Head of Sales (12 month FTC)
What you’ll be doing
Reporting to the Orion Sales Director you will be responsible for maximising the sales and profitability for the Laurence King list.
You will be the go-to representative for key Gift section buyers for LKP Gift product list including Waterstones and try to expand the reach of LKP customer base by breaking into new markets.
Work closely with the LKP divisional heads at Orion to ensure the wider sales team have everything they need best represent the LKP list. The role would suit somebody with an exceptional knowledge of the Gift Market, particularly someone with knowledge of the non-book/games market and the flair to spot trends in the customer base and ability to translate that back to the business for IP and future publishing ideas.
Who we are looking for
The most successful candidates will demonstrate exceptional knowledge of the UK Gift Market, be an excellent communicator and have strong organisational skills, confidence working with multiple customers and internal stakeholders as well maintaining a consistent process for delivering orders via our warehouse. The ideal candidate will be creative and commercial, pay close attention to detail, have the ability to multitask and take initiative as well as being an excellent team player.
The key tasks of the role will include, but are not limited to the following:
- Attend all relevant internal meetings, including key LKP publishing meetings and leading some specific Gift product meetings where relevant.
- Attend and lead customer meetings, share findings of gift market activity in comms (team meeting, staff briefings, staff news etc)
- Organise & attend relevant Trade/Consumer Fairs (Top Drawer, Toy Fair, Spring Fair,etc.)
- Monitor monthly LKP sales to ensure all imprint targets are met.
- Identify and develop key brand strategies for LKP including building on IP and trend led publishing. Extend learnings to the wider Group, where relevant and appropriate.
Excellent Microsoft Office skills (especially Excel and PowerPoint) are essential and a comprehensive knowledge of the Gift product production process.
What we offer
Our staff are our greatest asset and our benefits reflect this. In addition to 28 days annual leave days per year + bank holidays, we have an extensive list of benefits that include: a wide-ranging training library, development programmes including mentoring, Cycle to Work vouchers, eye care vouchers, up to 70% off book purchases, a charity book shelf, 2 community days per year, many employee networks to join, summer hours (finishing at 1pm on Fridays during the summer months!), season ticket loans, rent deposit loans, generous pension schemes and much more!
The role will be based at our London or Sheffield office, with a blend of in-office (3 days) and homeworking (2 days) per week.
Who we are and what we do
For over 30 years, Laurence King Publishing's playful and eye-catching books, games and gifts have been capturing imaginations and expanding horizons in new and unexpected ways. In September 2020 Laurence King was acquired by Hachette UK and incorporated into the Orion Publishing Group, marking the start of an exciting new era for Laurence King. You can find out more about our mission statement and values here: https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/imprint/orion/page/about-orion/
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