Publishing Assistant - London

Role SummaryPublishing AssistantPublishingFull-time (41 hours per week)Permanent£28,144 per annumApplication deadline: 12pm (midday) on 4 November 2024About the role:The Publishing Assistant works across a range of administrative tasks to support the Publishing team to deliver an exciting publishing programme for the British Museum. Straddling the Production and Sales and Marketing teams, the role links two key areas of activity to ensure timely delivery of new and reprinted titles and to guarantee the widest reach for the Museum’s publications.Working closely with the Production Manager, the Publishing Assistant runs stock management reports, arranges deliveries and collections and assists with the administration of production tasks including liaising with external suppliers and preparing and administering paperwork as required. The Publishing Assistant fulfils a key role in the delivery of reprints for the department – circulating material, coordinating with colleagues to collate required updates, updating design files, liaising with suppliers, tracking orders and deliveries. Working closely with the Sales and Marketing Manager, the Publishing Assistant circulates promotional material to interested parties, liaising with colleagues both inside and outside the Museum to ensure the books reach the widest-possible audience. The Publishing Assistant keeps meticulous records and updates and circulates changes to metadata and updates and maintains the sales and rights database for the team.The Publishing Assistant provides administrative support to the whole Publishing team including processing invoices, archiving digital and print titles and keeping excellent records. This is an exciting opportunity for a junior publishing professional with a demonstrable interest in the work of the British Museum and illustrated publishing who is capable of juggling a varied and time-critical workload. Key areas of responsibility: Partner with the Production Manager to successfully deliver reprints, including negotiating with suppliers, placing orders, raising purchase orders, checking files, updating files and liaising with suppliers. Partner with the Sales and Marketing Manager to successfully deliver sales and stock reporting to help inform reprint schedules. Provide administrative support to the Publishing team – processing invoices, filing contracts, archiving, keeping excellent records. Effectively circulate metadata updates in a timely fashion and in line with key deadlines. Update and maintain sales and rights database. Archive digital files and print copies – ownership of the Publishing archive. Support Sales and Marketing Manager with the delivery of book events and signings both on site at the Museum and in the book trade, including the London Book Fair. Report to and manage the expectations of key members of Museum staff, including circulating material as required. Assist in the management of the day-to-day relationship with third-party publishers, ensuring that the Museum’s co-publications reach the widest possible audience. Any other tasks as required of the role.About you: Degree or equivalent Experience in publishing, media or other editorial area Demonstrable administrative skills Ability to juggle complex and demanding workload Strong proofreading skills and a keen eye for detail The ability to manage and develop good relationships with external clients/customers Self-starterAbout the British Museum: Founded in 1753, the British Museum’s remarkable collection spans over two million years of human history and culture. The Museum is a leading visitor attraction, and its world-famous collection includes the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian mummies, the Sutton-Hoo finds, and the Lewis Chessmen. The Museum also holds an extensive collection of prints and drawings spanning 600 years, including works by the greatest graphic artists Dürer, Michelangelo and Rembrandt.You can view a selection of our impressive collection of prints and drawings in our virtual gallery.The Museum offers a competitive benefits package including: Generous annual leave allowance of 25 days (rising to 30 days after 10 years’ service) plus 2.5 privilege days and plus bank holidays. Membership of the civil service defined benefit pension scheme (find out here what benefits a civil service pension provides). Free entry to a wide range of museums and exhibitions Participation in private and public Museum activities, including talks by leading curators from around the world and behind-the-scenes opportunities to learn how museums care for and manage their extraordinary collections. Interest-free travel, bicycle, and rental deposit loans Professional and personal development opportunities Employee Assistance Programme Discounts on food and gift shop purchasesAdditional details:For more information about this role, please see the job description.If you have any additional needs that we should be aware of to support you with your application, please provide details to [email protected]. We have a legal responsibility to ensure that employees have the right to work in the UK. If you currently do not hold the right to work in the UK, we can only sponsor a limited number of roles that meet eligibility criteria. To offer a sponsorship, the job role you apply needs to be in the list of eligible occupations: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-eligible-occupations. Additionally (with some limited exceptions), the role will need to meet the minimum salary threshold of £38,700 or the going rate for the job, whichever is the highest. You can find more information here: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/your-jobThe British Museum is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff and job applicants. We aim to create a working environment in which all individuals can make best use of their skills, free from unlawful discrimination or harassment. We value the benefits that a diverse workforce brings to a museum which represents world culture. The Museum is committed to ensuring that no job applicant suffers unlawful discrimination because of any protected characteristics. Our recruitment procedures aim to ensure that individuals are treated because of their relevant knowledge, skills, and experience.We offer a flexible way of working scheme that allows our employees to work remotely in a way that suits them and the organisation. We welcome questions and conversations at interview stage about how flexible working could work for you. The Museum also adheres to the HMG Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) for pre-employment screening of Civil Servants.