Fast Facts

Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group is looking for an Associate Art Director to lead creative design for children's picture books, with responsibilities including managing projects, mentoring designers, and collaborating with authors and illustrators.

Responsibilities: Manage and art direct designers and freelancers, oversee project timelines, collaborate with editorial teams, and conduct illustrator research while ensuring high-quality design execution.

Skills: Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, strong typographic skills, expertise in color theory, and excellent communication abilities are required.

Qualifications: A Bachelor's or Master's degree in graphic design or a related field along with 5+ years of experience in bookmaking, preferably in children's publishing, is preferred.

Location: The role is based in New York, New York, United States.

Compensation: $85000 - $95000 / Annually

Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group is seeking a proficient Associate Art Director to join our Picture Book team. The ideal candidate will conceive and art direct creative book designs for children, with a strong sense of commercial design, branding, and typography. They should possess knowledge of the children's book marketplace and have a keen eye for new ideas and trends.

What you'll do:

• Manage, mentor, and art direct designers and freelancers.
• Manage relationships with illustrators and agents for own projects and those of direct reports.
• Conceive and execute visually appealing book covers and interior layouts for a variety of formats.
• Articulate concepts with polished, convincing sketch comps.
• Coordinate multiple projects concurrently for yourself and your direct reports, ensuring adherence to deadlines and the maintenance of design excellence.
• Collaborate closely with editors, artists, and authors to conceptualize and develop high-quality books.
• Work with Editorial and Production teams to ensure projects remain on schedule and within budget.
• Conduct thorough research and recommend talented illustrators for various projects.
• Adopt a hands-on approach throughout the bookmaking process, from initial conceptualization to implementing revisions and corrections, and finally preparing files for print production, ensuring full compliance with all technical specifications.
• Support the Senior Art Director in optimizing departmental processes and defining industry-leading best practices.

What you'll bring:

• Exceptional portfolio displaying strong typographic skills. The work you present should demonstrate creative talent and a powerful sense of communication.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat), Google Suite, and Mac Platform.
• Experience in print production processes.
• Expertise in color theory and design fundamentals.
• Knowledge of and an interest in the book publishing industry.
• An ability to collaborate and compromise with colleagues.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• A team player who is motivated to learn from colleagues.
• A passion for storytelling through art and design.

Ideal Experience/Education:

• 5+ years of experience in bookmaking, ideally in children’s publishing.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in graphic design or another related field, or equivalent work experience.

This role will have an annual salary of $85,000-$95,000.

Macmillan Publishers is the U.S. trade company that is part of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a large family-owned group of media companies headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Holtzbrinck Publishing Group's publishing companies include prominent imprints around the world that publish a broad range of award-winning books for children and adults in all categories and formats.

U.S. publishers include Celadon Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Flatiron Books, Henry Holt & Company, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, The St. Martin's Publishing Group, and Tor Publishing Group. In the UK, Australia, India, and South Africa, companies in the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group publish under the Pan Macmillan name. The German publishing company, Holtzbrinck Deutsche Buchverlage, includes among its imprints S. Fischer, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Rowohlt, and Droemer Knaur.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are actively seeking job applicants who reflect a broad representation of differences, including race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, physical ability, neurodiversity, age, family status, economic background and status, geographical background and status, and perspective. We believe that the best companies reflect the incredible diversity in viewpoints, backgrounds, and identities of the world in their staffs, and are committed to inclusive hiring across departments and levels. The successful candidate for this position will be an employee of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.