Foreign rights assistant

Closing date for applications: Tuesday 27 October 2026 at 23:59pm

Department: Foreign Rights

Reporting To: Foreign Rights Manager

Working Hours: Full Time

Location: Vauxhall, London (Hybrid Post Probation)

Looking to start a career in publishing? Support the team that sells translation rights worldwide, helping books reach new languages and international readers.

Walker Books UK is part of the vibrant international Group that includes Candlewick Press, Holiday House and Peachtree and Walker Books Australia. Renowned for its truly original publishing and outstanding quality, the Walker Books Group is home to a wide range of children's and young adult books.

Award-winning authors and illustrators for the group include Angie Thomas, Sydney Smith, M.T Anderson, Patrick Ness, and Jon Klassen. We are also enormously proud to publish beloved family brands including Lucy Cousin’s Maisy, Michael Rosen’s We're Going on a Bear Hunt, Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram’s Guess How Much I Love You and Martin Handford’s Where’s Wally?

About the Role

This is a unique and varied entry-level opportunity for a self-motivated individual looking to work in Children’s Publishing and launch their career in Foreign Rights. Within this role, you will provide support to a busy and dynamic international Foreign Rights team selling rights worldwide. You will get the opportunity to be involved in a broad range of tasks and projects. You will use your initiative and multi-tasking skills in this pivotal role to support the sales and administrative needs of the Foreign Rights team and liaise closely with a number of internal teams such as design, editorial, production, publicity and marketing in a fast-paced environment. This is an exciting opportunity to work with the Walker Books Group on débuts, award-winning and best-selling children’s books with customers from all around the world, across a wide range of formats, such as picture books, non-fiction, novelty and major licensed brands.

Key Responsibilities

• Support sale fulfilment in assigned territories to account managers including:
  • Oversee fulfilment of foreign-language editions of our titles, from confirmation of order to shipping.
• Liaise with production, IT, Pre-press, Marketing and Business Affairs departments.
  • Maintain up-to-date records on progress of sales/print runs.
  • Follow up local publication dates and author copies, and update databases accordingly.
• Coordinate and submit printed marketing materials for international trade events.
• Provide administrative support to sales, including scheduling meetings, managing correspondence, and maintaining client records.
• Manage the department’s supply of finished copies, alongside two other team assistants
• Organise and update the Foreign Rights archive with finished copies, alongside two other team assistants
• Conduct market research and stay informed about industry trends and developments.
• Manage and support organise industry events, book fairs and sales trips, including:
  • Setting up the timetables for fair attendees;
  • Organising distribution of the leaflets to agents and in-house;
  • Manage administrative fair preparation tasks prior to attendance including the scheduling of pre or post fair presentation meetings with creative publishing teams.
• Subject to further role development, attending fairs and customer meetings abroad.
• Ad-hoc tasks as required

Please note the above is not an exhaustive list and does not necessarily include all the duties the job holder may have to perform. This job description may be amended to meet changing needs of the business.

Skills and Experience

To be successful in this role, you will be able to demonstrate evidence of the following skills and/or experience:

• Excellent interpersonal skills, have the confidence in communicating with other departments as well as foreign publishers.
• Excellent time-management, organisational and administrative skills.
• An ability to use initiative and work calmly under pressure with a ‘can-do’ / proactive approach to problem-solving.
• An ability to prioritise work given specific deadlines, juggling multiple projects and requests without close supervision, with meticulous attention to detail.
• An understanding of the importance of a sales support role in relation to customer service and business development.
• An ability to work collaboratively and make a positive contribution within a busy and dynamic international sales team.
• Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft office applications, in particular Microsoft Excel.
• Mathematical and analytical skills are advantageous, as well as a high standard of written English.
• An interest and understanding of foreign cultures; foreign language skills will be advantageous but not essential.
• An interest in international publishing would be advantageous, but no prior publishing experience is necessary in order to apply for the role.
• Highly self-motivated, enjoys working as part of a team, and also able to work independently.

What we offer:

• A supportive working environment where all voices are respected and creativity is not hierarchical
• Hybrid work (at least two days in the office per week) once you have successfully passed probation
• 22 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays and Christmas closure (with annual leave increasing with length of service up to 27 days)
• Enhanced Pension Scheme
• Health Insurance and Health Cash Plan
• Life Assurance
• Enhanced Maternity and Paternity Pay
• Access to an Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Plus, other great benefits!

All children deserve to see themselves, their families, and their communities represented in the books they read. As children’s book publishers, it is our goal to ensure that the books and content we publish authentically and joyfully reflect the world around us. As an employer, we are committed to creating and maintaining a supportive working environment where everyone is included, valued, and empowered to do their best and most creative work. As an equal opportunities employer, we welcome candidates from all backgrounds without regard to race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, sex, or any other characteristic protected by law and those not yet protected by law.

If you have any queries about this role or require any reasonable adjustments for your application or throughout the recruitment process, please let our team know by contacting us at recruitment@walker.co.uk.

Please note we reserve the right to close vacancies before the closing date where we have received sufficient applications. We recommend submitting your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

To apply

• Log in to your Creative Access account or register today to apply for this opportunity
• Upload your CV and cover letter as one document (applications without a tailored cover letter will not be accepted)
• Once submitted, you can no longer amend your application, so proof-read carefully
• Do not contact the company directly
• Please email any queries about this role to Creative Access at this address: recruit@creativeaccess.org.uk
• Please note you will receive an update on your application no later than 6 weeks after the closing date

This opportunity is part of Discover Creative Careers, a government-funded programme delivered by Creative Access, Creative UK and Futures for All. The programme is creating 550 paid opportunities across the UK creative industries over three years, helping to open up pathways into creative careers for young people and people from under-represented backgrounds.

We welcome and encourage applications from candidates who are under-represented in the creative industries. This includes individuals who identify as Black, Asian, or from other ethnically diverse backgrounds, or people of any ethnicity who belong to the following under-represented groups: disabled people, people with the characteristic of gender reassignment, individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, carers and asylum seekers.