Director of Publishing Technology & Transformation

The Job Profile Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, Simon & Schuster UK and International, this role will lead the practical application of technology and the transformation of publishing workflows. Working across publishing, creative, marketing, publicity, production, operations and technology, the Director will identify where processes and systems limit performance and deliver improvements that increase capacity, improve quality and support commercial growth. The role combines publishing and creative judgement with product ownership, change leadership and hands-on technical capability. The Director will design and prototype solutions, build tools where appropriate and work with specialist technology and data teams to bring reliable solutions into everyday use. The Job Role The Director will develop a prioritised roadmap of workflow and technology improvements, agreed with relevant leaders and grounded in publishing needs and commercial value. They will review processes across departments, identify bottlenecks and duplication, and decide when to redesign a workflow, adopt existing technology or build a new solution. The Director will improve workflows for editorial, creative, marketing, publicity and production, including briefing, approvals, covers, assets, metadata and discovery. They will involve colleagues in design and testing, support adoption through training, apply company policies on AI, data, security and intellectual property, and measure results in capacity, turnaround time, quality, cost and commercial performance. The Candidate Profile The successful candidate will bring significant experience in commercial publishing and a strong understanding of how editorial, creative, marketing, production and commercial functions work together. They will have a track record of solving complex operational problems and delivering measurable improvements, alongside sound creative and commercial judgement about books, audiences and positioning. They will communicate technical ideas clearly, influence across functions and support teams through change. They will be comfortable working independently across a broad remit, learning unfamiliar systems and balancing strategic priorities with practical delivery.