Editorial Operations Director

We're looking for an Editorial Operations Director (Books) to provide visionary leadership across our editorial operations, leading a team of four Editorial Workflow Managers. This is a senior leadership role for someone who thrives on shaping strategy, driving transformation, and ensuring editorial operations deliver real, sustainable advantage for the business. 
You'll be a key voice at the leadership table, translating big-picture strategy into actionable plans, championing innovation, and building a culture where people and processes can genuinely excel. 
What you'll be doing: 
Leadership & Team Development 
Lead, coach, and develop a team of four Editorial Workflow Managers 
Build organizational capability and strengthen the leadership pipeline beneath you 
Champion succession planning and talent development at senior levels 
Foster a culture of innovation and excellence across editorial operations 
Strategic Vision & Planning 
Shape multi-year strategic plans aligned with wider business objectives 
Partner closely with Publishing Directors to bring editorial strategy and vision to life 
Lead initiatives that drive genuine competitive advantage 
Turn organizational strategy into clear, actionable roadmaps 
Operational Performance 
Establish enterprise-wide KPIs and performance frameworks 
Oversee portfolio performance and profitability across business units 
Drive process improvements that scale with the business 
Keep a close eye on the competitive landscape to inform decision-making 
Partner with teams across the matrix to ensure delivery and achievement of key operational metrics 
Stakeholder Engagement 
Represent editorial operations in executive forums and strategic sessions 
Build strong relationships with senior leaders across the organization 
Influence strategy and advocate for editorial operations enterprise-wide 
Digital Transformation & Innovation  
Drive the digital transformation strategy for editorial operations 
Champion emerging technologies and smarter ways of working 
Lead the evaluation and rollout of enterprise-level systems 
Keep editorial operations at the leading edge of industry innovation 
Financial & Resource Strategy 
Own and manage the editorial operations budget across portfolios 
Make strategic calls on investment in technology, people, and infrastructure 
Optimize resources to maximize return on investment 
Present financial performance and investment proposals to senior leadership 

What We're Looking For
Essential 
Significant experience leading leaders/managers at an executive level 
A proven track record in strategic planning and organizational transformation 
Deep knowledge of academic publishing and its industry dynamics 
Strong financial acumen, including P&L management experience 
A track record of influencing senior executives effectively 
The ability to develop talent, build vision, and navigate complex stakeholder landscapes 
Strong strategic and business acumen, including comfort making high-stakes decisions with incomplete information 
Confident, credible communication with board-level and C-suite audiences 
Leads with vision, authenticity, and a genuine commitment to our values 
Shows courage in tough decisions and resilience under pressure 
Takes full accountability for outcomes and leads cultural change by example 
Desirable 
Extensive, progressive leadership experience within academic publishing 
International or multi-market experience 
Models continuous learning, intellectual humility, and openness to feedback 
Champions diversity, equity, and inclusion as a core priority 

Closing Date: 10th November 2026
The successful candidate will be able to utilise our balanced working model. We ask that candidates live within a commutable distance of our offices to ensure that as a balanced worker they can make it to our office locations to collaborate as required. There is an expectation for a minimum of 3 days per week in-person time, with those 3 days a week spent in our office in Milton Park, Oxfordshire. 
Please note that our Milton Park office will be relocating to Oxford city centre in late 2027 / early 2028, offering an exciting new workplace in the heart of the city.
Taylor & Francis Group an Informa Business
We want all our candidates to shine in our recruitment process. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to ensure you are able to show us your best self. This could include having the application form in a different format, more time for questions, or anything else – please ask us, we are happy to be flexible! Please contact [email protected]
Being Yourself at Taylor & Francis
 If you’re excited about working with Taylor & Francis to foster human progress through knowledge, we invite you to apply even if your existing skills and experience don’t fit every item listed above. At Taylor & Francis, we are at our best and most successful when colleagues can be themselves and contribute regardless of their identity or background. As a colleague, you will have the opportunity to further innovate and develop in areas that you are passionate about. Our goal is to empower you with the resources, incentives, and flexibility you need to enjoy success at work and to live a healthy, balanced life.
Taylor & Francis is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe in and value diversity of people and thought, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment where all colleagues can learn and succeed as their true selves. Taylor & Francis recruits, develops, and retains colleagues without regard to any protected personal characteristics or other non-merit-based factor.
We genuinely care about our colleagues, promoting work-life balance, wellbeing, and flexible working. We believe that the skills and experience you bring to Taylor & Francis are invaluable. We want you to have the opportunity to develop your abilities, and to innovate and develop in areas which you are passionate about. To find out more about our business and the great career opportunities please go to our Careers Site:  http://www.taylorandfrancisgroup.com/careers
Or better yet check out our LinkedIn ‘Life’ Page, highlighting our accomplishments, employees, and company culture. It’s also a good way of meeting our recruitment team, who will be happy to advise you on your journey here at T&F.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/taylor-&-francis-group/life/79e0c27c-afdf-4bbb-84e6-5f8ed5e10bb8/

Informa is a leading academic publishing, business intelligence, knowledge, and events business, creating unique content and connectivity for customers all over the world. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 100.
Taylor & Francis is one of the world’s largest publishers of high-quality, peer reviewed scholarly journals, books, e-books and reference works. We empower learners, thinkers and doers with trusted knowledge that advances research and enriches lives. We bring together diverse people, ideas and opinions to validate and publish the experts, theories and truths that matter. And we’ve been doing this in an unbroken arc since 1798.
Our purpose is to foster human progress through knowledge.  We strongly believe that this requires us to encourage and examine different ideas and voices, so that any work that meets our exacting levels of quality deserves to be included in our publications. This requires open minds, the opportunity for robust debate, and the courage to defend perspectives that stand up to scrutiny, even if they conflict with our personal beliefs or values. Because that’s the only way to find the best obtainable version of the truth and, ultimately, foster human progress. If you agree, then we’d love to hear from you.