Head of Sales - Fiction and One More Chapter

To own and drive the performance of the division in the home market. Reporting to the Home Sales Director, you will be responsible for the day to day management of the Fiction sales team, and play a key role in ensuring the commercial success of the divisions’ key authors and brands, from commercial PB’s across supermarket channels to maintaining an exceptional relationship with Waterstones across the Voyager and Borough lists.  

Key Accountabilities

• Accountability for the performance for all divisional titles and imprints, delivering on agreed growth targets and corporate objectives

• Responsibility for developing marcomms strategies with relevant teams, ensuring they are geared towards key retail stakeholders.

• Key role in developing divisional strategies with editorial teams, ensuring they are well informed of the ever-changing home retail landscape, and that ongoing publishing reflects these factors.

• Full responsibility for managing divisional print meetings alongside the Sales Director, Associate Publisher and Commercial Director.

• Proactive management of the divisional Key Account Manager, and Senior Key Account Executive.

• Working with the Sales Director to input figures into P&L’s, and negotiate advance levels alongside senior stakeholders within the division.

Results/Outcomes

• Deliver or exceed sales targets and other agreed objectives with a focus for profitable sales.

• Divisional publishing, sales and marketing strategies that drive growth; positive and constructive relationships with internal contacts – particularly publishing teams and business managers.

• Excellent customer relationships which foster collaboration and understanding, and drive business growth and profit

• Knowledge of the wider Group business to inform divisional activity; broad awareness of Group objectives and strategy across the wider teams.

Decision Making

You will be expected to act independently in terms of day-to-day activities within your divisional P&L (acquisitions, print/price decisions, other internal meetings etc).  You will manage budgets and targets in conjunction with the Home Sales Director and commercial/finance teams. 

Experience

• Experience as Sales Manager or above in publishing

• Proven record in handling major customers, and negotiating wider business deals.

• Strategic publishing/sales input (acquisitions, marketing etc)

• Working with publishing commercial tools (title P&Ls, budgets etc) 

• Experience in a fiction-heavy and/or literary publishing house is desirable

Skills/Competencies

• A great salesperson: results-driven, entrepreneurial, strong on relationships, and able to adapt to customers’ requirements but also to push them to support our priorities

• Good communicator, in person and remotely (phone/email)

• Accountable for your own decisions and results, but able to share credit where it’s due and acknowledge and learn from mistakes

• Financially aware; able to make informed predictions and analyse results to inform future decision making

• Organised, able to prioritise, agile and quick to respond to customers and internal stakeholders alike

• A team player; effective with all colleagues, willing to help others where necessary, and contributing as widely as possible to our success.

• An example for others to follow: aware of your own impact, willing to hold others to high standards and able to give and receive regular constructive feedback, and to help to shape the organisation you would like to work for

Benefits

• Hybrid working model (2+ days in the office)

• 26 days holiday plus bank holidays (option to buy and sell holiday days)

• Enhanced pay for maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave

• Private healthcare cover and life assurance

• Free access to HeadSpace, employee assistance programme (24 hour helpline), mental health first aiders, and a wellbeing portal

• Season ticket loans (from day 1 for entry level) and cycle to work scheme

• Employee networks: HC All In (open forum), Elevate (for ethnic minority colleagues), HarperParents, Menopause at Work and Pride at HC

• Unlimited training on our Learning and Development portal, management courses (up to MA level) and mentoring programmes

• Virtual GP and eyecare vouchers

• Gym membership discount

• Onsite physiotherapy (London only)

• Charitable donation matching and volunteering day

• We're a certified Carbon Neutral company

• Free e-books and audiobooks, newspaper subscriptions and discounts on books

• Subsidised canteen and retail discounts

• Onsite prayer room

If you wish to discuss anything regarding this position and/or your application to this role, please reach out directly to our Talent Acquisition Manager at stephanie.jemmett@harpercollins.co.uk with subject heading ‘Vacancy Query’ plus the job title and we will aim to get back to you within 5 working days.