Channel Lead - The Happy Foodie (12m FTC)

About Penguin We’re the UK’s largest publisher; made up of some 2,000 people and publishing over 1,500 books each year. Our doors are open to all kinds of talent. In a constantly evolving industry, we work hard to stretch the definition of the word publisher. Here, you’ll work with a breadth of talent who all play their part to make each of our books a success. Together, we make books for everyone because a book can change anyone.

The role We have a new opportunity to join our Brand team as a Channel Lead on a 12-month fixed term basis to cover a period of parental leave. This role will be based at our Embassy Gardens office in London a minimum of 2 days per week. As Channel Lead, you will own the end-to-end user experience across the food, cuisine and recipe website channels in Penguin’s digital estate and will be the go-to person for ensuring our websites deliver the best possible experience for our readers and customers. You’ll take ownership of our food-interest websites, primarily The Happy Foodie, shaping everything from how people discover them to how they engage, shop and return. Reporting to the Senior Channel Lead, you’ll balance creativity with data, using digital analytics to understand what works, spotting opportunities for improvement and shaping user journeys that feel seamless and rewarding. You’ll partner closely with our content, marketing and development teams to make sure every digital touchpoint is not just functional, but exciting, secure and effective.

Some of your responsibilities include:

• Under the guidance of the Head of Digital Experience and Senior Channel Lead, drive food and cookery channel strategy to build best-in-class digital experiences for your websites.
• Manage the channel roadmap and backlog for your channels, prioritising features, optimising user journeys, and growing commercial results.
• Act as a key product owner with our inhouse digital development squad or external agencies as we identify opportunities, build digital solutions, and grow the capability of our digital channels and emerging products.
• Lead on discovery, requirement definition, solution design, user story writing and user acceptance testing.
• Manage the recipe database, identifying opportunities for expansion according to seasonal interest, new trends and audience need.
• Partner with content, brand, marketing, events and communications teams to roll out initiatives.
• Monitor and evaluate consumer experience performance to ensure constant iteration and improvements.
• Ensure your channels and future products meet security and data privacy standards.

What you’ll bring An experienced Digital Channels owner with digital marketing experience in defining, executing and continually improving owned channels. Experience of implementing a vision for digital channels (websites in particular). Experience of building web and/or ecommerce digital channels and solving consumer and business problems. Strong analytical, prioritisation and negotiating skills. Deep understanding of food, cookery and recipe marketing with experience crafting experiences to meet user needs in these areas.

Essential criteria: Agile practitioner experience (or equivalent) with Kan Ban or Scrum a plus.

Applications instructions Please apply with your CV and Cover Letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 23:59 on Monday 26th January. Cover letters are an important part of our assessment process. The cover letter offers an opportunity to show how your experience and interests align with the role requirements. Typically, we expect the cover letter to be no more than one or two pages in length. Please note we are looking for someone to join the team as soon as possible, but we are also happy to accommodate a reasonable notice period for the right candidate.

AI Here at Penguin, we believe in the power of authenticity and human creativity. When you apply for a position, we want to encourage you to showcase your unique voice. Throughout our recruitment process, please share your own thoughts, experiences, and skills. This helps us get a true sense of who you are and what you might bring to our team. We celebrate creativity and diverse perspectives, so please be yourself! While we recognise AI tools can be helpful, we recommend using them thoughtfully to ensure your responses reflect you.

Salary The salary band for this opportunity is c.£50,000 depending on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus scheme and benefits.

Hybrid working While our offices are places for you to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, we recognise that flexibility around where you work is just as important For this role we expect that you will work from our Embassy Gardens, London office a minimum of two days per week (typically Tuesday & Thursday).