Introduction: Hachette Australia is seeking an experienced Rights & Contracts Manager (maternity leave cover) to join their Australian Publishing team. This role reports to the Publishing Director, and works closely with both our Australian and New Zealand publishing teams.
Who we are and what we do:
Our mission at Hachette Australia, part of the global Hachette Livre group, is to make it easy for everyone to discover new worlds of ideas, learning, entertainment, and opportunity. With over 100 years of publishing excellence, our team of expert publishers and passionate readers seeks out the best stories from both established voices and emerging talents. We publish across a wide range of genres and formats, including fiction, memoirs, children’s books, and non-fiction, ensuring there is something for every reader.
Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is at the heart of our Changing the Story program, and we are proud to support Australian talent and voices from around the globe. We actively discover and nurture new writers through initiatives like the Richell Prize and our partnerships with the Emerging Writers’ Festival and Express Media.
Our goal is to continue shaping the future of publishing by supporting the storytellers that matter.
For more information, visit hachette.com.au.
About the role:
The Rights and Contracts Manager will report to the Publishing Director of the Australian Publishing division at Hachette Australia, however the role is responsible for rights sales and contract negotiation and drafting across both Hachette Australia and Hachette New Zealand titles and authors. The role is responsible for maximising rights sales across a wide range of formats including English Language and translation, film & TV, audio and large print. In addition to this, the candidate will work closely with the Contracts & Licensing Executive to ensure smooth day-to-day drafting, negotiation and execution of Hachette contracts, as well as providing more general strategic oversight.
About you:
The successful candidate will have a background in rights sales, preferably also with some prior work
across contracts, and be confident selling, negotiating and concluding terms for rights sales across a variety of formats. They will have a good understanding of copyright law, contractual considerations and rights ownership. A strong grasp of budgeting and reporting - including royalties reporting - is
advantageous, as well as a proven ability to meet sales targets. They must enjoy working collaboratively as they will work closely with local publishing teams and overseas subagents, as well as building relationships with overseas stakeholders and potential rights buyers. Excellent time management skills, initiative and a deep understanding of international markets are essential to
this role. Some travel may be required.
What’s in it for you:
At Hachette, our people are our greatest assets. Here are some of the benefits we offer for your personal and professional growth:
In addition to 20 days annual leave per year + public holidays, we have an extensive list of benefits that include: a wide-ranging training library, development programs including mentoring, up to 50% off book purchases, 2 volunteer days per year to use at your charity of choice, Changing the Story employee networks to join, the option to remote work during the month of January, annual free skin check, the option to work from home 2 days per week year round, and much more!
Our Commitment:
Hachette employs people on the basis of their abilities. We aim to attract and develop talent from a base as broad as the world of readers we want to reach, with a wide and representative range of age, faith, disability, race, gender, sexuality, and socio-economic, regional and cultural backgrounds.
If you are shortlisted and need us to make any adjustments to help you attend for interview, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
Applications:
If you are looking for a career in a dynamic and highly successful publishing environment, please submit your most up-to-date CV highlighting key skills and experience relevant to this role by closing date of 1 June 2026.
*** Please note only shortlisted candidates will be contacted***
Our mission at Hachette Australia is to make it easy for everyone to discover new worlds of ideas, learning, entertainment, and opportunity. Our team of expert publishers and passionate readers seek out the best stories, whether from established voices or emerging talents, and pour over 100 years of publishing excellence into every page. We publish across a wide range of genres and accessible formats - from high-quality commercial fiction to literary award-winners, children's picture books to memoirs and history, lifestyle to sport. We strive to ensure that there is a book to captivate and resonate with every reader.
As a proud member of the global Hachette Livre family, we benefit from being part of a worldwide publishing powerhouse, while staying true to our uniquely local perspective. Our Australian teams are deeply committed to working closely with all our stakeholders, including authors, agents, booksellers, suppliers, and media organisations. Together, we curate the best possible reading experience for Australian audiences.
We are dedicated to being the publisher and employer of choice for all people, regardless of age, faith, disability, race, gender, sexuality, or socio-economic background. Our ambition is for our team, our publishing, and our authors to be fully reflective of the society we live in. This is a commitment that sits at the heart of our diversity and inclusion program, Changing the Story; one of the four pillars of our business strategy.
As we continue to grow, we remain focused on driving meaningful change within the publishing industry. Together with our readers, we will keep seeking out, nurturing, and sharing the stories that matter.
