Senior Publishing Sales & Strategy Leader

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, prizewinners 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, on 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.
• 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

• 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.

If you would like to be considered under our Disability Confident Scheme for this recruitment process, please include the following code at the start of your cover letter: [Recr – TTL 351]. Please do not provide any additional information beyond the code in your cover letter. We encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing PRHCareersUK@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk.

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.

£50,000 - £57,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits. 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.