Head of Sales, Ireland - UK Sales

Bloomsbury Publishing is looking for a Head of Sales, Ireland to lead a newly established sales team selling the Bloomsbury, Special Interest and Head of Zeus titles in to the territory of Ireland from 1st November 2023.

This newly created role presents an exciting opportunity for an experienced, enthusiastic and sales/profit hungry professional with a real passion for launching and growing the sales of titles from new and established authors, to lead the Irish sales team as part of the fast-growing, fast-moving and high-performing Sales Team of a top 5 UK publisher at a senior sales level.

Bloomsbury is known for some of the bestselling authors in the Irish market, including: J.K Rowling, Madeline Miller, Peter Frankopan, Johann Hari, Elodie Harper, Dan Jones, Sarah J. Maas, Katherine Rundell, and Samantha Shannon as well as Adam B., Sarah Crossan, Sinéad Crowley, Catherine Doyle, Nicole Flattery, Faith Hogan, Neil Jordan, Louise Kennedy, Colum McCann, Fintan O’Toole, Alice Ryan and Niall Williams

The Head of Sales, Ireland role will report in to the UK Sales Director responsible for the UK and Ireland Field Sales teams and will play a crucial part in the overall Bloomsbury growth strategy working closely in tandem with our wider sales team to lead our best in class sales people in delivering ambitious and sustainable sales, profit and market growth for authors across the lists.

As well as being the lead Bloomsbury contact for all Irish retailers across the territory you will be the contributing voice representing the Irish market internally in wider sales team discussions for proposed new title acquisitions and retailer plans. Taking a lead in proposing author and retailer events will be key.

The successful candidate will have a comprehensive knowledge of the Irish market and will have a recent track record of sales growth in their retail accounts to date. They will be a confident communicator keen to work collaboratively with internal and external contacts to further grow our sales and market share in line with Bloomsbury’s exciting overall future growth plans.

The role will have 2 direct reports; Key Account Manager, Ireland and Sales Assistant, Ireland and will require periodic trips to our London office (likely 4 times a year).

Both the Head of Sales, Ireland and the Key Account Manager, Ireland will be based at home with the Sales Assistant, Ireland based in our London Bedford Square office.

A company car will be supplied with this role.

The role

• Bloomsbury and Head of Zeus sales lead for Ireland
• Bloomsbury and Head of Zeus lead contact for Irish retailers
• Leading title and publishing plans and their representation to territory of Ireland in conjunction with Key Account Manager, Ireland and head office contacts
• Complete ownership of the sell in process to accounts and responsibilities for negotiating promotional slots, prices and retail/marketing spend
• Key voice in the Bloomsbury and Head of Zeus title acquisitions process, providing territory market analysis and context to UK & Ireland title acquisition discussions
• Build collaborative working relationships with HO based sales teams to maximise information flow into and out of the territory including working especially closely with Marketing & PR to maximise building of pre-orders and continued sell through of promoted titles
• Provide regular detailed feedback and dialogue regarding seasonal strategies for the territory
• Advisor on suitability for Irish market in terms of format/cover/RRP and any other relevant points
• Contribute to annual strategic reviews of key accounts’ business with Bloomsbury and make tailored recommendations to drive sales and inform strategic customer plans.
• Covering for and supporting colleagues where necessary.
• Troubleshooting
• Direct reports x 2

Knowledge, skills and experience 

Negotiation skills

• Presentation skills
• Experience of selling to a major high street account
• Experience of people management
• Highly numerate and comfortable with forecasting, budgeting and data analysis
• Experienced in selling multi publishing formats to all channels including Trade, Non-Trade and Online
• The interpersonal skills necessary to develop and sustain effective relationships internally, and on behalf of the Company with external bodies and with its suppliers
• Able to identify and highlight potential obstacles to achieving objectives and propose solutions where appropriate
• Leads by example and possesses a high degree of integrity
• Possesses a high level of resilience and drive, able to be flexible and change direction as required
• Can juggle a busy workload and multitask
• Excellent communicator who is confident in dealing with people at all levels, both in person and over email with excellent attention to detail and a focus on efficiency at all times
• Experience of multi-tasking and prioritising a busy work-load with competing demands on your time
• Ability to adapt to changing daily tasks
• Proficient with systems such as Biblio, Nielsen, Cognos and Vista
• Strong IT skills, particularly Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Teams

Additional information

The role is a full-time permanent position

The role will be based at home in Ireland

Please apply with a CV and covering letter addressed to Human Resources (Word or PDF format only) via the ‘APPLY NOW’ button detailing how you meet the requirements outlined above for this role by Wednesday 28th June 2023.

Bloomsbury reserve the right to close the role early if we exceed the required number of applications

Bloomsbury Benefits

As well as a fantastic opportunity to join a global award-winning organisation, Bloomsbury offers the following competitive benefits package:

Holidays

• 25 days holiday
• 3.5 days Christmas company holiday

Standard Bloomsbury Benefits package (except where a specific benefit is only available within the UK):

Two paid Personal Wellness Days

Flexible Fridays – take Friday afternoon off by working an additional 3 hours and 45 minutes earlier in the week

Season Ticket Loan

Share save Scheme

In-house Doctor

Eye care Voucher Scheme

Company culture – Employee Voice Meetings, Staff Networks (Bloom (BAME), Accessibility, Mental Health, Pride, and Parents, Guardians and Carers) and 8 Mental Health First Aiders trained across the UK offices, Publishing Events and access to free Publishing Resources

For additional benefits see below

Bloomsbury is a place where anyone of any background, race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, gender identity, age, ability, or socio-economic status can thrive, feel comfortable, and be heard and accepted. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

We are willing to make any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please flag to the recruitment team if required

Applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK.

The Company

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Bloomsbury Publishing is a leading independent publishing house, established in 1986, with authors who have won the Nobel, Pulitzer and Booker Prizes, and is the originating publisher and custodian of the Harry Potter series. Bloomsbury has offices in London, New York, New Delhi, Oxford and Sydney. Within Bloomsbury’s Academic division, it publishes under Bloomsbury, as well as under a number of prestigious and historic imprint names. Read Our Story for how it all began. 

 Bloomsbury is committed to creating a working environment that stimulates creativity and collaboration, is respectful of difference, is inclusive and ethical in its practice, and promotes well-being. We are determined to nurture and develop our employees to reach their highest potential, and we know that our success is down to the passion, commitment and hard work of our talented people. We recognise the urgent need to attract and support applicants from all backgrounds and identities to become part of the global publishing industry, allowing diverse voices to reflect and shape our culture and society.

Please read more on our Missions and Values here.

Please read our environmental policy here.