Contracts Manager

Hachette Book Group • New York, NY

21d • $70,000 - $75,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Contracts Manager independently negotiates, drafts, and manages a wide variety of author publishing agreements of varying complexity across various HBG imprints, serving as a strategic business partner to editors, publishers, and senior leadership. The individual will report into and work closely with the Contract Director for the children’s and adult gift product area of HBG, and will be expected to exercise a substantial level of autonomy in terms of drafting and negotiating and to participate in decision-making around process questions and boilerplate terms. The individual will work alongside and manage junior staff providing mentoring and oversight.

Requirements

• 5+ years contract negotiation experience in publishing, media, entertainment, or licensing.
• Deep understanding of royalties, advances, grant of rights, delivery and acceptance, subsidiary rights, options, reversions, and indemnities and all pertinent publishing terms.
• Proven ability to negotiate complex agreements independently with flexibility and an orientation toward solutions.
• Excellent communication and analytical skills.
• Superior drafting and negotiation skills
• Strategic thinker with business judgment
• Highly organized and deadline‑driven
• Professional and confident communicator
• Collaborative team player
• Direct experience negotiating with agents
• Expertise in word, power point, excel and other standard computer programs (experience with a title management system is a plus)
• Self-starter with excellent time-management skills

Nice To Haves

• experience with a title management system is a plus

Responsibilities

• Negotiate and draft author agreements, licenses, amendments, work for hires and co-edition agreements – as well as other publishing agreements as they arise.
• Manage complex/high‑value deals independently while balancing business objectives and legal risk.
• Advise business leaders on deal structure and negotiation strategy.
• Identify, assess, and escalate legal/business risks with solution‑oriented recommendations.
• Ensure agreements comply with corporate standards and guardrails.
• Manage and mentor junior contracts staff.
• Track deal timelines and drive negotiations to execution.
• Partner cross‑functionally with Legal, Sub Rights, Finance, Production, and Operations.
• Support department process improvement initiatives. Other duties as may reasonably be assigned.

Benefits

• medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life, short-term and long-term disability, accidental death and dismemberment, critical illness, hospital indemnity, long-term care, health and dependent care FSA, commuter benefit plan, employee assistance program, tuition reimbursement, travel assistance, 401(k), discretionary bonus program, PTO (15 vacation days, 3 personal days, 10 holidays and generous sick leave)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed