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Editorial Manager (French), THAMES & HUDSON
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Department: Editorial
Reports to: Publishing Programme Director
Location: London office / hybrid working, minimum of three days in the office
Contract: Full time, permanent
Salary: £38,000
Closing date: 31 July 2026
About Thames & Hudson
Thames & Hudson is an independent, family-owned illustrated book publisher with a long-standing reputation for editorial quality, visual excellence and cultural depth.
We publish books across art, architecture, design, photography, fashion, history, archaeology and popular culture, working with authors, experts, artists, institutions and creative partners to bring distinctive and authoritative publishing to readers around the world.
About The Role
In addition to our English-language programme, we publish up to 10 titles per year in French under the T&H imprint. We are seeking an Editorial Manager with exceptional fluent French-language editorial skills to be the key point of contact for this part of our list.
The Editorial Manager will undertake or oversee all French-language editorial work, guarantee quality of text output, and establish an editorial workflow to unify all such titles. Projects will include branded partnerships from our fashion and jewellery lists, as well as non-branded titles from across the adult trade programme. For some titles, responsibilities will include managing translation and typesetting into languages other than French, working with external bureaux.
The Editorial Manager is expected to bring high-level editorial, project management and bookmaking skills to their projects; maintain positive and professional relationships with authors and institutional partners, where appropriate; recruit and manage French-language editorial freelance staff, ideally drawing on an existing network of contacts; collaborate closely with colleagues in order to achieve simultaneous print deadlines in English and French; supply high-quality marketing copy and visuals for their titles in a timely way; and strive at all times to uphold the world-class standards that underpin Thames & Hudson’s reputation.
This position is an exciting opportunity for a bilingual illustrated publishing professional.
What You’ll Be Doing
In this role, you will:
- Plan, schedule and project-manage a range of titles across different subject areas, and following differing bookmaking workflows: some titles will be translated and typeset into French from edited English layouts; others will be authored, designed and project-managed in French.
- Understand the agreed specifications for each book, including word count, image count, trimmed page size, extent, binding style and finishes, and alert the relevant Commissioning Editor of any deviations.
- Strive to adhere to each book’s schedule and communicate proactively with colleagues when dates are in jeopardy.
- Consult each book’s contract and ensure that all contractual requirements have been met.
- Maintain appropriate communication with key external stakeholders, including authors, photographers, sponsors or institutional partners, ensuring requirements and approval stages are met.
- Review, assess, develop and, in some cases, copy-edit French-language manuscripts.
- Recruit and commission French-language translators, editors, proofreaders and indexers as necessary, negotiating fees, assessing quality of work, providing feedback and processing payments.
- Liaise with French-language authors to secure approval of edits and resolve queries.
- Assess and key corrections from authors, sponsors or other institutional partners, whether these are provided in French or English, and whether working in Word or InDesign.
- Collaborate closely with the English-language bookmaking team, as well as colleagues in Production, Design and Rights as necessary.
- Adhere to the technical requirements of the T&H bookmaking process, including correct working methods in InDesign; training will be offered.
- Translate or write French-language jacket copy and other sales or marketing copy as required, and provide spreads or other materials for Marketing or Sales as requested.
- Prepare copyright pages in French and check all stages of French text proofs and plotter proofs, both insides and covers/jackets.
- On French-authored titles: liaise closely with the designer, author and any external sponsor or partner to reach an approved layout and cover. On English-authored titles: brief designer to typeset French text and prepare French interior and cover files for Production.
- Maintain up-to-date title records, metadata, WiP notes and schedule status in Libro.
- Attend and contribute to relevant WiP, Planning, Book Fair or other meetings, and liaise with the Publishing Programme Director to troubleshoot issues and report on project status.
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Who You’ll Work With
You will work closely with the Publishing Programme Director, Commissioning Editors, English-language editorial and bookmaking teams, Production, Design, Rights, Marketing and Sales. Externally, you may work with French-language authors, photographers, sponsors, institutional partners, translators, editors, proofreaders, indexers and external bureaux.
What You’ll Bring
- Exceptional French-language editorial skills, with first-class command of French spelling, grammar, style, copy-editing and proofreading.
- Fluent written and spoken English.
- Outstanding editorial, bookmaking, communication, teamwork and project management skills, gained through in-house work for an illustrated publisher or the publishing division of a museum, gallery or university.
- The ability to manage diverse and complex projects simultaneously.
- A collaborative and confident approach to working with a wide range of colleagues, both in-house and external.
- The ability to balance perfectionism with pragmatism, firmness with flexibility, and to juggle competing priorities calmly and constructively.
- A broad awareness of, and interest in, art, fashion, visual culture and current cultural trends.
- A keen eye for detail.
- Visual awareness and an appreciation of good book design.
- Some understanding of the print and production processes of illustrated publishing.
- Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, especially InDesign and Acrobat.
- Curiosity about new technologies and openness to exploring new digital tools and ways of working, including AI, where appropriate.
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You May Also Have
- an existing network of French-language translators, editors, proofreaders, indexers or other editorial freelancers;
How Our Values Show Up In This Role
Our values are creativity, integrity, respect, communication and excellence. For this role, we will be especially interested in how you:
- apply careful editorial and visual judgement to French-language illustrated books;
- take responsibility for editorial accuracy, schedules, approval stages and freelancer commissioning;
- build professional, responsive and ambassadorial relationships with authors, partners, freelancers and colleagues;
- communicate clearly across French and English, keeping colleagues and external contacts informed;
- maintain high standards while balancing quality, deadlines and the practical realities of book production.
Working at Thames & Hudson
This is a full-time, permanent role. We support hybrid working, where the role allows, with a minimum of three days a week in our Central London office.
We offer a supportive and creative working environment, alongside a range of benefits, including:
- 28 days’ holiday plus bank holidays
- Profit share scheme
- Interest-free loan for rent deposit or season travel ticket
- Discounts off our lovely Thames & Hudson books and distributed titles
- Generous pension contributions
- Employee Assistance Programme and retail discounts
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Free entry into hundreds of museums and galleries nationwide
Some benefits are subject to eligibility.
How To Apply
To apply, please send your CV and a cover letter to Sophie Castle at recruitment@thameshudson.co.uk. Please use your cover letter to explain how you meet the requirements listed in the “What you’ll bring” section above.
Please submit your cover letter in English. Your CV may be submitted in French or English.
The deadline for applications is 31 July 2026.
Equal opportunities
Thames & Hudson is committed to equality of opportunity. We welcome applications from candidates with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, and we are committed to making our recruitment processes fair, inclusive and accessible.
If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know. We will consider requests carefully and do what we reasonably can to support you.
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