Commercial Operations Assistant

We are currently seeking a highly organized and dynamic person to fill this post at our London office.

The role is central to the commercial department, working with team members in sales, marketing, operations and rights, as well as liaison with colleagues in production, editorial and accounting departments.  You will have a varied task load which includes uploading files, collating metadata, emailing trade customers maintaining book title records, monitoring sales, responding to permissions requests and presenting ebook sales data to the whole publishing team, among other things.  You will be a highly organised, computer literate and tech-savvy individual who has close attention to detail, is good at building relationships with colleagues and customers and who wants to work at the business end of the publishing industry.  

Job Purpose

To support the Commercial Director with eBooks, rights, special sales, digital printing, permissions, BiblioLive and any other tasks as necessary.

Principal Responsibilities

• Responsibility for eBooks: including uploading files to Faber Dashboard, metadata collation, sales tracking and analysis, presenting analysis to the Publishing team, categorizing eBooks on the SPCK website, submitting titles for eBook promotion for Kindle, Nook and Apple.

• Lead responsibility for co-ordinating files, metadata and sales reporting of digital printing programmes, e.g. Lightning Source, Amazon POD, Baker & Taylor, Eden, Magzter etc. for Print-on-Demand, also supplying files to Gardners, Twelve Baskets, Logos Bible Software. Logging monthly digital sales data into the master list.

• Helping to implement and subsequently maintain the new BiblioLive bibliographic title management system, due to go live January 2015.

• Administrative duties in the Commercial department, including responsibility for the PPP (publishing scheduling document).

• Receive and administer Permissions requests including managing permissions agency accounts.

• Loading back cover copy endorsements onto the Amazon Advantage account.

• Rights: creating AIs for sales conferences and international book fairs e.g. Frankfurt Book Fair, following-up book fair interest, sending out books to potential rights buyers and contractual copies of translations and co-editions. Attendance at book fairs as necessary.

• Stock Valuation and follow-up tasks including contacting authors to offer discounted remainders, arranging spares to go to charity TBN.

• Putting through bulk orders: e.g. for Non-UK customers, for discounted books from the scrap list, and other liaison with Macmillan for other members of the Sales team.

Personal qualities

• Excellent organisational and communication skills
• Enthusiasm, dynamism and energy
• Ability to create and nurture effective working relationships at all levels
• Willingness to tackle the ‘hands-on’ aspects of the role
• Excellent attention to detail
• Ability to prioritise

Skills, knowledge and experience.

The following are essential:

• Excellent IT skills, especially Excel, and the ability to learn and work with various different computer systems for uploading files, title updates, stock maintenance
• Aptitude for creating effective relationships – this role works closely with all other departments of the publishing company and has key external partnerships
• Methodical approach to work, able to prioritise urgent work but get the administrative tasks done to original deadlines
• Aptitude for business and commercial matters
• Enthusiasm for the books we publish, and knowledge of the market

The following are desirable:

• Experience in commercial departments of other industries or publishing sales/editorial/rights departments (including internships)
• Experience of computer technology as this role includes using various proprietorial computer systems for uploading files, monitoring sales, monitoring stock, maintaining title records.

Knowledge of the Christian and book (both print and digital) markets 

Contact Details:

To apply, please email your CV and covering letter to:

Commercial Director

SPCK Publishing

36 Causton Street

London SW1P 4ST

Email: jobs@spck.org.uk