Publicity and Admin Assistant, Cornerstone
Do you have top-notch organisation skills and attention to detail? Do you enjoy a busy role with no two days the same?
About Cornerstone
Cornerstone is a division within the iconic publisher Penguin Random House UK. Cornerstone is home to seven imprints: Century, Cornerstone Press, Del Rey, evermore, Hutchinson Heinemann, Inklore, and #Merky Books, each with its own specific focus and remit. Every Cornerstone book also goes on to become a Penguin paperback.
Within publishing, Cornerstone has an enviable track record of bestsellers, prize winners and culture-shaping books, working with many of the world’s most interesting voices, often throughout their entire career. Our books span genres, categories and marketplaces globally and include James Clear, Katy Hessel, Chris van Tulleken, Robert Harris, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Lyse Doucet, Ava Reid, William Rayfet Hunter and Lisa Jewell.
The role
We’re looking for a new publicity and administrative Assistant to support the day-to-day running of the publicity team and help deliver campaigns for our authors and books.
This is an exciting opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a fast-paced and creative environment, working alongside experienced publicists and building relationships with colleagues across the business, as well as journalists, event organisers, influencers, booksellers and authors.
You will need to be an organised, proactive and detail-oriented individual who enjoys working in a fast-paced environment and building relationships with a wide range of people. You will need excellent multi-tasking and prioritisation skills, and the ability to be flexible and adapt your approach as needed. While previous publishing experience isn't required, you'll have a genuine enthusiasm for books and an eagerness to learn about publicity, media and publishing.
Key responsibilities:
- Acting as a point of contact for the publicity department, liaising with colleagues, journalists and event organisers
- Providing administrative support, including scheduling, chairing and taking minutes for meetings, diary management and maintaining databases
- Responsibility for organising and managing the publicity shared area, managing stationery orders and monitoring stocks of books in the office.
- Organising book mailings and responding to requests for information and publicity materials
- Booking and coordinating author travel and accommodation
- Supporting publicity campaigns through research, logistics and author scheduling
- Managing budget trackers, raising purchase orders and processing invoices
- Monitoring and circulating media coverage
- Maintaining team systems, folders and processes
- Supporting work experience interns
- Responding to enquiries from media, influencers, booksellers and members of the public
As part of working in PR, this role requires some evening and weekend work assisting at various events. We will be happy to discuss time off in lieu on these occasions.
What you’ll bring
Cornerstone is a goal-orientated division with a clear commitment to high performance at every level. We embrace the following qualities. If this way of working resonates with you, you are likely to succeed as part of our team.
- You bring bold curiosity, question the status quo and take smart, commercially driven risks
- You deliver with pace, resilience and a growth mindset, while collaborating to achieve high impact
- You build strong, inclusive relationships with authors, agents and colleagues, and contribute to a culture of openness and belonging
Essential criteria:
- An enthusiasm for books, publishing and the media
- Strong organisational and time-management skills, with excellent attention to detail
- The ability to prioritise effectively and manage a varied workload under pressure
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the confidence to build relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders
- A proactive approach and willingness to take ownership of tasks
- The ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment
- Strong problem-solving skills and the confidence to think creatively
- A collaborative approach and enjoyment of working as part of a team
- Experience using Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Excel and Word
Application instructions
Please apply with your CV and cover letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 11:59pm on Sunday 21st June.
As part of your cover letter, please include a paragraph telling us about a book publicity campaign that has caught your eye recently and why . Please also include a paragraph about what tools and techniques you use to stay organised .
Please ensure you include the 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.
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.
Interview process
We expect that this interview process will consist of a HireVue video interview, Microsoft Teams interview, and an in-person interview at our offices in Vauxhall. We may also ask you to complete a short task. We are happy to discuss this further with you throughout the recruitment process.
Disability Confident
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. The essential criteria for this role are listed as part of the ‘What you’ll bring’ section. 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 with, for us to support your request.
Use of AI tools
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 bonus and 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 that you will be in the office on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
