This is an exciting opportunity to join the bright and innovative marketing team at HarperCollins Children’s Books. We are the home to many blockbuster and bestselling household names, such as Michael Morpurgo, Derek Landy, Oliver Jeffers, David Baddiel, Hannah Gold, Mikey Please, Narnia, Paddington Bear and Judith Kerr.

The Marketing Manager will work closely with the Marketing and Publicity Director and the wider team in a key role for the marketing of YA, fiction, picture books, properties and young fiction across our full list. The role will work closely with all internal teams to develop highly creative consumer and retail marketing campaigns across physical, digital and audio products. 

Line management of one direct report: Marketing Exec.

Key tasks and accountabilities

• Drive sales of key titles and brands by creating end to end consumer marketing campaigns that achieve impact and cut through

• Propose the most successful marketing mix for each title across a range of channels including radio, OOH, print, mobile, social, digital and events

• Drive digital marketing initiatives and projects, bringing new ideas and innovation to the division

• Ensure that the cost versus benefit of all marketing initiatives is assessed for every campaign

• Regularly identify and initiate backlist marketing / brand opportunities to drive sales

• Brief media agencies on authors / titles and their deliverables to inform marketing campaigns

• Effectively communicate marketing campaigns to key stakeholders internally and, where relevant, external audiences including the authors themselves

• Manage design, production and stakeholder sign off process in the creation of campaign assets

• Support the HCCB publishing team in the acquisition and retention of titles and authors

• Clearly demonstrate an understanding of competitors’ strengths and weaknesses and retail trends to ensure continuous competitive advantage

• Demonstrate deep understanding of our constituent consumers, their needs, motivations and influences and bring them to life for the rest of the team / division

• Actively undertake analysis of all marketing campaigns, share learnings with relevant colleagues and apply learnings to future strategies

• Manage the Marketing Exec, providing clear objectives, coaching and training opportunities. Actively bringing a growth mindset, diversity of thought and innovation.

Your first six months

• You will establish yourself as an integral, senior marketeer in the HCCB Marketing team

• Successfully deliver multiple high profile marketing campaigns

• Develop brand strategy to successfully grow our author brands – both frontlist and backlist

• Demonstrate evidence-based evaluation for marketing activity, and develop learnings and recommendations, forming part of ongoing brand strategy

Experience required

• Significant consumer marketing and brand management experience

• Experience establishing and maintaining relationships and communities

• Experience running campaigns across all media formats and managing media agencies

• Wide knowledge of the digital landscape and routes to key audiences

• Experience managing budgets 

• Previous experience or knowledge of marketing in the publishing industry

• A keen interest or knowledge of the children’s book market

Skills required

• Personable with strong relationship building skills and a collaborative team player

• Inquisitive and creative strategic thinker

• Results focused, numerate and used to working in a highly pressurised environment

• Adaptable, thriving in a fast-paced, changing environment

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

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

• Subsidised canteen and retail discounts

• Onsite prayer room

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.

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.