HarperCollins is one of the UK’s foremost, diverse and innovative multi-platform publishers. We publish a wide range of books, from cutting-edge contemporary fiction, to block-busting thrillers and from fantasy literature to children’s literature and enduring classics.  Collins has been publishing educational and informative books since 1819.  Drawing on this rich heritage, today Collins publishes education and language learning resources, dictionaries, atlases, general reference, and children’s nonfiction under the Collins imprint; plus, a range of renowned brands including A–Z, Barrington Stoke, Leckie, National Geographic Kids, National Trust, Times Books and Rocket Bird Books.

 Our Sales Operations team are looking for an Inventory and Sales Operations Manager to manage physical inventory and all associated processes, with specific responsibility for the Education and Reference divisions. This is a busy position and you should have previous publishing or inventory management experience, excellent data analysis skills and a meticulous eye for detail.

 Responsibilities:

• Manage stock availability for new titles and backlist through regular stock and sales data analysis and consultation with the sales teams

• Deal with queries business wide regarding customer orders, stock availability and series titles

• Identify reprint requirements and create reprint meeting agendas, proposing quantities, taking into consideration stock turn, seasonality, lead times and margins

• Work closely with Production to ensure product is received as required

• Act as a key link between various areas in the business, including Customer Services, HarperCollins Distribution, the workshop, UK, Export and School Sales, and Commercial Finance

• Identify overstocks and run regular excess stock meetings.  Propose actions and deal with pulp, remainder and donation orders where agreed

• Manage multi-title packs, creating workshop orders and monitoring stock levels.  Work with the Schools Marketing team, the Workshop, and Production, to ensure optimal availability

 Key Skills/Experience:

• Knowledge of publishing or stock management processes – experience of sales operations or inventory management within a bookselling or publishing environment is strongly preferred

• Commercially aware, with excellent numerical and analytical skills

• Confident in data manipulation within Excel

• Strong communication skills with the ability to develop productive working relationships with relevant stakeholders

• Excellent organisational skills with high attention to detail

• Ability to learn new processes and systems

•   A self-confident individual who works well under pressure and can take initiative

• Experience of problem-solving, proposing solutions, and seeing through to conclusion

  At HarperCollins, we value authenticity and integrity in our recruitment process. To ensure a fair and accurate evaluation of all applications, we ask that all responses to assessment questions reflect your own thoughts, experiences, and capabilities.  This allows us to fairly assess your knowledge, skills, and experience to determine how they align with the role. We value diverse perspectives and genuine contributions, even if answers are not perfect. The use of AI tools or external assistance to generate responses is discouraged unless explicitly permitted for specific tasks.

 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, Pride at HC, Social Mobility Network and Neurodiversity at Work

• 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

• Green Electric/Hybrid Car Benefit Scheme (salary sacrifice)

• With Trees for Life we plant a tree in the Highlands of Scotland for every permanent hire

• Free e-books and audiobooks, digital 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 stephanie.jemmett@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.