Manager, Contracts & Business Affairs

Hachette UK Limited; Camden Town; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading publishing company in the UK seeks a Contracts Specialist to ensure high standards in contract drafting and advising teams. Ideal candidates will have proven experience in contracts, advanced drafting skills, and a strong understanding of copyright law. The role is based in Camden Town, offering a blend of in-office and home working arrangements.

Benefits

28 annual leave days per year

Private medical insurance

Generous pension schemes

Cycle to Work scheme

Qualifications

• Experience in publishing, media, or entertainment sectors is essential.
• Strong ability to check and amend other contractual paperwork.

Responsibilities

• Ensure high standards in contract drafting and negotiation.
• Advise teams on contractual elements of acquisitions.
• Handle internal and external contract queries.

Skills

Proven experience in contracts

Advanced drafting skills

Effective negotiation skills

Thorough understanding of copyright and contract law

Advanced skills in Microsoft Office 365

Commercial awareness and financial literacy

Ability to build positive working relationships

Job description

Overview

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Contracts & Business Affairs, the successful candidate will work across Little, Brown Book Group, working closely with their colleagues in the LBBG contracts team providing support including:

Responsibilities

• 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

Qualifications

• 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

About Hachette UK

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. Hachette UK is part of Hachette Livre, the world's third largest trade and educational publisher. As well as our headquarters in Carmelite House, London, and our state-of-the-art book distribution centre in Didcot, Oxfordshire, we have recently opened five new offices in Manchester, Bristol, Sheffield, Newcastle, and Edinburgh. The UK region also includes offices in Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, the Caribbean, and Ireland. 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. 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

Benefits

• 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!

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. Our commitment 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.