules and reporting changes to interested parties as needed.
  • Collaborating closely with internal colleagues and external suppliers to co-ordinate production of titles.
  • Liaising with and briefing freelancers such as copy-editors, typesetters, indexers and proofreaders.
  • Consulting with colleagues in commissioning and marketing to ensure they’re informed of issues and updates as necessary.
  • Using initiative and in-depth knowledge to on occasion independently respond to author and freelancer queries and to solve problems.
  • Copy-editing and proofreading additional content when necessary.
  • Giving guidance and support to the Assistant Production Editor, volunteers and temporary staff when required.
  • Ensuring maintenance of current and future resource requirements for own work area, in this instance for XML; ensuring that coding instructions are up-to-date and changes to instruction rolled out in a controlled manner.
  • Experience working in a busy production department.
  • Proven ability to liaise and negotiate effectively with high-profile, international author- academics, as well as freelancers and suppliers.
  • Proven ability to work under pressure on a large number of projects and consistently meet deadlines.
  • Excellent copy-editing and proofreading skills, using industry standard guidelines with substantial onscreen editing experience.
  • Meticulous attention to detail, delivering an exceptionally high standard of accuracy.
  • Strong Microsoft Office skills and knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite software and XML.

We are currently operating a blended working policy. For this role, our expectation is that a minimum of one day a week will be in the office (based in central Bristol on campus).

For informal queries, please contact Vaarunika Dharmapala at [email protected] .

The advert will close at 11.59pm on Sunday 28th of January 2024 


We recently launched our strategy  to 2030 tying together our mission, vision and values.


The University of Bristol aims to be a place where everyone feels able to be themselves and do their best in an inclusive working environment where all colleagues can thrive and reach their full potential. We want to attract, develop, and retain individuals with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives – particularly people of colour, LGBT+ and disabled people - because diversity of people and ideas remains integral to our excellence as a global civic institution.


Available documents

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