The Company

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 Team

Usborne Community Partnerships (UCP) is the direct sales division of Usborne Publishing. The UCP team supports thousands of Independent Usborne Partners (IUPs), who are entrepreneurial self-employed booksellers selling Usborne books in their communities – including to schools – across the UK and Europe. You can read more about UCP here. We’re a dynamic, close-knit team dedicated to empowering and supporting IUPs to thrive in their businesses.

The Role

We are looking for a proactive, creative and exceptionally well-organised Events Manager to take the lead on our annual programme of in-person events and incentives, a vital part of how we celebrate success and build lasting community among our top-performing IUPs.

This is a high-impact role with lots of variety and purpose. You'll be the driving force behind events that motivate, reward, and uplift, all while creating unforgettable experiences that inspire IUPs to aim higher and feel proud of their achievements.

You will lead and coordinate delivery of:

• Four key incentive events each year — including a 5-night international travel reward, exclusive celebration events in London and Oxford, and special recognition days at our Oxford office;

• Three high-energy, two-day conferences, each culminating in a lively evening celebration for around 50 attendees; and

• Occasional all IUP events for 300 attendees

You’ll be the key events expert in the team, working hand-in-hand with the UCP marketing, business development, and digital teams to deliver events that not only run like clockwork, but genuinely uplift and energise the IUP community. While you’ll be supported by an incredibly collaborative team, you’ll be the only dedicated events specialist, so we’re looking for someone who’s confident taking the lead, managing budgets, communicating clearly, and juggling multiple priorities.

This role is perfect for someone who understands how events can drive motivation, boost business, and foster loyalty and thrives on seeing a plan come together bringing energy, precision, and calm to a busy workload.

Experience & Skills

The successful candidate will ideally have:

• 3+ years of hands on events experience

• A strong track record of planning and delivering both small and large- scale events

• Outstanding organisational skills and a razor-sharp eye for detail

• First-rate communication skills and the ability to build great relationships with IUPs, suppliers, speakers, and internal stakeholders

• Project management experience across overlapping timelines

• Experience managing budgets and logistics

• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) with experience using project management tools like Asana, Trello, or similar

• A solution-focused mindset and the confidence to work independently

• A collaborative spirit and sense of humour — we work hard, but we love what we do

Usborne Community Partnerships is a direct sales business, so a grasp of this type of operation and the opportunities and challenges it presents as well as an interest in children’s books and publishing would be a real bonus.

Location and Benefits

We offer a 35-hour working week from our offices in Eynsham, Oxfordshire - although we are planning a local office move to Witney in Autumn 2025.

After a short initial induction period we operate 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. You'll need to be able to reliably commute to and work from the office on in-person working days.

In addition to our transparent salary grading structure, you’ll also enjoy a generous and thoughtfully designed benefits package, including:

• 25 days annual holiday (plus bank holidays), rising to 30 days after 5 years

• Industry-leading pension scheme and life assurance

• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme via Health Shield and in-house Mental Health First Aiders

• Healthcare cashback scheme and virtual GP access

• A paid volunteering day each year to give back to causes you care about

• Discounts and perks through our employee rewards programme

• Cycle to Work Scheme

• A 75% staff discount on Usborne books (yes, really!)

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 welcome and encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and experiences, particularly those underrepresented in publishing.

Please note: we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role so you must have the permanent right to live and work in the UK.

Recruitment Process

After an anonymised shortlisting process, we anticipate first interviews taking place around the week of 17th May 2025, with second round interviews (including a short exercise) in person shortly afterwards.

We are looking for the successful candidate to commence the role in June/July 2025 ideally.

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.