Operations Manager - Lead Operational Excellence Across Publishing & Print

About us

At Wonderbly, our mission is to connect the world together through our special gift books. We make personalised books that inspire boundless self-belief in children and celebrate love in all kinds of relationships. Our books have allowed over ten million readers to see themselves as the centre of their own stories.Wonderbly is an award-winning brand, now part of the Penguin Random House Group, operating at the intersection of print-on-demand, personalisation, and D2C e-commerce. We have just been nominated for UK Publisher and UK Children's Publisher of the Year in 2025 by the British Book Awards, having won the latter in 2021.This is a group role spanning both Wonderbly and Historic Newspapers, giving you the unique opportunity to work across two innovative businesses within the Penguin Random House Group.

We're looking for a sharp, solutions-focused Operations Manager to join our team and play a central role in delivering high-quality products through our third-party manufacturing partners. This is a brilliant opportunity to take real ownership of process improvement, performance optimisation, and product delivery on a global scale.

Third-Party Manufacturing Oversight

• Day-to-day management of external print and production partners, ensuring standards are consistently met and exceeded.
• Identify and implement improvements that enhance efficiency, and maintain quality.
• Build strong, collaborative relationships across the manufacturing network.
• Assist Senior Shipping Manager on development and management of relationships with 3P shipping partners
  

Performance & Commercial Accountability

• Manage and report on key KPIs such as defect rates and manufacturing speed, providing regular updates both internally and externally.
• Support cost of goods (COGS) management through clear insight and analysis.
• Support on capacity and forecast planning to ensure production readiness at all times.

New Product Development & Rollouts

• Drive the operational launch of new book formats and finishes, ensuring seamless integration with our production partners.
• Act as an Operations point of contact in the global rollout of new titles, supporting wider teams across the business.
• Oversee the onboarding and set-up of new printhouses, ensuring they meet our standards from day one.

Project & Tender Management

• Work on cross-functional projects from planning through to delivery, ensuring timelines and quality benchmarks are met.
• Support the Operations Leadership in tender processes with data and accuracy.

Analysis, Reporting & Communication

• Own departmental performance reporting and ensure KPIs are well understood across the business.
• Confidently lead regular meetings with external partners and internal stakeholders.
• Use data to inform decisions, identify areas for improvement, and present compelling updates to senior leadership.
• Be a dependable point of contact for customer service queries related to production and fulfilment.
• Maintain a keen eye for detail and a strong grasp of operational metrics.

• Proven experience managing third-party suppliers - ideally in print, publishing, or FMCG.
• Excellent communication skills and an ability to present to senior stakeholders with clarity and confidence.
• Highly proficient in Excel and Google Workspace
• Looker experience is a bonus.
• Analytical, well-organised, and comfortable juggling multiple priorities.
• Prior experience in a business environment where Q4 is a peak period is desirable

Why Join Us?

This is a fantastic opportunity to take the reins of a key operational function within a fast-paced, creative environment. You'll work closely with talented teams, contribute to exciting new product launches, and play a pivotal role in shaping the operational backbone of a growing, global brand.

If you're commercially-minded, detail-oriented, and eager to make a real impact, we'd love to hear from you.

You should join Wonderbly because of the work we do. We're on a mission to bring our meaningfully personalised products to everyone around the world. You'll be surrounded by inclusive, diverse and self-motivated people inspired by this exciting mission.

We're a profitable and responsibly run, B-Corp certified business. We have clear processes with sensible expectations and are always looking to improve. We have a strongly supportive and inclusive culture and are still small enough for individuals to make a big difference.

We have exciting growth plans, we want to create deeper connections between customers and their important relationships into the heart of our books.

On top of that, you can expect:

- Competitive salary + bonus

- 5 weeks per year remote working (anywhere you like!)

- 28 days holiday, plus 8 bank holidays

- Hybrid working (3 days per week in office, 2 days remote)

- Pension scheme with matched contributions

- Mental Health support with Spill

- 1 fully paid charity day per month

- £500 per year budget to spend on courses and books with Learnably

- Health insurance to keep you and your family in tip-top shape

- Subsidised Gym membership

- Lunch and Learn sessions with inspiring speakers on various topics

- A dog friendly studio based near Kings Cross

- Regular socials (theatre trips, restaurants and our legendary in studio soirees every 4 months)

At our studio there is:

- Shower, secure bike storage (we are also part of the Cycle To Work scheme)

- Heaps of snacks, drinks, and comforts in our fully-stocked kitchen

- Group yoga / walking and other fun stuff

- Clubs for bookworms, runners, gardeners, aspiring poets and much more