Product Manager – Accessible Publishing

Posted on 27/04/2026

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Vacancy ID:
718
Closing Date:
18 May 2026
All Locations:

Reading
All Locations is a required field
All Teams:

SISS
All Teams is a required field
Salary
From £40,000
Contract Type:
Permanent
Directorate:
Operations
Hours Per Week:
35
Contract Duration:
Not Specified

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Product Manager – Accessible Publishing

About The Role
Shape Inclusive Publishing. Open the World of Reading.

Are you a publishing professional who believes books should be accessible to every child?
Do you have the vision to lead a specialist publishing service that combines quality, innovation and social purpose?
Are you ready for a role where your publishing expertise can change young lives?

If so, we’d love to hear from you.

About the Role

Guide Dogs is seeking an experienced and motivated CustomEyes Service Manager to lead our in‑house children’s publishing service for young people with vision impairment. CustomEyes produces high‑quality large print and alternative format children’s books, unlocking access to reading and learning for children who might otherwise be excluded.

You will be responsible for shaping the direction of the service, expanding the range of available titles and ensuring high editorial and production standards throughout.

In this role, you will:

Lead and develop our alternative format children’s publishing programme

Work closely with publishers, rights holders and sector partners to secure and develop content

Oversee commissioning, production and quality assurance to deliver a high‑quality, cost‑effective offer

Identify opportunities to grow the service, innovate formats and respond to audience needs

Promote CustomEyes to partners, stakeholders, children and families

Above all, your work will ensure that children with sight loss can experience the joy, independence and possibility that reading brings.

Why Join Us?

This is a rare opportunity to apply your publishing skills in a role with real purpose. You’ll have the freedom to innovate, collaborate across the sector and lead a service that sits at the intersection of publishing, education and inclusion.

The role is based at our Head Office on the outskirts of Reading, with moderate travel and opportunities for home working where appropriate.

What We Offer

We’re committed to supporting our people as well as our mission. You’ll benefit from:

A generous pension scheme and annual leave

Life assurance

Enhanced pay for parenting and sickness leave

Employee Assistance Programme

Flexible benefits package

Discounts and cashback scheme

If you’re passionate about inclusive publishing, children’s books and using your expertise to make a meaningful difference, we’d love to hear from you.

Further details are available in the attached candidate pack and job description.
About You
About Us
If you want to know more about the teams who work at Guide Dogs, you can find it on our Careers Page

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Guide Dogs welcomes applications from all sections of the community and actively encourages diversity to maximise achievements, creativity and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment, regardless of age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or nationality.

We encourage applications from people with disabilities as they are currently under-represented in the organisation and guarantee an invitation to interview for all applicants with disabilities who demonstrate, within their application form, sufficient evidence to meet the essential criteria for the job.

If you are successful you will need to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK via our digital ID checking supplier; in addition, we cannot offer visa sponsorship at this time.

Safeguarding

Guide Dogs is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, young people and adults at risk of harm with whom we work. We expect all our employees and volunteers to fully share this commitment.

At Guide Dogs, we believe in fair and equitable hiring practices. A criminal record will not automatically disqualify an applicant from consideration for a position. Each case will be evaluated individually, taking into account the nature of the offense, its relevance to the role, and the time that has passed since the incident. We encourage all candidates to disclose relevant information, and we assure you that it will be handled confidentially and fairly.

Guide Dogs follow Safer Recruitment practices to ensure we are safeguarding the vulnerable people we work with. As part of this, we require a full work history with any gaps accounted for & a minimum of 2 professional referee details fully covering the past 5 years. If you are applying for a disclosure role, please note that you will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check and sign up to the DBS update service.

How to apply

You may have particular needs to be able to complete your application, If you would like support please contact our Recruitment Team on 0118 3540345 or [email protected]

As part of your application ensure you provide evidence and examples of how your skills & experience meet the criteria as set out in the attached job description.