Contracts Assistant, Young Readers

Job Description

Contracts Assistant, Penguin Young Readers

We are currently seeking a Contracts Assistant to join our Penguin Young Readers contracts team. The Contracts Department represents an unrivaled roster of award-winning and celebrated titles across an editorial breadth that includes The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. The division partners closely with agents, authors, and publishing entities to finalize the acquisition of rights.

The Contracts Assistant is an integral part of the drafting, negotiating, and processing the contracts and provides the opportunity to interact with our Editorial, Subsidiary Rights, and Royalties departments regularly, however, our group works with many different areas of the company affording the applicant the opportunity to gain an encompassing view of the publishing industry. The applicant will support the two Senior Contracts Managers while liaising with legal, royalties & accounting, and the various contracts teams.

The Role:
• Draft and negotiate contracts and contract amendments
• Manage contracts inquiries from other departments such as Editorial, Subsidiary Rights (a team that sells translation and other rights), and Royalties
• Route contracts and amendments to appropriate parties for signature
• Conduct contract research
• Generate, maintain, and distribute any status reports
• Scan files and perform other file/database maintenance
• Liaise with Finance to ensure data for payments or changes to payment due dates is accurate
• Coordinate with team and internal resources to optimize the efficiency of processes and workflow
• Support additional project work as needed

The Essentials:
• A self-starter with impeccable attention to detail when drafting and reviewing contracts
• It is essential that the candidate possesses a proactive and independent approach to work, including a strong ability to problem-solve autonomously
• Able to apply organizational methods and strategies to meet deadlines and manage a busy inbox on Outlook.
• Timely follow-up skills with the contracts team, authors, agents, and other departments and able to prioritize and complete multiple projects in a rapidly changing, details-focused environment
• A curious mind that enjoys research projects
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Word, Adobe (PDF), and Excel and an avid interest and ability to learn new applications
• A history or interest in legal, journalism, communications, literature or a related publishing field are a plus

Entry-level salary for this position is $45,000. Full-time employees are eligible for our comprehensive benefits program, kindly include your cover letter and resume in our application system.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-rj2q41-3-15-219-217-42 in your application.