Jennie Scothern
Sheffield,South Yorkshire
Summary
Accomplished Production Controller with a background in Trade publishing, managing high-profile front lists, specialising in complex print products from children’s novelty to Licensing. Expert in end-to-end project life cycles, global supply chain management and strategic cost-saving initiatives. Highly skilled at managing complex co-edition print runs, stakeholder communications both in house and internationally. Recently pivoted to Higher Education administration, leveraging senior-level organisational expertise to optimise departmental workflows.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
3
3
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Senior Producer
Dorling Kindersely
London
2010.09 - 2015.02
- End-to-End Project Ownership: Efficient management of a busy, high profile Trade Front list- Managing titles from conception through to delivery whilst successfully keeping to budget & schedule.
- Highly skilled in costing projects, budgeting, scheduling, risk assessment & problem solving.
- Specialist Product Expertise: Experienced in production across a range of products including Pre-school, Children's novelty, Education, Licensing & Adult reference.
- Creative product development: Suggesting savings, alternative designs and print & bind options to achieve full potential from the original brief.
- Global relationship management: Excellent communicator, formed close working relationships with both global suppliers & colleagues within the business.
- Process improvement: Regularly reviewed departmental processes, assessing business requirements & creating more effective workflows.
- Line management & pastoral care: Monitoring workloads, authorising training, point of contact for queries & escalation of issues. Senior mentor to junior members of staff, providing training & support as well as guidance through goal setting & appraisals.
- Commercially aware: Knowledge of company print strategies, savings initiatives & digital developments.
- Recruitment: Actively involved in the interviewing & recruitment process. Daily support for senior management.
Biblio3 Process and Software trainer (Secondment)
Penguin Books
London
2013.02 - 2014.03
- Global training lead: Responsible for creating and providing Biblio3 system training across the global Penguin Group, delivering comprehensive training programmes to a range of departments including production, editorial, finance and sales.
- Content creation: Devised detailed training and process materials, focused on ensuring ease of understanding for all participants regardless of tech experience.
- Release Management: Coordinated the rollout of new training programmes & process documentation for regular system releases.
- International Coordination: Travelled to Munich office (DK Germany) to train the wider global production team, ensuring our workflows stayed consistent across different territories.
- Go to B3 expert: Main point of contact for system & process queries for the Penguin Group.
Production controller
Dorling Kindersley
London
2008.07 - 2010.08
- Managed an extensive backlist spanning a range of formats, working with numerous creative teams, publishers & customers- responsible for tendering out titles to new suppliers.
Production Assistant
Dorling Kindersley
London
2007.11 - 2008.06
- Ownership of backlist titles & ad hoc support for seniors & controllers.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Media Studies (2.1)
De Montfort University
Leicester 2003.09 - 2006.07
Skills
- Communication skills
- Project Management
- Negotiation skills
- Supplier management
- Problem-solving
- Budgeting and scheduling
- Process improvement
- Safety testing regulation knowledge
- Solid background in children's book production and co edition print runs
Recent professional experience
Academic Administration- University of Reading
Executive Support Administrator | Mar 2021- Jul 2023
Programme Administrator | Apr 2017-Jan 2019
Department Officer | Feb 2015- Apr 2017
- Workflow & Digital Transformation: Supported the Film, Theatre & Television department through a critical transition from physical to a digital submission system on Blackboard (VLE). Created comprehensive process documentation and provided technical guidance to both staff and students.
- Project & Event Logistics: Orchestrated large-scale departmental events (Symposiums, Open Days), managing end-to-end logistics including venue sourcing, third-party catering, tech set-up and travel/accommodation for international attendees.
- Quality Control & Compliance: Managed the academic life cycle for Postgraduate programs from admissions through to graduation. Onboarding new students, moderating coursework submissions, coordinating marking deadlines, escalating student concerns to relevant departments and ensuring the accurate entry of examination data into the VLE system.
- Financial Administration: Handled the departments day-to-day finances using Agresso. Processed expenses and invoices, monitored project spends and student stipends. Produced accurate monthly reports both allowing academics a snap shot of project budgets and ensuring Finance had a clear and accurate view of departmental spending.
- Stakeholder Liaison & Communications: Main point of contact for the department, bridging communications between external examiners, senior academics, and students. Managed a wide range of queries and issues. Looked after the departmental websites (CMS) ensuring all public facing and marketing materials were accurate and up to date.
- Committee Work: Active member of the Athena Swan 2022 Application Committee, contributing to the successful attainment of the Silver Award through meticulous data tracking and report preparation.
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Biblio3 Process and Software trainer (Secondment)
Penguin Books
2013.02 - 2014.03
Senior Producer
Dorling Kindersely
2010.09 - 2015.02
Production controller
Dorling Kindersley
2008.07 - 2010.08
Production Assistant
Dorling Kindersley
2007.11 - 2008.06
Bachelor of Arts - Media Studies (2.1)
De Montfort University
2003.09 - 2006.07