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Sales Manager - Cornerstone
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Job Description
We’re looking for a commercially ambitious and entrepreneurial Sales Manager to join the Cornerstone Sales team. Reporting to the Sales Director, this is a role for someone ready to step into commercial leadership, combining line managing two Key Account Managers, with responsibility for defining how we grow and sustain success across one of the most diverse and high-performing lists in publishing. You’ll build influential customer partnerships, play a central role in shaping publishing strategy, and use data to identify where momentum is building. You’ll thrive here if you are results driven, ask great questions, and deliver with pace and care.
The Cornerstone sales team is a small, tight team who work hard and enjoy celebrating their success together. We work very closely with our editorial, marketing, and publicity colleagues to reach as many readers as possible for all our books. You’ll play a pivotal role, working alongside the Sales Director, to shape retailer strategy, build a high-performing team of Key Account Managers, and be commercially-focused in all that you do, curious about new opportunities and developments in the marketplace – and how we make those happen at Cornerstone.
About Cornerstone
Cornerstone is a division within the iconic publisher Penguin Random House UK. Cornerstone is home to seven imprints: Century, Del Rey, Inklore, evermore, Hutchinson Heinemann, #Merky Books, and Cornerstone Press, each with its own specific focus and remit. Every Cornerstone book also goes on to become a Penguin paperback.
Within publishing, Cornerstone has an enviable track record of bestsellers, prize winners, and culture-shaping books, working with many of the world’s most interesting voices, often throughout their entire career. Our books span genres, categories, and marketplaces globally.
Key Responsibilities
Sales Strategy & Performance
- Develop and deliver clear sales strategies to drive growth across frontlist and backlist.
- Identify and scale opportunities across formats (physical, digital, audio) and routes to market.
- Use data and market insight to inform decisions, from acquisition through to long-term backlist optimisation.
Market Leadership
- Lead and develop, alongside Key Account Managers, strategic engagement with key customers.
- Bring a broad understanding of the UK market, working across all major channels and adapting strategies accordingly.
Publishing & Commercial Influence
- Act as a key commercial voice within Cornerstone, contributing to acquisition, pricing, positioning, and publishing strategy.
- Play an active role in acquisition, brand, covers, and backlist meetings.
- Provide clear, data-led insight to support editorial, marketing, and publicity decisions.
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Collaboration & Stakeholder Management
- Build strong relationships across editorial, marketing, publicity, design, and production.
- Work collaboratively to deliver integrated publishing campaigns.
- Operate with agility in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
People Management
- Line manage and develop team members, fostering a high-performance, collaborative culture.
- Contribute to building an engaged, ambitious, and commercially focused sales team.
What You’ll Bring
Essential Criteria
- A strong track record of delivering commercial growth with a proactive and results-driven approach.
- Experience managing key retail accounts and building senior-level customer relationships, with the confidence and credibility to influence at all levels.
- Excellent understanding of the UK book market and routes to market, combined with genuine curiosity about how different channels and formats perform.
- Strong analytical capability, with the ability to translate data and market insight into clear actions and opportunities.
- Proven ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders, building collaborative relationships across editorial, marketing, publicity, and beyond.
- The ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution, operating with pace and agility in a fast-moving environment.
Preferred Criteria
- Previous people management experience, with the ability to motivate, develop, and bring out the best in others.
- Experience working across multiple formats (print, digital, audio), with an interest in how they interact to drive overall performance.
- Experience leading or owning a category, list, or area of business, demonstrating ownership, initiative, and commercial judgement.
- A growth mindset, with a desire to continuously learn, challenge thinking, and push both yourself and the business forward.
Disability Confident
As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we offer interviews to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for the role, and opt-in on their application form. The essential criteria for this role are listed as part of the ‘What you’ll bring’ section. There may be times when the volume of applications means we cannot take all eligible candidates to interview. We encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing PRHCareersUK@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable with, for us to support your request.
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If you would like to be considered under our Disability Confident Scheme during this recruitment process, please indicate this in your cover letter.
Application Instructions
Please apply with your CV and cover letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 11:59pm on Monday the 27th July.
Please ensure you include a cover letter, as it is a crucial part of our assessment process. The cover letter offers an opportunity to show how your experience and interests align with the role requirements. Typically, we expect the cover letter to be no more than one or two pages in length.
Use of AI tools
Here at Penguin, we believe in the power of authenticity and human creativity. When you apply for a position, we want to encourage you to showcase your unique voice. Throughout our recruitment process, please share your own thoughts, experiences, and skills. This helps us get a true sense of who you are and what you might bring to our team.
We celebrate creativity and diverse perspectives, so please be yourself! While we recognise AI tools can be helpful, we recommend using them thoughtfully to ensure your responses reflect you.
Salary
£50,000 - £57,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.
Hybrid Working
While our offices across the UK are places to connect, collaborate, and celebrate with colleagues, we recognise that flexibility around where you work is just as important. For this role, we expect that you will work from our office in London at least 3 days per week.
Additional Information
Disclosure requirements pertaining to the collection of your personal data: Responsible for processing the information provided in your application is the company specified in the job advertisement, with its registered office as indicated. The company processes your data for the purpose of establishing an employment relationship on the basis of Art. 6 (1) b GDPR / Section 26 (1) sentence 1 BDSG. The retention period for your data is determined by the statutory time limits applicable in the respective country, beginning upon completion of the recruitment process. You can find these here. You can contact the company’s Data Protection Officer at the above-mentioned postal address. Further information on data protection and your rights can be found here.
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