Manager, contracts & business affairs

Closing date for applications: 23 November 2025

Salary: £38,000 - £43,000 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

Step behind the scenes of a publishing powerhouse, drafting and negotiating the contracts that bring bestselling stories and fresh voices to life.

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.

Little, Brown's identity is personified by innovative, dynamic and free-thinking people. Across thirteen imprints, you won't find a wider range of titles anywhere in UK publishing. We pride ourselves on quality and diversity. A repeat recipient of the Publisher of the Year award, we're one of the most successful and dynamic publishers in the UK. 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

Reporting to the senior manager, contracts & business affairs, the successful candidate will work across Little, Brown Book Group (LBBG), working closely with their colleagues in the LBBG contracts team providing support including:

• Ensure contracts are drafted and negotiated to high standards working within company policy and KPIs
• Advise editorial and publishing teams on contractual elements of acquisitions
• Draft and review contracts, and negotiate amendments as needed
• Draft, check and amend other contractual paperwork, including addenda, novations, reversions and cancellations
• Handle internal and external contract queries
• Take part in IP creation projects in an advisory role
• Assist in training and developing junior colleagues in the team, including potential line management
• Build and maintain successful working relationships with colleagues at all levels of the contracts & business affairs department, Little, Brown Book Group, and other relevant HUK teams

The above list is not exclusive or exhaustive and the job holder may be required to undertake such other duties as may reasonably be required.


Who we are looking for

• Proven experience in contracts (or business affairs/legal) in the publishing, media or entertainment sectors
• Advanced drafting skills
• Ability to conduct effective negotiations
• Thorough understanding of copyright and contract law; relevant knowledge of other intellectual property law e.g. trademarks.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Office 365
• Knowledge of, or aptitude for, relevant applications/systems
• Commercial awareness and financial literacy
• Ability to communicate and build positive working relationship with contacts at all levels

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.