Acquisitions Director, Children & Youth; Publishing

Description

For more than 60 years, Tyndale has helped readers discover the life-giving truths of God’s Word. Today we’re one of the largest independently owned Christian publishers in the world. Though our business has grown, our mission remains the same: to open God’s Word to as many as possible in language they can relate to and understand.

The Tyndale Kids Acquisitions Team is a collaborative, mission-focused group devoted to nurturing young hearts through exceptional Christian content. Together alongside a larger team of creative and technical professionals, we craft books and Bibles that encourage spiritual growth in children, teens, and families. If you’re energized by creativity, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence—and you long to make a lasting impact on the next generation—we invite you to consider joining our team.

As the leader of Tyndale Kids, you will shape and champion our vision to communicate biblical truth and foster a vibrant relationship with God through children’s literature. In this role, you’ll steer our publishing strategy, oversee and support an in-house team, and serve as the primary acquiring editor for kids’ books, Bibles, and multimedia resources. Your leadership will empower parents and caregivers, shape team culture, and ensure every project reflects Tyndale’s mission.

Thriving in this position calls for strategic thinking, strong cross-department collaboration, and a deep commitment to producing resources that enrich the spiritual lives of young readers.

What You ll Do

Leadership

• Direct the Tyndale Kids Team’s daily publishing operations, fostering a mission-driven team culture.
• Mentor team members to grow their skills, contributions, and impact.
• Develop long-term product plans for children’s books, Bibles, multimedia, and brand lines.
• Represent the Kids team internally and externally in alignment with broader publishing goals.

Acquisitions

• Serve as lead acquiring editor for children’s products.
• Identify, acquire and develop meaningful content with authors/agents that encourages spiritual growth.
• Manage proposal evaluation, market research, and competition analysis.
• Present acquisitions to Sales Forum and Publications Committee; negotiate contracts for approved products and support contract development.
• Stay current on children’s publishing trends and serve on a team of in-house market experts.
• Collaborate across departments to align on product vision and development.
• Foster and maintain key relationships with authors, agents, and ministry partners.
• Support author and ministry partner communication strategies alongside marketing and acquisitions teams.

Product Development

• Champion and guide projects throughout development with acquisitions and editorial, design, production, and publishing staff to ensure smooth publication.
• Manage product schedules, deadlines, and internal documentation (Pub Plans, costing, etc.).
• Oversee product design elements, descriptive copy and promotional materials; ensure timely approvals.
• Partner with Bible teams to ensure excellence in children’s and teen Bibles.
• Support annual planning and budgeting processes, including sales projections for children’s products.
• Oversee backlist development and identify line extension opportunities; lead development of ancillary and derivative products.
• Participate in sales conferences, ensuring marketing assets are prepared for all Kids products.

Skills and Qualifications Needed

Skills

• Leadership: Proven ability to lead teams toward strategic and mission-driven goals.
• Strategic Thinking: Skilled at crafting and applying multi-year publishing strategies.
• Teamwork & Relational
  
  Skills:
  
  Strong relational, interpersonal, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Written/Verbal Communication: Able to be clear, concise and persuasive in articulating product vision clearly to stakeholders and authors. Comfortable providing direction to authors, agents and colleagues.
• Market Insight: Adept at analyzing market trends, consumer data, and competitor products.
• Creativity & Innovation: Skilled in idea generation and product evaluation.
• Organization: Detail-oriented, capable of managing multiple complex projects simultaneously.
• Technical…