Sales assistant

Closing date for applications: Sunday 15th March 2026

Salary: £27,000

Location: Vauxhall, London (Hybrid Post Probation)

Department: Sales

Reporting To: UK Sales Director

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Hours: Full Time

From sales reporting to campaign coordination, this is your chance to build a career in children’s publishing at one of the industry’s most respected names.

Walker Books UK is part of the vibrant international Group that includes Candlewick Press, Holiday House and Peachtree in the USA 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?

We are looking for an enthusiastic and highly organised Sales Assistant to support our UK Trade and Specials Sales teams. This is an entry-level role offering an excellent introduction to sales and commercial operations within children’s publishing.The Sales Assistant will provide essential administrative and customer service support for the sales teams. They will work closely with the Campaigns and Editorial teams and act as a key point of contact for our external field sales representatives. This role is ideal for someone keen to build a career in publishing sales and develop a broad understanding of how books are taken to market.

Key responsibilities

Sales & Administrative Support

• Provide day-to-day administrative support to the UK Trade and Specials Sales teams
• Assist with sales reporting, data entry, and other administrative duties related to the sales process
• Support the preparation of sales presentations, account materials, and internal documents
• Help track orders, pricing, availability, and promotions across accounts

Campaigns & Marketing Collaboration

• Work closely with the Campaigns team to ensure timely distribution of marketing assets to customers and field reps
• Assist in creating sales materials and sell-in documents, including catalogues, one-sheets, and presentations
• Support the coordination of campaigns across Trade and Specials channels

Conferences & Events

• Assist with the planning and organisation of sales conferences, team meetings, and in-house events
• Coordinate materials, schedules, and logistical requirements

Field Sales & Customer Service

• Act as the main customer service point of contact for UK field sales representatives
• Respond promptly to internal and external queries from reps, accounts, and colleagues
• Help ensure clear communication between field sales, head office, and other departments
• 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.

Knowledge, skills and experience

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

• Strong organisational and time-management skills, with the ability to multi-task, take initiative and prioritise your own workload in a busy and fast-moving environment
• Clear and effective communication skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• Proven ability to work as part of a team as well as independently
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
• The ability to take initiative but also know when to ask for help, knowing you will be supported in your learning and development
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including in communicating with internal and external stakeholders
• Knowledge of and enthusiasm for children’s book publishing industry is not essential but would be advantageous
• A collaborative and proactive solutions-focused approach to work

Why join Walker Books?

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.

We welcome and encourage applications from candidates who are under-represented in the creative industries.

Please make sure that you state in your application that you found this role via Creative Access.