At Penguin Random House UK, the sourcing and management of paper is a critical part of our production process. From the quality, look and feel, to the logistics, supply chain and costs.

As our new Paper Supply Chain Manager, you will play a vital role in this process.

In this position, and through the implementation of processes and forecasting, you will be responsible for the management of paper for all of our monochrome printings in the UK. You will ensure we have sufficient paper stocks, working collaboratively with paper mills, printers, the Production team and other internal stakeholders. You will utilise your expertise to guide and influence production decisions, for the benefit of the department and wider business.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Forecasting and ordering paper for monochrome manufacture and driving efficiency and cost savings throughout all aspects of paper management and supply
• Ensuring paper availability for printings while maintaining a healthy stock turn
• Implementing contingencies to mitigate against any forecasting constraints
• Managing a Paper Controller Assistant, driving forward their development and efficiency
• Liaising with senior production colleagues to agree paper grades for non-standard printings and communicating this effectively to all of Production
• Sharing knowledge with Production and Inventory Management teams, to support their understanding of their roles within the overall paper buying process
• Providing detailed analysis for paper price negotiations.
• Researching and sourcing new papers for production requirements in response to specific immediate needs, as well as to improve quality and/or commercial competitiveness
• Maintain excellent relationships with printers and core paper suppliers across the trade
• Liasing with Finance Department to ensure all inventory valuations and paper costs are reported in an accurate and timely manner.
• Working with the Sustainability Production Manager you will ensure environmental considerations are adhered to throughout paper management and purchasing
• Alongside the Sustainability Production Manager, keep informed of environmental initiatives within our suppliers’ mills, practices, and the wider industry

Preferred candidate profile:

• You will be knowledgeable about the book production industry and will be deemed as our supply chain expert for paper
• You will be adept with Excel and data
• You will be comfortable to communicate with internal and external stakeholders
• You will be passionate about our book production process

Our approach to hybrid working:

We as a Production-focused team appreciate and thrive best with an open, collaborative and supportive way of working in-person and virtually. We create trusted relationships at all levels and believe that a diverse team is what will make us all successful. We are happy to discuss our flexible working approach with you if invited to an interview.

Please apply with your CV and cover letter by midnight on Sunday 3rd March.

About Penguin:

We’re the UK’s largest publisher; made up of some 2,000 people and publishing over 1,500 books each year. Our doors are open to all kinds of talent. In a constantly evolving industry, we work hard to stretch the definition of the word publisher. Here, you’ll work with a breadth of talent who all play their part to make each of our books a success. Together, we make books for everyone because a book can change anyone.

Salary:Circa £41,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.

Our people are the heart of our business, and we work hard to support a culture of responsibility and recognition. Our benefits include:

• Financial – income protection, life assurance, childcare allowance

• Wellbeing – healthcare cash plan, critical illness cover, health checks

• Lifestyle – enhanced parental leave, tech scheme

For our full benefits list please visit: https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/what-we-offer/

The recruitment process: You can read about our recruitment process at https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/how-we-hire/

As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we're part of the offer an interview scheme. This is where disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role can opt in to get to the next recruitment stage. There may be some situations where volume of applicants means we can't take all eligible candidates to interview.

We encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing PRHCareersUK@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable to for us to support your request.

Please note, we are not able to accept agency CVs for this role. Any CVs sent speculatively will not be eligible for a fee.

Company: The Random House Group Limited 

Country: United Kingdom 

State/Region: London 

City: London 

Postal Code: SW11 7BW 

Job ID: 268304