Senior Content Project Manager

Global Production and Manufacturing Services (GPMS), a shared services division of Cengage Learning, supports our business unit customers in their goal of supplying education and training solutions to their customers across the globe by providing world class production and manufacturing services.

Manages assigned number of titles in fully outsourced end-to-end program; acts as company liaison and primary contact. Responsible for project managing the full-service production and delivery of content for assigned core 1-, 2-, and 4-color titles, their covers, related art programs, and associated supplements from transmittal through final distribution. Responsible for managing work at Cengage-approved offshore and North American vendors. Directly accountable for ensuring that assigned projects are delivered on schedule, in line with editorial specifications, and within budget in order to achieve financial targets. Mentors/trains content project managers or associates in company processes and procedures. Takes on special projects, as assigned.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

End-to-End Site Lead Duties and Responsibilities
• Manages 20-25 fully outsourced, end-to-end titles, overseeing vendor activities for project management, composition, and content project manager functions from project transmittal to final product
• Prepares initial project transmittals for end-to-end vendors, including budgeting and scheduling guidelines, accountabilities, and contacts for in-house project teams

• Consults with end-to-end vendors to resolve production issues related to quality, accuracy, schedule, or budget

• Manages major milestones and budget compliance for all assigned titles; ensures vendors have updated database as required

• Liaises with Cengage Learning staff on end-to-end initiatives; acts as primary in-house resource

• Provides vendor training and feedback as required

• Supplies regular title-specific and program status updates to management

• Processes vendor invoices

Senior CPM Duties and Responsibilities
• Manages the production process for assigned titles and projects, through approved full-service production houses or approved vendors, meeting schedule and cost requirements while ensuring quality and accuracy

• Prepares core projects for approved full-service and specialty vendors for traditional and production automation workflows; develops and monitors overall schedule from receipt of completed content to publication; assembles/validates individual project budgets; manages electronic copyediting, proofreading, and indexing checks through the full-service house; works with full-service houses or other outside vendors to manage, schedule, and track art programs, ensuring compliance with Cengage Learning standards and tools for art trafficking and status management

• Works collaboratively with editorial, marketing, design, and technology, to set design and production goals, implement the appropriate traditional or XML-based workflow; and regularly communicate schedule, author, quality, and budget updates

• Manages activities that ensure the creation and persistence of high-quality XML, including quality assurance checks of vendor-submitted XML at various production stages and monitoring final ingestion of XML into the core asset repository on appropriate projects; works with media production and editorial on downstream reuse of XML content and embedded media/art assets, as needed

• Ensures that production standards and best practices are correctly implemented throughout production cycle; monitors vendor compliance to production standards; suggests updates to best practices and standards, as needed

• Manages plate budgets of projects, including accurate cost estimating and tracking in IPS; monitors plate expenditures on assigned list of titles to achieve plate budgets and to meet agreed-upon cost-savings targets, reporting in a timely fashion about potential cost overages

• Adheres to standardized buying practices and processes for all content production, composition, and prepress services; ensures that new processes and technologies (e.g., use of composition style sheets and XML-production workflows) and approved standards are implemented on assigned projects

• Establishes priorities for project team and helps resolve process problems and workflow impediments in order to achieve desired publication dates

• Implements final vendor strategy, ensuring placement at approved off-shore and North American full-service vendors to achieve significant cost savings and workflow efficiencies; monitors vendor performance to maintain and improve quality; provides regular feedback to management on vendor performance

• Ensures that all production information is kept current in IPS

• Participates in management-led activities to define and refine production workflows, as needed

• Acts as a mentor to content project managers or associates, including training on processes and procedures for new or less experienced CPMs

• Contributes in an area of expertise (e.g., technology, editorial processes) or takes on special projects, as needed

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
• BA/BS or equivalent work experience

• Minimum of 5 years experience in print and/or media production

• Strong project management and organizational skills required; able to successfully juggle multiple projects and to prioritize tasks

• Effective problem-solving and critical-thinking skills; able to predict, identify, and resolve issues in a timely and effective manner

• Demonstrated initiative and innovation; able to identify and support ways to improve processes through technology or new ways of thinking

• Ability to adopt and implement new processes, procedures, and standards in an environment of continuous improvement

• Ability to work collaboratively and in partnership with all functional areas to establish and implement new workflow processes

• Excellent computer skills; strong word processing and spreadsheet skills, preferably with Microsoft Office, Internet skills, including ftp software, and Adobe Acrobat

• Knowledge of electronic prepress technologies and composition/page layout tools, including automated composition systems and XML, QuarkXpress, and InDesign, and printing processes; knowledge of or strong aptitude for learning XML-based tools and technologies used for print and media product production, archiving, and reuse

• Demonstrated editorial skills (proofreading, copyediting, application of style conventions)

• Independent self starter; detail oriented 

• Knowledge of print and media production, including scheduling, programming, copyediting, proofreading, composition, prepress, design, and permissions

• Ability to work effectively in a team environment and to direct outside vendors and freelancers

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to interpret and translate information to teams and individuals and to report effectively to management

• Familiarity with The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition, and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition 

To apply for this position please click here: http://tbe.taleo.net/NA1/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=LEARNING&cws=1&rid=1714