Associate Director, Art (MCPG)

Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group is seeking an Associate Art Director to join our 1C team, designing covers and interiors for fiction and non-fiction chapter book, middle grade, and young adult titles. The ideal candidate will conceive and art direct creative book designs for children, and will have a strong sense of commercial & literary design, branding, knowledge of the children’s book marketplace, and a keen eye for illustration, typography, photography, and how they influence new ideas and trends.

What You'll Do:

• Manage, mentor, and art direct designers and freelancers.
• Coordinate multiple projects concurrently for yourself and your direct reports, ensuring adherence to deadlines and the maintenance of design excellence.
• Design and manage all stages of book packaging (covers, jackets, interiors), from early concept to final bound book
• Deliver original, effective cover comps and polished final covers that are visually compelling and fresh for the market
• Conduct thorough research and recommend talented illustrators and photographers for various projects.
• Route material for approval, maintain schedules and budgets, prepare files for output, and manage the proofing process 
• Closely collaborate on book projects with the editorial team, creative director, and production department to ensure materials requests are met in a timely and effective manner
• 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.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience in print production processes.
• Expertise in color theory and design fundamentals.
• A team player who is able to receive constructive feedback and is motivated to learn from and collaborate with colleagues.
• Knowledge of and an interest in the book publishing industry.
• A passion for storytelling through art and design.
• Minimum of 5-7 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 salary range for this role is $90,000-$100,000.

This position is classified as remote but is tied to our New York, NY office located at 120 Broadway. Employment is subject to New York State tax withholding under applicable regulations. 

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.

Macmillan is proud to be an equal opportunity employer consistently striving to foster a culture where everyone belongs. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and identities. Qualified applicants are evaluated without regard to race, color, religion, age, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability status, physical ability, neurodiversity, genetic information, protected veteran status, family and economic status and background or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. We prohibit discrimination of any kind and will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable law.