Senior Contracts Manager

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Contracts Manager to join our DK Contracts team at Penguin Random House
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This role will support two of our most dynamic teams: DK+ and DK International.

DK+ acquires rights from leading toy, media, and entertainment companies such as Disney, Mattel, and LEGO, enabling DK to publish an exciting range of books based on world-famous brands. You'll play a key role throughout the contracting process — from advising on commercial offers and negotiating complex licensing agreements to ensuring post-contract compliance. Your deep understanding of licensing arrangements with major media and entertainment partners will help bring DK's creative collaborations to life.

Working with DK International, home to DK's global foreign rights business, you'll develop and maintain versatile, user-friendly contract templates and provide clear, commercially focused advice to support negotiations with international publishing partners. This is a fantastic opportunity for a proactive and detail-oriented contracts professional to combine their legal expertise with a passion for creativity, collaboration, and global publishing.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide timely and commercially focussed advice on DK+ offers for licensed properties, liaising with Editorial, Finance and other internal teams as appropriate.
• Draft/redline and negotiate a wide range of licensed property agreements on both DK and third-party templates.
• Understand and interpret existing licensed property agreements, including the financial structure of the agreements and compliance requirements.
• Manage post-contract compliance, including briefing teams on relevant contract terms and arranging insurance certificates, manufacturing agreements and other documentation as required.
• Draft and maintain clear, easy-to-use rights templates for use by the DK International team.
• Advise the DK International team on contract negotiations and queries.
• Participate in presentations/training sessions for the DK+ and DK International teams.
• Potential to support the wider DK Contracts team on publishing agreements for other DK divisions, as required.

What you'll bring

Essential criteria:

• Significant previous experience of working in a Legal, Contracts or Business Affairs Department. Ideally with a commercial background.
• Clear and precise contract drafting skills, with excellent attention to detail.
• The ability to build strong and effective relationships with key stakeholders.
• Strong personal organisation and time management skills.
• The ability to multitask and handle competing priorities.

Preferred criteria:

• Some experience of using Biblio or a similar data management system
• Previous experience working with licensed properties

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 Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable with, for us to support your request.

Application instructions

Please apply with your CV and cover letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 11:59pm on Monday 8th December.

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.

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

Circa £50,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, 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 work from our office in London three days per week.