Contracts Assistant - Penguin Young Readers & Random House Children's Books

Job Description

We are currently seeking a Contracts Assistant to join our children's books subrights contracts team. The Contracts Department represents an unrivaled roster of award-winning and celebrated titles across an editorial breadth that includes fiction and non-fiction picture books, chapter books and YA books, from voices such as John Green, Amanda Gorman, Tomie DePaola, Mary Pope Osborne, Eric Carle, Kamala Harris, and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. The division partners closely with foreign subagents, subsidiary rights sales, and publishing entities to finalize the licensing of rights.

The Contracts Assistant is an integral part of the drafting, negotiating, and signing process of contracts and provides the opportunity to take part in making beloved childhood franchises and new favorites available in many different media around the world. The applicant will support the Associate Contracts Manager while liaising with subsidiary rights sales, royalty accounting, and the various contracts teams.

The Role:
• Draft, review and negotiate contracts, contract amendments, and contract terminations for foreign and domestic rights
• Learn to read and understand author contracts and how their terms and limitations apply to subsidiary rights contracts
• Collaborate closely with the Penguin Young Readers & Random House Children's Books subsidiary rights teams to ensure contracts are accurate and encompass all deal terms
• Communicate frequently with publishers and foreign subagents to solve and negotiate contract conflicts and issues
• Maintain and update contract records in PRH's Rights Management System. Use the Rights Management System to prepare and review contract status reports and other reporting as needed
• Performing various administrative tasks including managing, routing, scanning and following up on contracts. Manage contracts inquiries from other departments such as Author Contracts, Royalties and Subsidiary Rights
• Liaise with Royalty Accounting to ensure data for payments or changes to payment due dates are accurate
• Coordinate with team and internal resources to optimize efficiency of processes and workflow
• Support additional project work as needed

The Essentials:
• A self-starter with impeccable attention to detail
• A highly organized candidate who possesses a proactive and independent approach to work, including a strong ability to problem solve autonomously while also consulting with colleagues to ensure uniform processes
• Able to apply organizational methods and strategies to meet deadlines and manage a busy inbox on Outlook
• Timely follow-up skills with the subsidiary rights team, foreign and domestic publishing partners 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, with the ability to view things with both a focus on the minor details as well as the big picture
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to proofread
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite and an avid interest and ability to learn new applications
• A history or interest in legal, sales, communications, literature, or a related publishing field is a plus

Entry-level salary for this position is $45,000. Kindly include your cover letter and resume in our application system.

Full-time employees are eligible for our comprehensive benefits program. Our range of benefits include, but are not limited to, Medical/Prescription drug insurance, Dental, Vision, Health Care/Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, Health Savings Account, Pre-Tax and Roth 401(k), Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance, Life/AD&D Insurance, Commuter Benefits, Student Loan Repayment Program, Educational Assistance & generous paid time off.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-d5ek50-18-222-200-143-42 in your application.