Jobs

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Could you be our new CEO?

Copies of Waterfalls of Stars, Ibrahim and Reenie and Gen being held in the air.

The role of Seren CEO is still open and we are committed to finding the ideal candidate who aligns with Seren’s vision, culture and long-term goals.

Whilst we advertised the position earlier in the year, we have not yet made an appointment. It is important that we find the right candidate for the role and although the previous attempt was unsuccessful, it provided valuable insights and lessons which have refined our understanding of the requirements for the CEO position. We have issued a new job pack and, in keeping with our ethos of continuous improvement, there have also been some adjustments to the recruitment process based on learnings from the previous attempt.

The closing date to apply is midday on Monday 31st July. Please read on for more information and download the job pack for full details of where to send your application.

Chief Executive

£45,000 – 47,000 per annum
Flexible Terms – We will consider a part-time appointment on the salary above for the right person
Permanent Contract
Some working from Bridgend will be required
Flexible working hours possible

A unique opportunity to lead Seren, one of Wales’s foremost English-language publishers.

We are looking for a visionary and motivating leader with a passion for taking one of Wales’ cultural gems to new levels of sustainability, resilience, and ambition. Our successful candidate will be committed to inclusion and will be able to drive change and growth.

Drawing on our role as a custodian and steward of Wales’ English-language literature, in the coming years we will build on the hard-earned trust and respect placed in our brand. We will work to better serve readers, both reflect and influence contemporary Wales, and further grow our role in identifying and developing new and existing talent.

Our ambition is to become a powerhouse of independent publishing, rooted in Wales and reflecting its distinctiveness, but with a reach across the whole of the UK and beyond.

Our new Chief Executive will bring this ambition to life, so that we make a truly outstanding contribution to the culture of Wales for future generations.

We’re looking for someone with strong business skills and experiences, who might have worked in publishing and/or the cultural sector previously or be passionate about transferring their expertise to this sphere. You don’t need to be an editor or a literary expert – we have this already within our excellent team and Board – you just need to love books, be keen to learn about the sector and a proven operational and business leader.

Please download our job pack for full information about the role and the application process.

Job Pack

Prif Weithredwr

£45,000 – 47,000 y flwyddyn
Telerau Hyblyg – Byddwn yn ystyried penodiad rhan-amser ar y cyflog uchod ar gyfer y person cywir
Contract Parhaol
Bydd angen rhai sy’n gweithio o Ben-y-bont ar Ogwr
Oriau gwaith hyblyg yn bosibl

Dyma cyfle unigryw i arwain Seren, un o gyhoeddwyr amlycaf Cymru yn yr iaith Saesneg.

Rydym yn chwilio am arweinydd gweledigaethol ac ysgogol gydag angerdd am y gair ysgrifenedig a’r posibiliadau y mae’n eu darparu. Bydd ein hymgeisydd delfrydol yn ymrwymedig i gynhwysiant a bydd yn gallu sbarduno newid a thwf.

Gan dynnu ar ein rôl fel ceidwad a stiward llenyddiaeth Saesneg Cymru, yn y blynyddoedd nesaf byddwn yn adeiladu ar yr ymddiriedaeth a’r parch roddir yn ein brand. Byddwn ni’n gweithio i wasanaethu darllenwyr yn well, yn adlewyrchu ac yn dylanwadu ar y Gymru gyfoes, ac yn tyfu ein rôl ymhellach o ran nodi a datblygu talent newydd a rhai sy’n bodoli eisoes.

Ein huchelgais yw dod yn bwerdy o gyhoeddi annibynnol, wedi’i wreiddio yng Nghymru gan adlewyrchu ei hynodrwydd, ond gyda chyrhaeddiad ar draws y DU gyfan a thu hwnt.

Bydd ein Prif Weithredwr newydd yn dod â’r uchelgais hwn yn fyw, fel ein bod yn gwneud cyfraniad gwirioneddol eithriadol i ddiwylliant Cymru ar gyfer cenedlaethau’r dyfodol.

