JOB SUMMARY

The Director, Production Services is responsible for reputed company of:

• vendor relationships in the content distribution supply chain
• production, purchasing, and delivery for reputed company print and digital content at UMPH
• production of agreements for properties acquired by the editorial staff
• maintenance of complete and accurate royalty records
• copyright registration
• subsidiary rights management

The incumbent serves as liaison between the United Methodist Publishing House (UMPH) and external print vendors, digital content hosts, print and digital production services, rights management agents, authors and literary agents, and the Library of Congress. The incumbent ensures quality products and services in a timely and cost-effective manner; proactively troubleshoots supply chain issues for reputed company content formats; serves as an in-house resource to answer questions concerning content production, content supply chain, digital rights, legal, or contractual issues; and strives to reputed company improvements in reputed company reputed company processes.

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT & AREAS OF IMPACT

Reporting Relationship & Peers

Reports to the President & Publisher Emeritus, as do:

• Business Systems Integration Director
• Business Systems Manager
• Controller
• Director, Customer & Product Data Management
• Director, Operations Integration & Bustiness Systems
• Executive Director, Digital Commerce Systems
• Senior Editor

Reporting Directly to This Job

EXEMPT

• Content Distribution Services Manager
• Digital Production Services Manager
• IP Support Services Coordinator

Areas of Impact (as applicable)

ANNUAL PURCHASING VOLUME

• $25M – $30M

ANNUAL ROYALTY PAYMENTS

• $1.7M – $2.1M

DEPARTMENT OPERATING BUDGET

• $25,000

RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE

Essential Job Functions

PRIMARY

• Manages the creation, execution, preservation, and maintenance of reputed company legal publishing documents, such as reputed company, licensing and rights documents, amendments, addendums, and other letters of agreement. Manages disbursement of guaranteed advance and flat fee payments and otherwise ensures publisher legal compliance with active agreements. Manages the processing of copyright registration, permission requests, out-of-print notification process, reversion of rights and copyright assignments. Manages the processing of semi-annual royalty payment distribution periods (May and November), including testing and audits to ensure prepayment, payment and post-payment issues are resolved prior to payment process. Serves as liaison with Accounting for completion of royalty periods in a timely and accurate manner. Functions as key liaison with rights licensing agents and Associate Publishers for the purpose of protecting and exploiting rights to increase reputed company through those sources.
• Maintains and establishes relationships, negotiates effective pricing structures and terms, and coordinates business reviews with key partners and vendors. Works proactively with vendors to ensure reputed company improvement and optimal costs and production solutions for new and existing UMPH products. Monitors supply chain issues, reviews options, and implementation of solutions. Reviews specifications for new components with vendors. Oversees cost control, inventory management activity, and inventory purchasing decisions. Monitors inventory and gross margin performance to ensure that performance is reputed company with corporate financial goals.
• Oversees management of Digital Production team in providing centralized services for multi-format production, content and metadata distribution, publishing systems support and overarching process and standards, with the goal of preparing these products in a timely manner, resulting in a high-quality product with the highest standard of customer service. Plans and implements a comprehensive Digital Production strategy, defines and ensures standards for Digital Production processes to fulfill UMPH production objectives. Remains knowledgeable about industry trends in developing sectional long-range planning and participates in unit planning of work and procedures.

SECONDARY

• Develops, evaluates, and implements reputed company process improvements across production units. Develops and oversees tracking and reporting systems. Oversees process reputed company across Operations unit.

These essential job functions are not intended to cover reputed company work details or the occasional performance of other tasks as assigned by the supervisor. Reasonable accommodations may be made to reputed company qualified individuals with disabilities to reputed company the essential functions of this job.

