Head of European Sales (12-month FTC)

We’re an international sales team who take our books to English readers across the world.

We’re privileged to sell a wealth of authors such as Philip Pullman, Richard Osman, Yotam Ottolenghi, James Patterson, Jamie Oliver, Margaret Attwood, Dan Brown and Michael Lewis, as well as wonderful brands such as Bluey, Peppa Pig, Ladybird and classics from Vintage, Puffin and Penguin.

We’re looking for parental cover for our Head of European Sales role. The role works in partnership with our two Sales Directors who over-see the direct selling of our titles and together, they create a strategy to increase our sales and build relationships with customers in one of our biggest, most vibrant and fastest growing markets. The team work with on frontlist and catalogue, across genres such as literary fiction, romantasy, smart thinking and business.

A collaborative spirit is fundamental to this role; we need someone who can work with our customers and various colleagues across our business We want someone who takes the time to understand the needs of our customers, and that of our publishing, to finds creative ways to bring the two together so we can sell more books. The role will report into the international sales director and work directly with our European Sales Teams (based both here and in the market).

Key responsibilities:

• To understand the breadth of opportunity in Europe and support our sales teams to take the best books, in the best way, to our customers.
• Work with the Sales Directors to creatively increase the merchandising and sales in the many countries we service
• Use market feedback and sales data to determine our strategy in countries such as Germany, Spain, Sweden and beyond.
• Work with our International communications team to identify opportunities for author events, exclusive editions, and advertising campaigns in certain areas of Europe.
• Work with publishing colleagues to broaden their knowledge of the opportunities for us in Europe and to think about this area in the same breadth that they do the UK

What you’ll bring

Essential criteria:

• A strong understanding of international sales within the publishing industry.
• Extensive people management experience and skills.
• First class communication skills – both verbal and written.
• Excellent influencing skills along with the ability to build long-term relationships.
• Superior negotiation skills combined with a personable manner.

Application instructions

Please apply with your CV and cover letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 11:59pm on Thursday 12th June.

Please ensure you include a cover letter, as it is a crucial part of our assessment process. The cover letter offers an opportunity to show how your experience and interests align with the role requirements. Typically, we expect the cover letter to be no more than one or two pages in length.

Salary

£65,000 - £75,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.

What you can expect from us

Our people are the heart of our business, and we work hard to support a culture of responsibility and recognition.

Hybrid working

While our offices across the UK are places to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, we recognise that flexibility around where you work is just as important. For this role we expect that you will work from our office in London 3 days per week.

About Penguin

We’re the UK’s largest publisher; made up of some 2,000 people and publishing over 1,500 books each year. Our doors are open to all kinds of talent. In a constantly evolving industry, we work hard to stretch the definition of the word publisher. Here, you’ll work with a breadth of talent who all play their part to make each of our books a success. Together, we make books for everyone because a book can change anyone.

The recruitment process

As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we offer interviews to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for the role, and opt-in on their application form.

We encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing PRHCareersUK@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable to for us to support your request.

Please note, we are not able to accept agency CVs for this role. Any CVs sent speculatively will not be eligible for a fee.

Company: The Random House Group Limited 

Country: United Kingdom 

State/Region: London 

City: London 

Postal Code: SW11 7BW 

Job ID: 280244