Director of Print Management (Remote - EST Locations only)

Our Customer is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, they were created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the world’s leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education. Each year, our Customer helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success—including the SAT, the Advanced Placement Program, and BigFuture. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators, and schools.

We are seeking a Director of Print Management on a contract basis to help support our Customer's business needs. This role is 100% remote and must live and work in EST.

This role will ensure that students requiring paper accommodations are cared for via the creation and production of the printed materials that students and coordinators will require throughout all aspects of College Readiness and AP assessments. You will also support quality activities for user acceptance testing of material requirements. You’re an analytical thinker who can work through detailed processes, complex requirements and systems when necessary. You possess a strong knowledge of printing, print file preparation and file transfer, file transfer specifications and quality, vendor management practices, and have strong communication skills.

Responsibilities:

Manage Publication development tracking (40%)

• Maintain and track the Item Numbers (CBINs) for on time creation, including updating the overall process as well as assigning CBINs to any new publications.
• Work closely with internal stakeholders and vendors to ensure clear requirements and deadlines are met.
• Track publication production workflow metrics and use them to improve response time.
• Proactively communicate the requirements and downstream process impacts of unique aspects of new publications, including impact of serialization, scannable formatting and inclusion of CBINs.

Print Job Management (30%)

• Manage the manufacturing process (directly or in collaboration with vendor) of printed materials, including standard and alternate test formats (e.g. braille), and non-test pubs. Includes maintaining security of confidential materials, advising pubs production teams on print materials (e.g., paper stock/weight, etc.), manage document serialization processes, determining best practices for production, and establishing lead times. Collaborate with CB Stakeholders to set print volumes, staggered deliveries and replenishment/reprint levels.
• Manage print manufacturing workflow; initiate, track and monitor status of work.
• Analyze print-ready files prior to delivery to the print vendor by conducting file prep and pre-flight activities. Serve as a front-line POC to ensure each file meets the file technical specifications. Establish, expand, and document baseline file technical specifications for each print vendor.
• Monitor data flows for personalized mailings/score reports, ensuring that data handoffs occur on a schedule that meets overall customer requirements.
• Communicate with stakeholders and provide updates around file delivery, output volumes and other key metrics. Monitor file delivery schedules, resolve delivery and output format delays.

Internal and Vendor Quality Support (30%)

• Monitor performance of vendors, IT and in-house operations teams to ensure on time processing and accuracy of feed/file delivery, print output and fulfilment.
• Initiate issue notification and management when issues occur, coordinate containment and resolution with IT, Operations, Tech Ops, vendors and other stakeholders as appropriate.
• Perform and/or ensure quality checks at vendor handoffs and milestones. Collaborate with Quality on vendor audit schedule and annual standards review and revision.
• Support quality assurance testing for detailed material requirements documentations and order testing
• Evaluate viability of new suppliers and drive transition to new partners if/when appropriate

• The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years print / customized publications production experience is required.
• Experience printing production and ability to understand the vendors, printing project timelines and the lifecycle of development to print and the nuances.
• Experience with secure transfer protocols leveraging SFTP, cloud-based or other technologies preferred.
• Strong process design experience preferred.
• Strong interpersonal skills with demonstrated successful collaboration skills.
• Computer literacy, including Microsoft Office applications.
• Strong analytical thinking and structured problem-solving ability
• Excellent communication (writing, speaking, presentation)
• Solid organizational, time & task management skills
• Ability to effectively handle multiple situations simultaneously and to set appropriate priorities.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Flexibility and desire to quickly adapt to new methods, situations, and various requirements