Job description

Circulation Distribution Operations Manager

Department: Circulation

Status: Full-time

Job Reports To: Circulation Manager

Job Summary
Position has direct responsibility for all regional circulation delivery operations. Responsibility will be for APG Media East Group which comprised of several different publications across Maryland, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Ohio, and the surrounding states.

This position will be responsible for ensuring distribution of print publications, through both home delivery and mail, to subscribers and retail locations throughout the APG circulation area. This position must find efficiencies that both economize expenses as well as improve overall customer satisfaction and reliability.

Position promotes customer satisfaction and is responsible for working with Circulation Sales and Retention team to mitigate issues that might detract from it through timely resolution and verification. Position ensures safety of all department personnel, and ensures compliance with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations, as well as company regulations and policies.

Must possess strong leadership, communication and motivational skills and provide consistent guidance to operations team. This position will evaluate our entire carrier and postal delivery footprint, and identify opportunities within each publication to improve overall delivery performance while controlling postage and contractor-related expenses.

Job Functions

The successful candidate must be flexible, self-starter, attentive to details, assertive, able to provide direction, and able to multi-task. This position will work with different personality types and across a number of publications. Candidates for this position should have strong organizational and negotiation skills, and exhibit an ability to work effectively with internal and external contacts as a team member as well as a team leader.

Essential Functions

Circulation Distribution Operations:

· Negotiate contracts with both individual and corporate delivery providers.

· Recruit, orient, and retain independent contractors. Ensure the independent contractor relationship is well defined and always maintained. Ensure all contractors are held to the contractually established delivery standards in their agreement.

· Manage relationship with USPS, and evaluate distribution footprint for opportunities to reduce cost and improve service.

· Develop annual expense budgets, and implement remediation plans to reduce expenses as needed.

· Directly manage the circulation distribution team.

· Respond effectively during non-routine business hours to large-scale delivery emergencies such as press problems, weather events, and staffing issues.

· Work effectively with both internal and external customers to ensure excellent customer service and delivery efficiency.

· Communicate with multiple internal stakeholders on the distribution of numerous non-recurring publications such as magazines, base guides, and semi-monthly publications.

· Work directly with circulation audience and retention team to ensure single copy sales targets are defined, tracked, and met. Obtain new retail locations and assist in POP merchandising.

· Monitor and adjust single copy draws on a monthly basis to ensure waste is reduced and profits maximized. Work closely with retail collectors to ensure return forms are audited on a consistent basis.

· Manage and control expenditures within agreed budgets

General:

· Work independently in the absence of supervision / set own work schedule as necessary

· Prepare daily/weekly status reports for management

· Perform other duties as assigned by management

Key success metrics are: Achieving customer service goals such as CPM and down route targets. Manage expenses within budgeted limits. Partner with audience and retention to ensure we meet single copy and print volume goals.

Experience / Job Requirements

· Solid working knowledge in logistics or delivery operations. , systems, sales, marketing, and finance.

· Familiarity with independent contractor legal best practices a plus.

· Must have basic computer skills including working with spreadsheets.

· Ability to work autonomously, with a high degree of self-motivation.

· Ability to demonstrate sound reasoning, judgment, and decision-making using good problem-solving techniques.

· Ability to lift 50 lbs.

· Ability and licensing required to drive.

· Goal oriented individual with the ability to think long term and develop strategic plan to achieve group initiatives

· Excellent oral and written communication skills

· Problem solving skills and deductive reasoning abilities.

· Excellent organization skills and time management skills.

· Ability to function effectively in a team environment.

· Ability to stand for long periods of time

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience preferred.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.