Rydym yn chwilio am rywun sydd â sgiliau a phrofiadau busnes cryf, a allai fod wedi gweithio ym maes cyhoeddi a/neu’r sector diwylliannol o’r blaen neu fod yn angerddol dros drosglwyddo eu harbenigedd i’r maes hwn. Does dim angen i chi fod yn olygydd nac yn arbenigwr llenyddol – mae gennym ni hyn eisoes o fewn ein tîm ardderchog a’n Bwrdd – does ond angen i chi garu llyfrau, bod yn awyddus i ddysgu am y sector ac arweinydd gweithredol a busnes profedig.

Lawrlwythwch ein pecyn swyddi i gael gwybodaeth lawn am y rôl a’r broses ymgeisio.

Pecyn Swyddi
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Top 5 Tips for Getting a Job in Publishing

Our Marketing Assistant, Jess, shares some tips on getting into the publishing industry after university.

It happens to the best of us. You’re enjoying student life, living on spaghetti hoops, cereal, and that questionable looking meat at the back of your fridge that you found for a suspiciously cheap price at the local supermarket. You’ve grown out of the ‘going to lectures in your pyjamas’ stage, but you still feel like a child playing at being a grown up, snuggled comfortably in the safety net that is higher education.

Then it hits you: you’re in your final year of uni. You need to start looking for a job.

Not to worry, my friend, we’ve all been there, and if you think the publishing industry is for you then you’re in luck: here are my Top 5 Tips for Getting a Job in Publishing. From one ex-student to another!

Work Experience

This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised by the amount of people who are interested in publishing and yet never do any sort of placement, even if it’s just for a few days. The truth is you’re not going to know if publishing’s for you unless you give it a try; the last thing you want is to apply for a job you think you’ll love, only to discover too late that you’ve never hated anything more.

Plus most placements will give you the opportunity to find out which area of publishing you’re the most interested in – you might go into a placement expecting to like Publicity and finding yourself enjoying Marketing more, and once you know that you have a better idea of which vacancies you should be keeping an eye out for!

And perhaps most importantly, work experience gives you the chance to network. You’ll never leave a placement without a few new contacts under your belt, and with any luck one of those contacts could eventually become your employer.

If you’re thinking ‘but I can’t afford to do unpaid work in London’ then you needn’t worry. Our office is based in Bridgend and there are plenty of independent publishers all over the UK, so have a snoop around – you never know what you might find just around the corner!

Get Involved

Do you have your own blog? Do you review the books you read? Have you written for your uni magazine? Are you involved in any societies?

Don’t worry, the answer to all those questions doesn’t have to be a resounding yes. The point I’m trying to make is make sure you get involved in things outside your lectures and use them to build up your CV. Who knows, the fact that you were the Vice President of the Belly Dancing Society might just single you out from the other applicants.

Basically, if you’re interested in being an editor, for example, it certainly wouldn’t hurt if you’d already done some editing for your local newspaper!

Be Realistic

I know from experience that those are the two words no student ever wants to hear, not when your friends and family are telling you that you can do anything. The truth is you can’t expect to go straight into a high-flying job, so don’t be put off if the only vacancies you can find are positions as Editorial Assistants or Marketing Assistants – we all have to start somewhere! Just get your foot in the door, and then you can work your way up to your dream job.

And if we’re being honest, isn’t that way more satisfying than getting everything handed to you on a plate?

Be Open-Minded

So you want to be an Editor, but the only vacancies you can find are in Publicity. Apply anyway! If you’ve done your fair share of work experience there won’t be anything about a different department that’s too alien or intimidating for you, and there’s always the chance that you’ll be able to move between departments. Alternately, you may find yourself enjoying the job you have more than the one you initially wanted!

Keep Trying

And lastly, getting a job in publishing can be hard. We all know that in this climate it’s not unheard of for more than a hundred people to be vying for one job. If you don’t get the job you wanted first time around it doesn’t mean you never will, just keep gaining work experience and keep applying. You’ll get there!

Good luck!