Director, Print Supply Operations
Great Minds (DC), Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Director, Print Supply Operations
Reporting to the Chief Business Operations Officer, the Director, Print Supply Operations owns the end-to-end print strategy and execution for Great Minds. This role is accountable for both the strategic plan and day-to-day operation of the print ecosystemfrom RFQs and purchase orders through manufacturing, delivery, and vendor performance management. The Director will ensure that printed instructional materials are produced to the highest quality standards, delivered on time, and sourced cost-effectively, while sustaining a high-performing supplier and paper network capable of supporting demand volatility, large state adoptions, and long-term growth. This role operates with enterprise-wide scope and at the leadership level, serving as the executive owner of print manufacturing, cost, and risk outcomes. Responsibilities include defining and owning the multi-year print manufacturing strategy aligned to Great Minds' growth plan, state adoption pipeline, and margin targets; owning the full print lifecycle, including RFQ development, vendor quoting, cost analysis, purchase order execution, production oversight, and final delivery; ensuring accurate translation of demand forecasts into print orders, reprint schedules, and production timelines; establishing and continuously improving operational processes, controls, and documentation governing print execution; serving as the escalation point for production issues, schedule risk, quality defects, or delivery failures; providing leadership representation at company and vendor meetings for print capacity planning for all major state adoptions, with authority to commit suppliers and capital ahead of demand; defining and managing the print supplier portfolio, including primary and secondary printers; establishing and maintaining working relationships with paper mills to support pricing strategy, supply continuity, and risk mitigation; leading competitive RFPs and strategic sourcing initiatives, including contract negotiation and supplier selection; recommending and executing near-shore/off-shore and capacity-reservation strategies to protect revenue during peak cycles; developing contingency strategies for paper availability, capacity constraints, and market disruption; owning enterprise print risk management, including supply continuity, paper exposure, geopolitical risk, and disaster recovery planning; ensuring all printed products meet or exceed Book Manufacturing Institute (BMI) standards and Great Minds' internal quality requirements; maintaining deep technical expertise in K12 instructional print specifications, including trim sizes, binding methods, paper types, durability requirements, and accessibility considerations; traveling periodically to domestic and international manufacturing sites to audit quality, review processes, and strengthen supplier relationships; partnering with Quality Assurance and Production teams to address root causes of defects and drive continuous improvement; owning senior-level relationships with print suppliers and paper partners, holding vendors accountable to cost, quality, and service expectations; leading structured QBRs focused on performance metrics, forward capacity, cost trends, and improvement initiatives; resolving chronic or systemic vendor issues while maintaining long-term, collaborative partnerships; representing Great Minds in executive-level negotiations with strategic suppliers, paper mills, and manufacturing partners; partnering with Demand Planning, Sales, Finance, Product Management, and Warehouse Operations to align print execution with revenue forecasts, margin targets, and fulfillment plans; providing clear visibility into print costs, risks, and capacity constraints to support executive decision-making; establishing and monitoring KPIs related to cost, service, quality, supplier reliability, and inventory outcomes; owning print-related gross margin performance, with direct accountability for cost structure, yield loss, obsolescence risk, reprint economics, and supplier pricing outcomes; creating and owning a portfolio of margin-improvement initiatives as part of continuous improvement efforts, including spec optimization, vendor consolidation, and paper strategy; partnering with Finance to forecast and explain print cost variance at the executive and leadership levels; serving as executive incident lead during print-related business continuity events. Requirements include 7+ years of hands-on experience in print operations within K12 educational publishing; experience leading teams and managers within a complex manufacturing or supply chain environment; 3+ years managing an annual budget of $50M $100M annually; demonstrated end-to-end ownership of the print production process, from RFQs and POs through delivery; deep working knowledge of BMI standards and instructional print manufacturing best practices; proven experience managing printer, binder, and paper mill relationships; willingness and ability to travel to manufacturing sites as needed; strong leadership, negotiation, and executive communication skills; ability to operate effectively at both strategic and execution levels in a fast-paced environment. Preferred qualifications include experience supporting large state adoptions and BTS-driven demand cycles; experience navigating paper market volatility and supply constraints; recognized subject-matter expert in K12 instructional print manufacturing at scale. Required education includes a Bachelor's degree in business, supply chain, operations management, or a related field required. Preferred: Master's degree preferred. Status: Full-time Location: Remote The expected base salary range for this position is $177,000-$197,000, however the offered salary may be higher or lower than the above range dependent on numerous factors including, but not limited to location, work experience, skills and internal equity considerations. The base salary is not inclusive of benefits or other incentives. A cover letter and resume are required to be considered for this position. New employees will be required to successfully complete a background check. Any communication to applicants relating to the Great Minds hiring process will only come from email addresses with the domains greatminds.org or greatminds.recruitee.com. If in the course of the application or hiring process with Great Minds you are contacted through another domain, are requested to provide banking or other sensitive information, or you note any other suspicious activity, please contact security@greatminds.org. Great Minds is an equal opportunity employer. We will extend equal opportunity to all individuals without regard to race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, disability, age, genetic information, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws. Our policy reflects and affirms the organization's commitment to the principles of fair employment and the elimination of all discriminatory practices.
