Sales Operations Assistant (9 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 10 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; Octopus, and Bookouture. 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 Hachette Learning 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

We are looking for a Sales Operations Assistant.

This role will be responsible, primarily, for creating retailer presentations to meet stakeholder deadlines and requirements.

Other responsibilities of the role include: 

• Liaising with colleagues across divisions to gather information to create presentations and order forms for the sales teams
• Working closely with distribution on author orders and signings 
• Working on reports required by a variety of internal and external stakeholders
• Handling customer queries and dealing with issues with professionalism and tact
• Assisting colleagues within the Sales Operations Team, as well as working on ad hoc projects. Dealing with ad hoc requests in a timely and efficient manner 

This role offers a fantastic opportunity to gain advantageous experience within the supply chain, distribution and the publishing industry and get to work in a friendly and dynamic working environment. We welcome applicants with publishing experience, but this is not essential. More important is your passion for delivering excellent customer service and a positive can-do attitude.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated individual to join the Sales Operations team.

Do you strive to provide outstanding service with a personal touch? Do you exceed expectations by taking ownership and being solution-focused? Can you build strong and trusted working relationships? If so, we would love to receive your application.

To excel in this role, you should possess the following qualifications and skills:

• Previous experience in a customer service role
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, with strong Excel skills
• Ability to work with different operational systems
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks efficiently while being able to adapt to changes in demand and prioritise
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Sound judgement and decision-making abilities
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Keen attention to detail to ensure accuracy in all processes
• Ability to thrive under pressure and meet deadlines
• A can-do attitude with an ability to work proactively and think ahead

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 AgeWise, Gender Balance, Thrive, Pride, All Together, Wellbeing and religious networks
• Season ticket loans
• 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.

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 your 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