Marketing executive - Activity, Non-fiction & Baby Books (maternity cover 12 months FTC, July start)

Closing date: 30th March 2025

Salary: £39,401 - £44,565 (depending on experience)

Role: This is a full-time maternity cover contract for 12 months, beginning July 2025.

Location: Farringdon, London

Usborne is looking for an experienced marketer who can hit the ground running for this fixed-term role.

Usborne is an independent, family business, creating books which spark curiosity in children of all ages. These range from books for babies such as the bestselling THAT’S NOT MY® series of touchy-feely books, to YA fiction from acclaimed authors such as Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Ravena Guron – with everything from Sticker Dolly Dressing to Philosophy for Beginners in between. Whilst the company is now a market-leader in children’s publishing and one of the best-known brands in children’s books globally, the company retains a friendly and familial feel. If you want to work somewhere close-knit enough for people to know your name, but which has a first-class reputation around the world, Usborne is the place for you.

The Brand & Marketing department incorporates UK and US Marketing and Publicity teams, a Digital Marketing team, and Global Branding & Content Creation. The UK/US Marketing Team supports the Trade Sales Teams, our US distributor HarperCollins US, and their customers, by creating meticulously crafted campaigns that stimulate demand for Usborne books. From sales materials for trade accounts to consumer-facing activities encouraging families to discover Usborne books, this team plays a vital role in getting Usborne books into the hands of children across the UK and US.

As a fixed-term contract role we are looking for an experienced marketer who can hit the ground running and is keen to get stuck into campaigns promoting some of the biggest children’s brands in the UK. This role is ideal for someone who is looking to develop their marketing skills and immerse themselves in an experienced team at a publisher which is synonymous for the best books for children.

Focusing solely on Usborne’s award-winning children’s activity, non-fiction and baby books, including the bestselling THAT’S NOT MY® and Sticker Dolly Dressing series, you will be working closely and collaboratively with other marketers and publicists, our in-house team of writer/editors, and the UK and US Trade Sales teams, to plan and execute impactful title-led, thematic and seasonal campaigns which demonstrate a deep knowledge of the books and their audience, leading to increased book sales.

Knowledge, skills and experience

• A minimum of two years’ experience in a similar role, independently planning and executing marketing campaigns for a range of books.
• Demonstrate a high level of creativity and an energy for coming up with novel approaches.
• A detailed and diligent approach to planning and executing multiple campaigns running concurrently.
• In-depth knowledge of the publishing process.
• Great market knowledge with an up-to-date understanding of the book trade and trends, and excellent audience insight.
• Enthusiasm for working collaboratively as part of a dynamic, close-knit team.
• Able to take the initiative, think laterally and solve complex problems.
• A willingness to adapt and change direction as required by the ever-changing landscape of trade publishing.
• As with all marketing roles, excellent interpersonal and communication skills are essential, along with impeccable attention to detail and excellent organisational skills.

Location and benefits

We offer a 35-hour working week from our offices in London (nearest tube: Farringdon).

After a short initial induction period we offer a hybrid working model of 3 days in the office and 2 days working from home which we feel optimises our opportunities for collaboration and contact with our colleagues. Wednesdays are our core office day, when all staff are in the office.

In addition to our transparent salary grading structure, for this role we also offer a range of benefits which include:

• 25 days paid holiday entitlement plus bank holidays
• Industry-leading Pension Scheme and Life Assurance
• Employee Assistance Programme through Health Assured and Mental Health First Aiders
• Healthcare cashback scheme
• Virtual GP service
• Paid Volunteering Day
• Rewards and discounts on services and shopping
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• 75% discount on Usborne books

Recruitment process

If you applied for our Fixed Term Marketing Executive role in early January of this year, we will unfortunately not be able to consider your application for this role.

After an anonymised shortlisting process, we anticipate first interviews taking place over MS teams in April 2025, followed by a task and second round interviews in person shortly afterwards.

We are looking for the successful candidate to commence the role in early July 2025.

Please let us know if you require reasonable adjustments at any point during the application and/or recruitment process.

AI notice

We kindly ask that you refrain from using any AI tools for your application.

Whilst AI is undoubtedly a useful tool in some instances, we need to see that you're able to demonstrate your ability to originate ideas and write them in a compelling manner, not just generate them using a tool.

Therefore, any suspected AI usage may result in your application being rejected.

Usborne is dedicated to building a diverse taskforce that reflects the wide range of communities that read our books globally. Decisions are made based on the individual’s skills and experiences and we particularly encourage applications from underrepresented demographics in Publishing.

We are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role and therefore applicants must have the right to live and work in the UK.

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