Reporting to the Chief Business Operations Officer, the Director, Print Supply Operations owns the end-to-end print strategy and execution for Great Minds. This role is accountable for both the strategic plan and day-to-day operation of the print ecosystemfrom RFQs and purchase orders through manufacturing, delivery, and vendor performance management. The Director will ensure that printed instructional materials are produced to the highest quality standards, delivered on time, and sourced cost-effectively, while sustaining a high-performing supplier and paper network capable of supporting demand volatility, large state adoptions, and long-term growth. This role operates with enterprise-wide scope and at the leadership level, serving as the executive owner of print manufacturing, cost, and risk outcomes. Responsibilities include defining and owning the multi-year print manufacturing strategy aligned to Great Minds' growth plan, state adoption pipeline, and margin targets; owning the full print lifecycle, including RFQ development, vendor quoting, cost analysis, purchase order execution, production oversight, and final delivery; ensuring accurate translation of demand forecasts into print orders, reprint schedules, and production timelines; establishing and continuously improving operational processes, controls, and documentation governing print execution; serving as the escalation point for production issues, schedule risk, quality defects, or delivery failures; providing leadership representation at company and vendor meetings for print capacity planning for all major state adoptions, with authority to commit suppliers and capital ahead of demand; defining and managing the print supplier portfolio, including primary and secondary printers; establishing and maintaining working relationships with paper mills to support pricing strategy, supply continuity, and risk mitigation; leading competitive RFPs and strategic sourcing initiatives, including contract negotiation and supplier selection; recommending and executing near-shore/off-shore and capacity-reservation strategies to protect revenue during peak cycles; developing contingency strategies for paper availability, capacity constraints, and market disruption; owning enterprise print risk management, including supply continuity, paper exposure, geopolitical risk, and disaster recovery planning; ensuring all printed products meet or exceed Book Manufacturing Institute (BMI) standards and Great Minds' internal quality requirements; maintaining deep technical expertise in K12 instructional print specifications, including trim sizes, binding methods, paper types, durability requirements, and accessibility considerations; traveling periodically to domestic and international manufacturing sites to audit quality, review processes, and strengthen supplier relationships; partnering with Quality Assurance and Production teams to address root causes of defects and drive continuous improvement; owning senior-level relationships with print suppliers and paper partners, holding vendors accountable to cost, quality, and service expectations; leading structured QBRs focused on performance metrics, forward capacity, cost trends, and improvement initiatives; resolving chronic or systemic vendor issues while maintaining long-term, collaborative partnerships; representing Great Minds in executive-level negotiations with strategic suppliers, paper mills, and manufacturing partners; partnering with Demand Planning, Sales, Finance, Product Management, and Warehouse Operations to align print execution with revenue forecasts, margin targets, and fulfillment plans; providing clear visibility into print costs, risks, and capacity constraints to support executive decision-making; establishing and monitoring KPIs related to cost, service, quality, supplier reliability, and inventory outcomes; owning print-related gross margin performance, with direct accountability for cost structure, yield loss, obsolescence risk, reprint economics, and supplier pricing outcomes; creating and owning a portfolio of margin-improvement initiatives as part of continuous improvement efforts, including spec optimization, vendor consolidation, and paper strategy; partnering with Finance to forecast and explain print cost variance at the executive and leadership levels; serving as executive incident lead during print-related business continuity events. Requirements include 7+ years of hands-on experience in print operations within K12 educational publishing; experience leading teams and managers within a complex manufacturing or supply chain environment; 3+ years managing an annual budget of $50M $100M annually; demonstrated end-to-end ownership of the print production process, from RFQs and POs through delivery; deep working knowledge of BMI standards and instructional print manufacturing best practices; proven experience managing printer, binder, and paper mill relationships; willingness and ability to travel to manufacturing sites as needed; strong leadership, negotiation, and executive communication skills; ability to operate effectively at both strategic and execution levels in a fast-paced environment. Preferred qualifications include experience supporting large state adoptions and BTS-driven demand cycles; experience navigating paper market volatility and supply constraints; recognized subject-matter expert in K12 instructional print manufacturing at scale. Required education includes a Bachelor's degree in business, supply chain, operations management, or a related field required. Preferred: Master's degree preferred. Status: Full-time Location: Remote The expected base salary range for this position is $177,000-$197,000, however the offered salary may be higher or lower than the above range dependent on numerous factors including, but not limited to location, work experience, skills and internal equity considerations. The base salary is not inclusive of benefits or other incentives. A cover letter and resume are required to be considered for this position. New employees will be required to successfully complete a background check. Any communication to applicants relating to the Great Minds hiring process will only come from email addresses with the domains greatminds.org or greatminds.recruitee.com. If in the course of the application or hiring process with Great Minds you are contacted through another domain, are requested to provide banking or other sensitive information, or you note any other suspicious activity, please contact security@greatminds.org. Great Minds is an equal opportunity employer. We will extend equal opportunity to all individuals without regard to race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, disability, age, genetic information, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws. Our policy reflects and affirms the organization's commitment to the principles of fair employment and the elimination of all discriminatory practices.