Head of Brand Marketing, Penguin Classics

Could your brand expertise take Penguin Classics to exciting new places?  Is creating bold and innovative campaigns second nature to you? Are you a passionate advocate for the books and authors you love?

 

Penguin Classics is looking for an experienced and creative brand marketer, reporting to the Marketing Director of Penguin Press and working as part of a marketing team of nine.

 

Penguin Classics is the largest English-language library of Classic books in the world. With over 2000 books in print, the list is steeped in heritage (from The Odyssey to The Tale of Genji), and a diverse range of English-language and translated titles are published into our Penguin Modern Classics and Penguin Black spine Classics every year. Authors brought into Classics more recently include Tove Ditlevsen, Wang Xiaobo and Brigitte Reimann. Alongside our core publishing is a range of show-stopping series: from Clothbound Classics to Great Ideas. This is a rare opportunity to work for one of the most recognisable publishing brands in the world.

 

The opportunity:  

 

The role of the head of brand marketing is to develop and implement marketing strategy for the Penguin Classics brands and series publishing, as well as for newly published Classics titles: from acquisition to publication and beyond.

 

Key responsibilities: 

 

Consumer marketing. You will manage the brand and marketing campaigns for Penguin Classics in the consumer landscape, through retail channels, partnerships, brand campaigns and online.

 

You will also:

 

• Oversee all online brand communications and content strategies with a focus on our key channels, including social media, newsletter and website
• Identify opportunities to promote, and drive sales, across the backlist

• With an intelligent design eye and excellent copywriting skills, you will oversee all marketing and brand design, including the creation of branded promotional materials, merchandise, bookshop materials and catalogues. You will ensure the brand’s visual identity and tone of voice guidelines are maintained across all online and offline output
• Establish and maintain meaningful brand partner relationships where appropriate.
• Be curious and data driven about exploring new platforms and audience opportunities, and you will regularly communicate strategy and achievements to the business and to key stakeholders.

 

Internal communications. This role forms the central point of contact for Penguin Classics activity within Penguin Random House.

 

You will:

 

• Communicate strategy and campaign plans to colleagues, group companies and partners around the world, as well as manage Classics output for intercompany presentations and international catalogues
• Oversee regular marketing meetings for Classics
• Be a consistent champion for the broader work of Classics teams in UK and internationally
• Lead communications with the central Penguin Brand team, relating to Penguin Classics content output on Penguin.co.uk and its affiliate channels.
• Take on the line-management of the brand marketing executive, as well as management of marketing colleagues on individual projects, and focused collaboration with mixed teams across Publicity, Editorial and Sales on a range of projects

 

As part of this role, there is also an opportunity to work on a small number of high-profile campaigns from across the diverse scope of publishing from Penguin Press non-fiction (Allen Lane, Particular, Pelican and/or poetry).

 

About you:  

 

• A self-starter who can develop, and secure buy-in, for ideas from across the business
• A deep understanding of the appeal and reach of Penguin Classics

• Thoughtful brand leader, engaged with culture across the creative industry (and beyond)
• Creative and commercially aware, with an intelligent approach to design and visual identity
• Talented multi-tasker who can set direction and solve problems
• Capable and inclusive team manager, who can develop talent and collaborate across teams

 

Application instructions: 

 

Please apply with CV & Cover Letter (addressed to Ingrid) by midnight on Sunday 21st January. In your cover letter, please tell us about something classic you rediscovered recently.

 

What you can expect from us: 

 

Salary: £45,000 – £50,000 depending on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.

 

Competitive benefits package:  

 

Our people are the heart of our business, and we work hard to support a culture of responsibility and recognition.

 

Our benefits include:

 

Financial – income protection, life assurance, childcare allowance

Wellbeing – healthcare cash plan, critical illness cover, health checks

Lifestyle – enhanced parental leave, tech scheme,

 

For our full benefits list please visit: https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/what-we-offer/

 

Hybrid working:  

 

We’re experimenting with a hybrid way of working that suits the needs of each team. 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. At Penguin Press colleagues typically spend two to three days per week in the office. We are happy to discuss this further as part of the interview process.

 

The recruitment process:  

 

You can read about our recruitment process at https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/how-we-hire/

 

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. 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 [email protected]. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable to for us to support your request.

 

About Penguin: 

 

We’re the UK’s largest publisher; made up of some 2,000 people and publishing over 1,500 books each year. Our doors are open to all kinds of talent. In a constantly evolving industry, we work hard to stretch the definition of the word publisher. Here, you’ll work with a breadth of talent who all play their part to make each of our books a success. Together, we make books for everyone because a book can change anyone.

 

Please note, we are not able to accept agency CVs for this role. Any CVs sent speculatively will not be eligible for a fee.

 

 

Company: Penguin Books Limited

Country: United Kingdom

State/Region: London

City: London

Postal Code: SW1V 2SA

Job ID: 266844

Date:  5 Jan 2024

Location: 

London, LND, GB, SW1V 2SA