Overview

Head of Publishing Innovation / Publishing Innovation Director (12 month FTC) role at Hachette Learning Professional Development. Bookouture is a dynamic digital publisher of bestselling commercial fiction and a division of Hachette.

What you'll be doing

We’re looking for an innovative AI specialist to transform how Bookouture operates across our entire publishing business. Working alongside our editorial, marketing, publicity, commercial, data and operations teams, you will conceptualise, develop and strategically implement AI solutions that enhance operational efficiency while maintaining our commitment to protecting human creativity. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of digital publishing through strategic, innovative and responsible AI implementation.

Core to our business is data-driven decision-making. You’ll build predictive models for sales forecasting, optimise metadata and keywords for Amazon visibility and to support editorial and acquisition processes. You will also develop bespoke analytical tools that identify market opportunities and emerging trends to ensure our editorial decision-making is informed by intelligent data analysis.

You will improve our marketing, publicity and commercial activities by enhancing core processes. This includes building AI solutions for advertising optimisation and performance analytics across Meta, Amazon and Google ad platforms, email marketing and developing A/B testing frameworks. You will work with the commercial team to create systems that monitor pricing and identify effective promotional opportunities, allowing for faster, smarter commercial decisions.

A key element of your role will be streamlining our operational workflows. You will implement AI solutions to support contract processing, royalty calculations, quality assurance, audio production, and project management which will enable our teams to focus on creative and strategic work.

As our AI champion, you are responsible for upskilling the Bookouture team and embedding AI best practices. You will create training programmes and an intelligent knowledge management system to centralise access to documentation, and ensure all AI developments align with Hachette’s operational AI policy. Your developments and learnings will be shared with the Hachette AI board, positioning Bookouture at the forefront of responsible publishing innovation.

This is initially a 12-month fixed-term contract, with the potential to fundamentally transform how we operate as a digital-first publisher. If you’re passionate about using AI to make publishing smarter and more efficient while respecting the creative process, we want to hear from you.

Who we are looking for

The ideal candidate will have proven experience implementing AI solutions in a business context, with strong knowledge of platforms like OpenAI and Claude. We value self-taught expertise and continuous learning over formal credentials – you should be an autodidact who stays ahead of emerging technologies. You should demonstrate a high level of growth mindset, ownership of the projects you are leading and the desire to improve the way businesses work.

You should have strong interpersonal skills to build relationships with internal and external collaborators, be able to manage multiple projects simultaneously, and apply the vast potential of AI into practical business solutions. A background in data science, computer science, or publishing operations would be advantageous but not essential.

What we offer

Our staff are our greatest asset, and our benefits reflect this:

• 28 annual leave days per year, increases to 29 days after 2 years' service and goes up to 30 days after 5 years' (+ bank holidays)
• Private medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Generous pension schemes
• Rent deposit loans
• 2 community days per year
• Summer hours (finishing at 1pm on Fridays during the summer months)
• Retail discounts through Hachette rewards
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Eye care vouchers
• Wide-ranging training library
• Development programmes (including mentoring)
• Up to 70% off book purchases
• A charity bookshelf
• 12 Staff-led employee networks that are voluntary, including AgeWise, Gender Balance, Thrive, Pride, All Together, Wellbeing and religious networks
• Season ticket loans
• And much more!

The role will be based at our London office, Carmelite House, with a blend of in-office (3 days) and homeworking (2 days) per week.

Role details

• Location: London, United Kingdom
• Divison/Department: Bookouture / Operations
• Salary: Competitive salary (+bonus +benefits)
• Employment type: Full Time Fixed-term
• Closing date: Monday, 13th October 2025

Our commitment: Hachette employs people on the basis of their abilities. We aim to attract and develop talent from a broad range of backgrounds. If you are shortlisted and need adjustments to attend for interview, please let us know. The Book Trade Charity offers support to enter the book trade; for more information visit www.booktradeentrysupport.org.

Apply now