Publishing Production Manager | Editorial Operations Specialist

📚 We’re Hiring: Publishing Production Manager | Editorial Operations Specialist 🕒 Employment Type: Full-Time 💼 Level: Mid-Level to Senior We are seeking a highly organized, detail-oriented, and results-driven Publishing Production Manager | Editorial Operations Specialist to oversee publishing workflows, coordinate editorial production activities, and ensure the timely delivery of high-quality publications. This role combines production planning, editorial coordination, manuscript management, content quality control, workflow optimization, and cross-functional project management to support the successful publication of books, journals, digital content, magazines, and other editorial materials. 🎯 Key Responsibilities • Oversee end-to-end publishing production workflows from manuscript submission and editorial preparation through final publication. • Develop production schedules, publication calendars, project timelines, and resource allocation plans. • Coordinate with editors, authors, proofreaders, copy editors, designers, illustrators, typesetters, printers, and digital publishing teams. • Monitor multiple publishing projects simultaneously and ensure milestones are achieved within agreed deadlines. • Manage manuscript tracking, editorial handovers, approval stages, and production documentation. • Review manuscripts and production files for completeness, consistency, formatting accuracy, and adherence to editorial specifications. • Coordinate copyediting, proofreading, fact-checking, typesetting, layout design, and final quality assurance activities. • Ensure publications follow established editorial guidelines, style guides, formatting standards, and brand requirements. • Track revisions, author queries, editorial comments, and approval status throughout the production process. • Coordinate the preparation of print-ready files, digital editions, e-books, and other publication formats. • Liaise with printing vendors, production suppliers, and distribution partners to confirm specifications, schedules, and delivery requirements. • Monitor print quality, color accuracy, binding, paper specifications, packaging, and finished product standards where applicable. • Manage production budgets, supplier quotations, purchase orders, and project expenditure. • Evaluate vendor performance, production costs, and turnaround times to identify opportunities for improvement. • Maintain accurate records of publication schedules, production costs, approvals, contracts, and delivery status. • Coordinate ISBN allocation, metadata preparation, copyright documentation, and publication information where required. • Ensure appropriate permissions are obtained for third-party text, images, illustrations, and other copyrighted materials. • Work with marketing, sales, publicity, and distribution teams to align publication schedules with launch plans. • Support the preparation of publication announcements, promotional materials, catalogues, and release information. • Monitor production risks, identify potential delays, and implement corrective actions to keep projects on schedule. • Establish and maintain standard operating procedures for editorial and publishing production workflows. • Identify opportunities to improve efficiency through workflow automation, digital tools, templates, and process standardization. • Coordinate digital asset management, file version control, content archiving, and document security. • Ensure sensitive manuscripts, unpublished content, author information, and contractual materials are handled confidentially. • Review production performance metrics, including turnaround time, error rates, budget variance, and on-time delivery. • Prepare operational reports, project updates, production forecasts, and management summaries. • Support the onboarding and training of editorial production staff, freelancers, and external contributors. • Resolve production issues involving formatting errors, missing assets, conflicting revisions, supplier delays, and approval bottlenecks. • Ensure accessibility, readability, and technical requirements are considered across relevant print and digital formats. • Coordinate post-publication corrections, reprints, updated editions, and digital content revisions when necessary. • Collaborate with management to improve publishing capacity, production quality, operational consistency, and overall project performance. ✅ Requirements • 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 experience coordinating editorial teams, production schedules, and multiple publication projects is preferred. • Strong understanding of publishing workflows, manuscript preparation, copyediting, proofreading, typesetting, and production quality control. • Familiarity with print publishing, digital publishing, e-book production, and content distribution processes. • Excellent project management, organizational, and time-management skills. • Ability to manage multiple deadlines and prioritize tasks in a fast-paced production environment. • Strong written communication skills and attention to editorial detail. • Understanding of editorial style guides, content consistency, formatting standards, and publication specifications. • Familiarity with Adobe InDesign, Acrobat, Microsoft Office, or comparable publishing and document production tools. • Experience with editorial management systems, digital asset management platforms, or project tracking software is advantageous. • Knowledge of ISBNs, publishing metadata, copyright permissions, and production documentation is beneficial. • Understanding of print specifications, paper selection, color management, binding methods, and printer coordination is an advantage. • Strong budget management, cost estimation, and vendor coordination capabilities. • Ability to review production files and identify formatting inconsistencies, missing content, and technical errors. • Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to resolve workflow bottlenecks efficiently. • Ability to communicate professionally with authors, editors, designers, suppliers, and internal stakeholders. • Experience coordinating freelance editors, proofreaders, designers, and external production partners is preferred. • Understanding of version control, document management, and confidential content handling. • Ability to prepare project reports, production forecasts, and operational performance summaries. • Familiarity with accessibility requirements and digital publishing standards is advantageous. • Strong collaboration skills and the ability to coordinate cross-functional teams. • Commercial awareness and understanding of publishing costs, product quality, and delivery expectations. • Ability to adap