Sales Manager

Job Summary

UBC Press produces books integral to Canada’s cultural, political, and social fabric and is widely touted as the country’s pre-eminent social science publisher. Established in 1971 and now offering 900 titles in print and 65 to 70 new works per year, the Press publishes sophisticated and transformative works by authors whose thought and research pushes the boundaries of scholarly discourse and makes a vital contribution to the democratic exchange of ideas.

The Sales Manager is responsible for the development and implementation of sales campaigns and strategies. This is a critical role which requires the use of forward-thinking and innovative sales strategies in order to ensure growth across all market channels. The incumbent will plan, develop, and execute book sales activities in all markets, including trade and academic, and will also pursue special sales. This position is a leadership role and will be expected to provide expertise, insight, and guidance to the Sales and Inventory Coordinator.

Organizational Status
Reports to the Assistant Director, Marketing and Business Development, and is the direct supervisor of the Sales and Inventory Coordinator and Agency and Digital Marketing Coordinator.

Work Performed

• Develops, oversees, and implements sales planning and activities for UBC Press books in Canada and internationally. This includes research, outreach, and representation in trade, professional, and academic markets with the goal of attaining sales targets and increasing the year-over-year sales of UBC Press titles.

• Collaborates with the Assistant Director, Marketing and Business Development, and Agency Marketing Coordinator to set sales targets for UBC Press and distributed titles.

• Identifies key markets for each UBC Press title and develops sales strategies and tactics to sell into these markets with the goal of increasing UBC Press sales domestically and internationally.

• Researches new customers for UBC Press titles and performs direct outreach and promotion to prospective customers, including pursuing special (bulk) sales of UBC Press titles.

• Develops and maintains suitable database structures for customer contacts and tracking sales activities and outcomes.

• Sells titles twice yearly to UBC Press in-house bookstore accounts and serves as the point person for inquiries from bookstore and other customer accounts.

• Develops seasonal sales materials for UBC Press’ domestic and international trade representatives and distributors and presents UBC Press titles at sales meetings two to three times per year.

• Manages the work and sales goals of UBC Press’s domestic and international sales representatives.

• Oversees the work of the Sales and Inventory Coordinator and the Agency and Digital Marketing Coordinator. Provides expertise, insight, and guidance, and ensures work is of high quality.

• Conducts annual backlist price and discount reviews and recommends pricing and discount changes.

• Attends and provides input at pre-publication meetings for UBC Press titles deemed to have strong course or trade market potential.

• Creates a suite of regular sales reports for presentation to the Press and/or the marketing department and/or the management team to provide information and to ensure sales goals are being met.

• Works with the Sales and Inventory Coordinator to ensure sufficient stock levels are maintained and ordered to meet customer demand and anticipated sales.

• Recommends print runs to the Assistant Director, Marketing and Business Development, for all forthcoming UBC Press titles.

• Provides guidance from a sales perspective to the Publicity and Events Manager to ensure appropriate and consistent representation of UBC Press and distributed titles at conferences and meetings.

• Assesses overstock and return stock of UBC Press and agency titles. This includes reviewing the criteria for returns and monitoring damaged book returns for adherence to the agreed upon returns criteria.

• Works on special projects as required.

• Attends conferences and events as required.

Consequence of Error/Judgement
This position has responsibility for increasing UBC Press net sales of all UBC Press books in Canadian and international markets. Since the bulk of the Press’s income is derived from sales revenue, the consequences of error are critical and would damage UBC Press’s financial viability.

The Sales and Inventory Manager is also responsible for customer service and relations with sales reps and distributors. Failure to maintain good relationships with customers and partners would result in lost sales and service issues, which would impact the reputation and financial viability of UBC Press.

Supervision Received
Operates with minimal direct supervision and reports to the Assistant Director, Marketing & Business Development.

Supervision Given
Supervises the Sales and Inventory Coordinator and the Agency and Digital Marketing Coordinator and may train and supervise student worker and intern work.

Minimum Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Minimum of five years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

• Three years’ sales experience or the equivalent combination of education and experience. At least one years’ experience related experience in a trade or scholarly book-publishing environment or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Effective customer service skills and experience.

• Proven strong communications skills, particularly with customers, co-workers, and contracted services.

• Should have extensive computer skills, especially in Excel.

• A good understanding of database and other information systems as used in the publishing industry is an asset.

• Must be able to travel overnight and work occasional weekends.