ROLE TITLE:
Commissioning Editor (Permanent, Full time)
PURPOSE:
* Identify opportunities to create high-quality, commercially successful educational publications
* Shape and deliver innovative, customer-focused resources that support teaching, learning, and assessment in response to evolving teaching and curriculum needs
REPORTS TO:
Head of Post-primary Publishing
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Key responsibilities focus on research, development, and delivery of customer-focused publishing solutions.
Customer-centric publishing and production
* Create customer-focused, commercially viable publishing proposals. This involves:
* Clarifying the customer value proposition
* Defining the market opportunity
* Specifying product components, features, benefits, and competitive positioning
* Outlining revenue forecasts and project costs.
* Collaborate with Sales, Marketing and Production to develop and promote competitive, customer-focused publications.
* Specify the components (print and digital) that will deliver a publication's value proposition.
* Work with Project Management to review costs against budget and delivery against schedule.
* Act as an escalation point on production-related issues.
Research and strategic planning
* Conduct market research on educational trends, products, and subject areas.
* Conduct market and competitor analysis to identify opportunities where Folens can compete effectively.
* Test materials with teachers and students to ensure that they work in a classroom setting.
* Monitor the progress of new publications and products to ensure they fulfil their promised value proposition.
* Upgrade programmes in response to compelling customer feedback.
Network development
* Build and maintain strong networks within the teaching community and general education sector for insights on educational developments, teacher needs and attitudes.
Curriculum solutions development
* Maintain a deep understanding of Junior and Senior Cycle curricula.
* Monitor curriculum changes, such as new curricula, curriculum reform, and updates to existing ones.
* Develop relevant, supportive resources to meet the demands of new, reformed, or updated curricula.
Author management and script development
* Recruit, contract, and manage authors in line with their contractual obligations.
* Ensure submitted material meets the standard and requirements set out in the author brief.
* Provide manuscript feedback, incorporating input from reviewers.
* Support the writing and editing of materials as needed.
* Address author queries during the script development process.
Product development and innovation
* Identify opportunities for developing new post-primary publications.
* Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop engaging, intuitive digital products aligned with customer needs.
* Input into the development of new digital products and platforms.
* Keep up to date on emerging technologies and trends in education and educational publishing.
SUCCESS FACTORS:
* Customer-centric products that have a positive impact on teaching, learning, and assessment outcomes.
* Publishing that meets revenue expectations.
* On-time and on-budget delivery of all new post-primary publications.
* Positive working relationships with authors and cross-functional teams.
COMPETENCIES:
* Results-driven:
Strong personal drive to champion products, make informed decisions, and deliver measurable outcomes.
* Interest in education:
Genuine interest in education with the ability to understand classroom dynamics and anticipate unmet teacher needs.
* Strategic mindset:
A strategic mindset focused on growing market share and profitability.
* Strong people skills:
Interpersonal skills to build strong working relationships with internal teams, external vendors, and authors.
* Strong communicator:
Strong communication skills with a positive, solutions-oriented approach.
* Planning and project management skills:
Expertise in page planning, extent control, and schedule management.
* Agile and adaptable:
Proven ability to manage multiple critical projects simultaneously, ensuring deadlines and quality standards are met. Should also be able to work collaboratively and independently.
QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE:
Essential:
* Minimum of three years' experience as a Commissioning Editor in the educational publishing industry
OR
as a Product Owner in the development of educational and training resources.
* Third-level qualification.
* Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office.
* Full, clean driver's licence
Desirable:
* Postgraduate qualification in Education, Publishing, or a related field.
* Training or certification in project management methodologies (e.g., PRINCE2, Agile).
* Work experience in the education sector, particularly with teachers, curriculum developers, or policymakers.