Key Account Executive - Non Trade (6 month FTC)

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 12 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, Bookouture and Dialogue Books. 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 Hodder Education 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

This is a varied role working with multiple members of the non trade team and it a great opportunity to gain experience across a number of channels.  The role includes the following:

• Customer communication is a must for this role. Replying to customers within our SLAs and with a professional tone is critical.
• Complete administrative tasks required by customers including gathering information/material and completing information forms.
• Curating title selections to specific briefs for customers and wider team and maintaining the team CRM
• Support on accounts which require additional operational handholding, for example using supplier portals (must be adept and quick to learn on multiple systems and understand how they marry up to HUKD systems and processes seeking efficiencies wherever possible)
• Attend some customer meetings when required and build long-term customer relationships with lead to upselling and cross-selling, where reasonable and deliverable.
• Help organise, attend and follow up at Trade Fairs (Top Drawer and The Stationery Show)
• Oversees Gift Trade Sales inbox, ensuring efficient communication and excellent account management to customers as well as internal colleagues.
• Follow all Non Trade processes and protocols as advised by direct line manager and Sales Directors.
• Supporting the Gift Trade Sales team and wider Non Trade team with key accounts and take responsibility for long-tail orders and a suite of smaller accounts
• Keeping hachettegift.co.uk website up to date with new titles quarterly

Who we are looking for

• Excellent communicator, taking ownership of customer queries from initial enquiry to solution in a timely manner.  
• Highly organised -  able to juggle a volume of different queries, and enjoy working with numerous stakeholders.
• Presentation skills. Knowledge of powerpoint is a must. Edelwiess and Biblio skills would be beneficial.
• Team player. The right candidate has a growth mindset and will work in a supportive and fun team.
• Knowledge of Gift Trade and previous account management would be a plus.
• A passion for gifting is always a plus – knowing when a book is a birthday present on impulse or a puzzle is a moment to take time out for yourself. Loves design and package. 

Would suit someone keen to learn account management as a core skill, across a range of products including books, gifts, stationery and games.

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)
• 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