Sales Executive — France and Italy (Academic, Governmental and Medical Institutions) in Abingdon

Company Description

Informa is a leading academic publishing, business intelligence, knowledge and events business, creating unique content and connectivity for customers all over the world. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 100. Taylor & Francis Group operates globally and produces high quality, peer reviewed books and journals. We produce unique, trusted content by expert authors, spreading knowledge and promoting discovery globally. Our purpose is to foster human progress through knowledge.

Job Description

We are recruiting a Sales Executive to manage a portfolio of academic, governmental and medical institutions across the French and Italian markets. The primary focus is to identify and grow new business throughout France while maintaining a strong pipeline and nurturing existing relationships with librarians, faculty leaders, research administrators and institutional decision‑makers.

You will represent a portfolio of Taylor & Francis journals and eBooks, including the Taylor & Francis Open Research initiatives. Regular travel within the territory will be required for team meetings, conferences and onsite customer engagements.

Key responsibilities

• Own a defined portfolio of institutions, developing a deep understanding of each customer’s needs, decision cycles and procurement processes to deliver a tailored, consultative sales service that drives satisfaction and growth.
• Plan, schedule and conduct online and onsite meetings with key stakeholders across France to renew subscriptions and close new sales opportunities; apply consultative selling techniques and propose bespoke, value‑adding solutions.
• Share market intelligence, refine and adjust strategy, and flag risks and challenges with clear, pragmatic recommendations for resolution.
• Analyse sales figures, run reports, and maintain adoption and usage records; liaise daily with colleagues across sales, marketing and editorial to share insights and coordinate activity.

Qualifications

• Self‑motivated, independent and well organised, with a demonstrable passion for sales and business development within universities, government and research institutions.
• Excellent negotiation skills and the ability to engage credibly at multiple levels within institutions, and consortia bodies.
• Native or near‑native fluency in French and professional‑level English.
• Proven experience in B2B consultative selling in academic publishing, edtech or digital content sales within the education sector.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to create and interpret sales, customer and industry data and reporting tools.
• Strong presentation and communication skills, able to articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Experience with CRM systems and Microsoft tools — Excel, Power BI, Power Automate — and generative AI tools.
• In depth knowledge of journals and book sales within the academic landscape.
• Familiarity with journals and open access models and emerging research workflows is an advantage.

Application guidance

In your covering letter, please explain your interest in academic publishing and the transferable skills you would bring to this role. Highlight any experience engaging with French institutions and decision‑makers, and include examples of successful consultative sales or business development activity relevant to this market.

Additional Information

We believe that great things happen when people connect face-to-face. That's why we work in-person with each other, or with customers and partners, three days a week or more. When you’re not spending time together in one of our offices or other workplaces – like at conference – you get the flexibility and support to work from home or remotely. This role will require you to travel internationally across France and Italy to meet with partners and customers. You will also need to be able to attend our office in Milton Park, Oxfordshire, 3 days per week when you are not travelling internationally.

What we offer in return:

• An excellent work/life balance with a fantastic, flexible working culture.
• 25 days annual leave per year plus a day off for your birthday.
• 3 additional discretionary days off during the holiday season at the end of the year.
• 4 paid volunteering days each year.
• Company funded single cover private medical insurance.
• Employee assistance programme – offering 24/7 well-being support.
• Share Match – Plan that matches every share purchased with two free shares.
• Pension scheme.
• Life assurance, plus optical and medical care.

Being Yourself at Taylor & Francis

If you’re excited about working with Taylor & Francis to foster human progress through knowledge, we invite you to apply even if your existing skills and experience don’t fit every item listed above. At Taylor & Francis, we are at our best and most successful when colleagues can be themselves and make a contribution regardless of their identity or background.

This role may also be available on a flexible working or part time basis – please ask the Talent Acquisition team for more information.