Job Description

Contracts and Business Affairs Assistant x2 (Permanent and 12-month FTC)

The Contracts and Business Affairs team at Penguin Random House is recruiting two Assistants. One role supports the Dorling Kindersley imprints, and the other supports the Permissions team. Assistants may move around the department to work with various publishing divisions and areas, based on departmental needs. This is an exciting opportunity to gain experience in a wide variety of contracts and licensing rights. These roles give essential support to the Contracts & Business Affairs Department.

The roles

Key responsibilities:

• Draft, issue and process either contracts or permissions licences and invoices
• Ensure information relating to contracts and permissions is properly retained and processed on Biblio
• Attend departmental meetings, regular catchups, and progress meetings with line manager.
• Provide general ad hoc support to the Contracts & Business Affairs Department, including to senior members of the team, as required.

Contracts Responsibilities:

• Manage the team inbox, logging contracts requests and liaising with colleagues across Editorial and Royalties
• Draft/check fee-based contracts and addenda, with potential to assist on other contracts.
• Process signed contracts on Biblio, ensure contracts are returned to author/agent, and maintain contracts and correspondence files.
• Assist with projects (e.g., researching terms agreed with a particular agency).

Permissions Responsibilities:

• Process permissions requests, issue licences and invoices.
• Responsible for drafting prop releases.
• Manage licenses for braille/large print requests across Penguin Random House and for RNIB partners.
• Generate monthly permissions reports on invoiced amounts, PLS income, volume of requests received, and response time.
• Assist Editorial/Rights with any permissions queries including author requests which come via these departments.

What you’ll bring

Essential criteria:

• Clear and effective communication skills, both written and verbal
• Strong attention to detail, with the ability to quickly absorb and retain information
• Ability to handle, interpret, and analyse data accurately
• Strong problem-solving skills with a proactive mindset
• Initiative to question existing processes and suggest improvements
• Demonstrable interest in contractual/legal work and the commercial side of publishing
• Excellent word processing skills and solid working knowledge of MS Office, including Excel
• Analytical thinking and the ability to approach tasks logically
• Confident, inquisitive, and willing to challenge where appropriate
• Eagerness to learn, develop, and build expertise in the role
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and meet deadlines
• Collaborative approach, with the ability to work inclusively across teams
• Positive attitude towards being part of a social, friendly, and supportive team

Disability Confident

If you have opted into our disability confident scheme, the above are the essential criteria you must meet to be considered for our interview scheme. Please note, there may be occasions where the volume of applicants means we can’t take all eligible candidates to interview.

Application instructions

Please apply with your CV and cover letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 11:59pm on 21st May 2026.

1. Please ensure you include a cover letter, as it is a crucial part of our assessment process. The cover letter offers an opportunity to show how your experience and interests align with the role requirements. Typically, we expect the cover letter to be no more than one or two pages in length.
2. Please note we are looking for someone to join the team as soon as possible, but we are also happy to accommodate a reasonable notice period for the right candidate.
3. We anticipate a two-stage interview process which will include a virtual first-stage interview and in-person second stage interview. We are happy to discuss this further with you throughout the recruitment process.

Here at Penguin, we believe in the power of authenticity and human creativity. When you apply for a position, we want to encourage you to showcase your unique voice. Throughout our recruitment process, please share your own thoughts, experiences, and skills. This helps us get a true sense of who you are and what you might bring to our team.

We celebrate creativity and diverse perspectives, so please be yourself! While we recognise AI tools can be helpful, we recommend using them thoughtfully to ensure your responses reflect you.

Salary

£29,000 plus benefits.

Hybrid working

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. For this role we expect the successful candidate to work from our London-based office a minimum of three days per week and offer the remaining two days to be worked remotely.

Company: Penguin Books Limited | Job ID: 288602