An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Publicity Director to join our award-winning HarperNonFiction publicity team on a fixed term contract to cover a period of parental leave.

HarperNonFiction is one the UK’s leading entertainment and lifestyle publishers publishing some of the biggest names and bestselling brands in nonfiction, with authors ranging from Peter Kay to Jay Shetty, Adam Buxton to Sarina Wiegman, Rebel Wilson to Marcus Wareing, Felicity Cloake to Rory Carroll and many more.

This is an exciting time of growth and change for us. In the role, you’ll design and implement integrated and strategic campaigns across our four publishing verticals and grow our lists and brands through entrepreneurial and creative thinking. The successful candidate will be a senior voice in the HarperNonFiction team, bringing their knowledge of the market and prior publicity experience to deliver outstanding campaigns.

Key Responsibilities

• Create and deliver the PR strategy to support marketing campaigns, sales targets and business objectives

• Lead and manage the Non-Fiction publicity team

• Proactively contribute to acquisition and publishing programme using knowledge of media trends and market information on what competitors are doing

• Manage departmental publicity spend and ensure it is in-line with, or under, the fiscal budget

• Work closely with editors to determine requirements of authors in line with company strategy and campaign budget

• To champion knowledge and potential of digital PR within the department and HarperCollins

• Lead PR team in presentation and development of pitches

• To network and share best practice

• To gain greater leverage from corporate initiatives

• Is a team-player, looking to share their learnings with the wider Marketing and Publicity teams in order to foster a culture of shared learning.

• Has an active interest in campaigns from across the book industry as well as the wider entertainment and media sector.

Your First Six Months

• Plan, execute and deliver bestselling campaigns

• Demonstrate creative flair with best-in-class social asset and digital content creation

• Develop strong relationships within the Marketing and Publicity teams, specifically line reports as well as across the wider business including sales, editorial and design

• Be a senior publicity voice in meetings

Experience Required

• Significant PR experience

• Experience in managing and leading a successful publicity team

• Excellent relationships with range of media contacts

• Celebrity/personality brand management experience

• Excellent track record in generating creative, strategic and innovative campaigns

• A creative, commercial and strategic thinker who is comfortable using consumer insight and market knowledge to produce best-in-class campaigns with real impact.

• Is ROI-focused, able to effectively measure results and evaluate campaigns, and share learnings with wider team and stakeholders.

• Excellent market and commercial knowledge, able to keep up-to-date with the latest trends, news, media and wider cultural landscape.

Skills Required

• Proven capability in creating innovative PR campaigns

• Good writer, ability to plan, news sense, story telling ability, able to pitch a story, creative

• Business and commercial understanding

• Able to evaluate meaningfully

• Understanding of competitors strength and weaknesses, retail trends and media trends

Benefits 

• Hybrid working model (3 days in the office)

• 28 days holiday plus bank holidays (option to buy and sell holiday days) 

• Enhanced pay for maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave 

• Private healthcare cover and life assurance 

• Summer Hours  

• Free access to HeadSpace, employee assistance programme (24 hour helpline), mental health first aiders, and a wellbeing portal 

• Season ticket loans (from day 1 for entry level) and cycle to work scheme 

• Relocation Rent Support Loan  

• Employee networks: HC All In (open forum), Elevate (for ethnic minority colleagues), HarperParents, Menopause at Work and Pride at HC 

• Unlimited training on our Learning and Development portal, management courses (up to MA level) and mentoring programmes 

• Virtual GP and eyecare vouchers 

• Gym membership discount 

• Onsite physiotherapy (London only) 

• Charitable donation matching and  2 volunteering days 

• We're a certified Carbon Neutral company 

• Free e-books and audiobooks, newspaper subscriptions and discounts on books 

• Subsidised canteen and retail discounts 

• Onsite prayer room 

If you wish to discuss anything regarding this position and/or your application to this role, please reach out directly to recruitment@harpercollins.co.uk with subject heading ‘Vacancy Query’ plus the job title and we will aim to get back to you within 5 working days.

Please note, if you are interested in the role you would need to submit your application via Applied. We do not accept email applications.