Sales Operations Manager (Product)

Who we are and what we do

About Hachette UK

Hachette UK is a creative powerhouse and the UK's second largest book publishing group. Our mission is to make it easy for everyone to discover new worlds of ideas, learning, entertainment and opportunity.

We're made up of 11 autonomous publishing divisions and over 60 imprints with a rich and diverse history and an incredible range of authors. We're also the market leader in e-books and publish a range of bestsellers in audio format, the fastest growing part of our business.

Our award-winning adult publishing divisions are Orion, which won Publisher of the Year at the 2021 British Book Awards; Little, Brown; John Murray Press; Hodder & Stoughton; Headline; Quercus; Octopus, and Bookouture. They publish fiction and non-fiction in digital, audio and print format, from the world's best and most diverse authors, including Brit Bennett, Candice Carty-Williams, Martina Cole, Michael Connelly, John Grisham, Stephen King, Stieg Larsson, Nelson Mandela, Stephenie Meyer, Maggie O'Farrell, Delia Owens, Ian Rankin, J.K. Rowling, Colson Whitehead, and Malala Yousafzai. Hachette Children's Group publishes a wide and vibrant range of books for children across all age ranges, while Hachette Learning is a market leader in resources for both primary and secondary schools.

Hachette UK is part of Hachette Livre, the world's third largest trade and educational publisher. As well as our headquarters in Carmelite House, London, and our state-of-the-art book distribution centre in Didcot, Oxfordshire, we have recently opened five new offices in Manchester, Bristol, Sheffield, Newcastle, and Edinburgh. The UK region also includes offices in Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, the Caribbean, and Ireland.

It's an exciting time to join our business because the publishing market continues to grow and thrive. The UK remains the largest exporter of physical books in the world and book adaptations for film and TV are the foundation of the UK's creative industries.

What you'll be doing

We have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and detail-oriented individual to join our Group Sales Operations department as a Sales Operations Manager (Product).

Reporting to the Head of Sales Operations, this pivotal role works across eight Hachette Publishing divisions providing a vital link between the Divisions, UK Sales and Hachette Distribution.

Your responsibilities:

• Monitor metadata readiness for Sales presentations and feeds to Sales systems, working with Editorial Operations within the publishing divisions
• Serve as a source of system expertise and guidance across Hachette for Edelweiss
• Provide management and guidance for event stock ordering and on-site author signings in close liaison with multiple teams across the business
• Manage data for a key US sales partner, including uploading data, preparing conference presentations, and resolving feed issues in collaboration with others
• Provide day to day direction and support for a team of three who are responsible for diverse sales operations tasks, making sure their work meets the needs of the business
• Manage and support your team, making sure everyone performs well, gets chances to grow, and has the right support when needed

Who we are looking for

We are looking for a highly motivated individual to join the fast-paced central Sales Operations team.

You’ll be passionate about books and be focussed on getting our products in front of Retailers and ultimately into the hand of readers.

If you love smart processes, enjoy digging into systems, and take pride in making things work better, this role is for you.

Demonstrable experience in these areas is key:

• A relevant background in Operations in publishing
• As you’ll be line managing 3 talented operations team members, people-management or substantial supervisory experience
• The ability to show sound judgement and take charge when needed
• Be able to establish strong rapport with colleagues across all levels
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with a focus on Customer Service
• You’re quick to solve problems and can juggle shifting priorities when things change or evolve
• Comfortable working with a wide range of stakeholders, able to communicate decisions clearly and succinctly

What we offer

Our staff are our greatest asset, and our benefits reflect this:

• 28 annual leave days per year, increases to 29 days after 2 years' service and goes up to 30 days after 5 years' (+ bank holidays)
• Private medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Generous pension schemes
• Rent deposit loans
• 2 community days per year
• Summer hours (finishing at 1pm on Fridays during the summer months)
• Retail discounts through Hachette rewards
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Eye care vouchers
• Wide-ranging training library
• Development programmes (including mentoring)
• Up to 70% off book purchases
• A charity bookshelf
• 12 Staff-led employee networks that are voluntary, including Gender Balance, Thrive, Pride, All Together, Wellbeing and religious networks
• Season ticket loans
• And much more!

The role will be based at our London office, Carmelite House, with a blend of in-office (3 days) and homeworking (2 days) per week.

Our commitment

Hachette employs people on the basis of their abilities. We aim to attract and develop talent from a base as broad as the world of readers we want to reach, with a wide and representative range of age, faith, disability, race, gender, sexuality and socio-economic, regional and cultural backgrounds.

If you are shortlisted and need us to make any adjustments to help you attend for interview, please let us know.

The Book Trade Charity offers financial support to people looking to enter the book trade but who may struggle to afford the costs of attending interviews and undertaking junior roles. For more information visit www.booktradeentrysupport.org