Key account director - non-trade

Closing date for applications: 3 November 2025

Salary: £48,000 -£50,000 dependent on experience and location (+bonus +benefits)

Location: 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

From managing key accounts and developing new business to shaping sales strategy, you'll play a key role in driving growth at one of the UK's top publishers.

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. 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 commercially focused sales professional to join an enthusiastic and driven non-trade (NT) team. Working across the whole of the HUK Group on a wide portfolio of books, games, gifts and stationery but with a specific focus on lifestyle and children's products you will have the opportunity to create and shape product for the non-trade market. There will be direct account management but you will also be actively seeking out new business within the UK discount market and developing brand partnerships and business-to-business (B2B) opportunities.

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

• Seeking new accounts within the UK discount retail market
• Researching and developing new business opportunities for brand partnerships and B2B
• Managing the sales and profit margin for intellectual property (IP) and custom projects to discounter and promo sales channels
• Building relationships with key editorial contacts to drive profitable custom projects across group for UK NT customers and channels to ensure we deliver and exceed budget
• Attending key divisional meetings, as appropriate, to optimise non-trade opportunities including acquisitions and print sign-offs
• Working alongside relevant team leads for brands, backlist and series to find new opportunities for existing authors and titles through non-trade channels including backlist reissues, custom publishing and IP projects

Who we are looking for

We are looking for someone who is excited about selling with a proven track record of commercial success., ideally with a strong background in illustrated or children's book publishing. You will have a solid understanding of the publishing process, preferably within a non-trade or special sales team. You will need to actively engage with a wide range of internal stakeholders, to be proactive and forward thinking making the most of every situation and able to implement change if required. With a good understanding of consumer trends and relevant market knowledge, you will be able to develop product for key brands across multiple formats.


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)
• Private medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• 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!

Our commitment

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

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.

Please state in your application that you found this role through Creative Access.