Portfolio Manager, Cary, North Carolina

Job Details

Description

We are the world’s largest university press. We have both a worldwide reach and a personal understanding of local needs, partnering on the ground to adapt publications and resources to meet the individual needs of communities, societies, and countries. We partner with researchers, educators, and technology partners to stay ahead of the changing ways people around the world are accessing and sharing knowledge. With a presence in more than 50 countries and millions of customers around the world, an idea launched at OUP can have a global impact.

More about OUP

Advancing Knowledge and Learning

ABOUT THE ROLE

With a deep understanding of the HE landscape and the competitive landscape, the Portfolio Manager manages the acquisition of a portfolio of educational products, which are designed to maximize student outcomes in Political Science and Criminal Justice education. The Portfolio Manager is responsible for identifying opportunities for new acquisitions under the strategic guidance of a Senior Portfolio Manager, and optimizing the market potential of existing intellectual property, all the while driving digital penetration by acquiring content that supports optimal outcomes when used digitally. They are also responsible for the financial management of their portfolio of products, ensuring that budgets are met, and costs incurred are in line with our agreed commercial strategy.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES/KEY RESULT AREAS

1. Market and HE ecosystem engagement. Actively engage with the market to characterize those external factors that influence our content development strategy, including discipline and curriculum trends, user-centered learning design and user experience, assessments, pedagogical best practice, educational technology, and societal issues that are influencing teaching practices, such as diversity and inclusion. Maintain an accurate and dynamic understanding of the competitive environment and customer needs.
2. New content: ideation and acquisition. Using market intelligence, discipline expertise, sales, and usage data to inform decision-making, and under guidance from the Senior Portfolio Manager, develop concepts for new digital-first content that: has a clear value proposition; meets strategic objectives in terms of digital transformation, and market share and revenue growth; makes the most effective use of pedagogy and learning design principles; and makes the most effective and compelling use of available functionality and capability. Develop new project proposals to meet these goals, consulting with cross-functional colleagues as required.
3. Legacy content: optimization of market potential. Develop plans for the updating of existing content using market, sales and usage data, to fulfil strategic objectives around digital transformation, market share, and revenue growth, and which make the most effective and compelling use of available functionality and capability. Proactively look for opportunities to reuse or repurpose existing content assets within new projects, rather than developing from scratch.
4. Contract negotiation: Proactively negotiate contracts to secure competitive IP with the best possible terms for the Press. Educate authors on what the terms of our contracts mean and how they will drive our working relationships. In line with strong financial management, be thoughtful about determining which content we should own, outright, versus pay a royalty on.
5. Brand advocacy: Identify and cultivate strong faculty advocates to inform product and market development, and to participate in the sales process. Partner closely with the sales organization, spending a proportion of your time directly working adoptions (in person and virtually).
6. Cross-functional stakeholder management: Work closely and collaboratively with cross-functional colleagues to maximise the quality and competitiveness of our output. Have the ability to influence without authority.
7. Author relationship management: Motivate and retain the best authors to fulfil OUP's strategy of publishing market-leading titles for core courses in the undergraduate curriculum. Uphold high standards of author communication, and manage author expectations such that author satisfaction is maintained, high standards of the Press are upheld, and external perceptions of the Press are positive. Provide consistent, clear author messaging around digital reach, quality, and impact.

ABOUT YOU

• Previous experience of Higher Education publishing and the Higher Education ecosystem.
• Proven track record of strong project management, cost/budget management, successful innovation, and consistent delivery of goals.
• Highly literate and numerate
• Strong organizational, time management, and prioritization skills
• Proven ability to work well on your own initiative and to be proactive in solving problems
• Able to demonstrate excellent attention to detail at all times
• Experience of building, maintaining and utilizing networks within the publishing industry and relevant academic/professional communities.
• Ability to work with peers and cross-functionally in a productive manner (including within the matrix management structure of the Press) towards a common purpose and good.
• Excellent written communication as well as strong interpersonal and verbal skills
• Previous customer facing experience in the higher education and/or educational media industry

BENEFITS

We care about work/life balance at OUP. We offer 15 days of vacation time that rises with service, 8 sick days, plus floating holidays, personal days, company holidays, and a 35-hour working week. We are open to discussing flexibility in respect of working hours and the use of technology to support regular remote working, dependent on role. We also have a great variety of active employee networks and societies.

We care for you and your dependents by offering health, dental, and vision insurance plans to our full-time employees. Each plan has multiple levels of coverage to fit your needs and has a high level of contribution made by OUP. In addition, we offer Employee Assistant Programs for all full-time employees, regardless of whether you elect in health insurance. We also offer life insurance and disability insurance.

We help make your money go further by providing a non-elective contribution on your behalf to your retirement plan of 7% of your salary and a matching contribution to the retirement plan of 50% on the first 6% of employee contributions on based earnings.

Position Location: This role can be hybrid, based out of Cary, NC (2 times a week in office) or New York City, NY. This role can also be remote in the United States

GJC Level: I6 (for internal purposes only)

Salary: $65,800-$94,000 dependent on skills and experience

We are committed to supporting diversity in our workforce and ensuring an inclusive environment where all individuals can thrive. We seek to employ a workforce representative of the markets that we serve and encourage applications from all.

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Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)