Job Title: Special Sales Manager
Department: UK Sales
Contract: Permanent, full-time

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the UK Sales team and work on some of the biggest author brands in the UK, including Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, football legend Marcus Rashford and genre bestsellers Danielle Steel, Ann Cleeves and Carissa Broadbent. You will drive sales across Pan Macmillan's entire list, from children’s to adult titles across all imprints, managing relationships with key retailers to maximise reach.

Your team:
The UK Sales team are responsible for all sales of our books in the UK and Ireland. We manage and maintain relationships with buyers and booksellers, from large online retailers to small independent bookshops. We pitch new books to retailers and aim to get our books the best placement and visibility in shops and online.

Your role:
As a Special Sales Manager, you will be a strategic driver within our UK & Ireland Sales team, managing high-value accounts. This role sits at the intersection of commerce and creativity; you won't just be selling our books, you will be collaborating across imprints to shape them for specific retail needs. You will contribute to our core objectives by identifying untapped market opportunities and delivering tailored strategies that ensure our authors reach the widest possible audience.

Your key responsibilities: 

• Strategic account management: Take ownership of a high-value portfolio of £1M+ accounts/channels, developing and executing bespoke annual strategies to drive sustainable commercial growth and hit ambitious sales targets.

• Creative product development: Collaborate closely with the Editorial, Design, and Production teams to identify custom publishing opportunities, tailoring products and formats to meet the specific needs of special sales retailers.

• Commercial analysis & reporting: Manage P&Ls and margins for all deals, ensuring every project is financially viable and delivers maximum ROI for the UK & Ireland Sales team.

• Cross-departmental advocacy: Act as a key consultant for your customer base within the business, sharing market insights and retail trends with internal stakeholders to help shape future publishing and acquisition strategies.

• Operational excellence: Oversight of end-to-end sales processes, from managing intricate spreadsheets and metadata to ensuring stock availability and timely delivery for large-scale promotional moments.

• Leadership & deputisation: Support the UK Special Sales Director by deputising in high-level meetings and providing mentorship to junior team members, fostering a high-performance culture within the department.

Essential experience, abilities, knowledge and values you’ll need to succeed:

• Commercial sales success: Proven experience managing high-volume accounts within publishing, with a track record of driving growth and meeting ambitious targets.

• Special sales expertise: Knowledge of the UK book market and the ability to identify unique opportunities for Special Sales customers.

• Financial & analytical rigor: Confident managing P&Ls and margins, alongside the ability to oversee complex processes and data spreadsheets.

• Creative collaboration: A creative approach to tailoring products to meet customer needs by working effectively with Editorial, Design, and Production.

• Influential Communication: Able to build rapport and communicate with clarity and empathy, ensuring alignment between customer needs and internal stakeholders.

• Ambition & passion: A proactive, ambitious approach to finding new business, paired with a genuine passion for books and the publishing industry.

• Inclusion and representation: An active dedication to promoting diverse voices and inclusive practices, taking personal responsibility for ensuring our workplace and publishing reflect the communities we serve.

• Community: A collaborative approach to building a supportive and vibrant environment.

• Curiosity: A strong drive for learning and a readiness to embrace different perspectives.

• Integrity: A foundation of openness and honesty, taking responsibility for actions and learning from mistakes. 

What you’ll get in return:
In return we can offer you a range of great projects, a supportive and collaborative working environment as well as a competitive salary and benefits package.

Salary starting from: £39,000

Closing date: 1 March 2026

Some of the benefits we offer:

• 28 days’ annual leave increasing with years of service + bank holidays

• Generous pension scheme

• Discounted private medical insurance

• Group income protection scheme

• Enhanced family pay and leave

• Flexible working hours and summer hours (early finish on a Friday during summer months)

• 2 Volunteer Days per year

• 75% off all Pan Macmillan books and regular staff book sales (highly reduced rates)

• Season ticket loan/advance

• Cycle to work scheme

• Discounts on shopping and gym memberships; Christmas club savings

• Daily free breakfast and monthly company lunch

This is a full time, permanent role, and will be based in our offices in Farringdon, London, with some flexibility to work from home each week.

All applicants must be able to demonstrate the right to live and work in the UK in order to be considered for this role.

At Pan Macmillan, we are committed to publishing a wide range of voices that reflect the full breadth of the communities we serve. Joining us means playing an active role in bringing our titles to life as part of a team that champions inclusion at every level. We are dedicated to building a workplace that is as diverse and welcoming as the stories we tell, ensuring all perspectives are celebrated across everything we do.

We are highly committed to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at every level of our organisation. We welcome applications from all individuals, including any age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. Our efforts to promote DEI are ongoing, and we continually strive to learn and improve our policies and practices. You can read our full Diversity & Inclusion Pledge here:https://www.panmacmillan.com/about/diversity-and-inclusion

We want to ensure that all candidates are supported throughout the recruitment process, if you have any reasonable adjustments or accessibility requirements please contact Kayelle Danyluk (Head of Talent Acquisition) at kayelle.danyluk@macmillan.com 

Please note that all personal information which we process in connection with your application will be treated in accordance with our Recruitment Privacy Notice available here: https://panmacmillan.com/recruitment-privacy-notice. Please read our Recruitment Privacy Notice before submitting your application