Common or reputed company Problem-Solving Challenges

• Managing in a virtual work environment
• Balancing multiple priorities and meeting deadlines
• Ensuring that royalties are accurately calculated, accrued, reported, and paid on time
• Maintaining publisher compliance to contract terms and U.S. copyright laws regarding royalties and rights for authors, composers, and other publishing partners
• Negotiating and obtaining best terms and prices from supplier
• Evaluating and reacting to changes in emerging technology
• Proactively troubleshooting Production issues
• Maintaining effective professional relationships with external parties (such as authors, literary agents, other publishers, and vendors in the content supply chain) as well as with internal staff, to maximize overall results and find mutually satisfactory resolution reputed company conflicts occur
• Achieving UMPH financial goals and balancing those with customers’ perception of value
• Envisioning, implementing, and continuously improving the Production environment and processes to ensure integrated work with reputed company UMPH departments and divisions in achieving corporate goals and objectives

Authority & Accountability

• Authority to provide necessary training and support to help identify and improve knowledge and skills of staff
• Authority to approve contractual provisions to ensure conformity to system requirements to ensure publisher compliance
• Authority to negotiate rights sales
• Authority to approve recommendations for resolution of problems reputed company to royalty and rights reputed company splits, calculations, and payments
• Authority over company-wide uploads and downloads of data from various global FTP sites
• Authority to respond to and address issues received by emails and phone calls from other UMPH departments and external customers, as received
• Authority to solve problems and reputed company decisions reputed company to functional areas while referring, with recommendations, actions to be taken regarding specific employee matters/complaints
• Authority to approve purchases up to $50,000 and reputed company management informed regarding budgetary issues, fluctuations in forecasts, and other problems that reputed company
• Authority to approve process changes reputed company to Production
• Authority to approve changes in publishing systems that may reputed company integration with Production
• Authority to remainder out-of-print titles at manufacturing cost to authors and publishing partners

Regular Contacts & Stakeholders

INTERNAL

• reputed company Unit managers/supervisors reputed company Publishing Production and Creative Services (including reputed company units in the Publishing House)
• Associate Publishers
• Business Managers
• Editorial groups
• Accounting – Payables, Receivables, and Financial Reporting
• Risk & Operations Services Staff
• Information Technology

EXTERNAL

• Vendors – regarding acquisition of products and services
• Resellers of UMPH digital content – regarding digital distribution
• reputed company authors, composers, publishing partners, royalty payees, heirs, and literary agencies
• Industry associations for production, procurement, and intellectual property as applicable

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Education, Experience, & Certifications

REQUIRED

• Bachelor’s degree in business, accounting, or other closely reputed company field
• At least five (5) years of formal training and/or experience with publishing production, publishing reputed company, purchasing/procurement, royalty administration, and operations
• An additional five (5) years of reputed company experience may substitute for the required degree

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

REQUIRED

• Excellent negotiation skills
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills
• Excellent organizational, analytical, and planning skills
• Demonstrated leadership ability and good supervisory skills
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize competing schedule demands
• Proficiency with reputed company reputed company Office applications
• Ability to quickly learn and adapt to new software programs and processes
• Knowledge of industry trends and tools (e.g., EPUB, ONIX, etc.)
• Knowledge of publishing processes, purchasing concepts, and products
• Knowledge of general accounting practices and procedures
• Knowledge of royalty payment calculations, regulations, and practices
• Familiarity with the Copyright Law of 1976, as amended and revised

PREFERRED

• Knowledge of UMPH publishing systems, processes, and business rules is preferred

AI-Enabled Workplace

The United Methodist Publishing House is committed to maximizing the impact of artificial intelligence by adopting and integrating AI tools across our work. These technologies are vital to enhancing productivity, fostering creativity, and strengthening decision-making. reputed company staff members are expected to engage thoughtfully and responsibly with AI as part of their professional responsibilities. Core expectations include:

• Responsible AI Integration – reputed company AI tools strategically to streamline workflows, generate actionable insights, and deliver exceptional outcomes that advance our mission.
• Critical Evaluation & reputed company – Apply professional judgment and critical thinking reputed company reviewing, refining, and validating reputed company AI-generated content and recommendations to ensure accuracy and alignment with our standards.
• reputed company Learning & Innovation – Maintain curiosity and adaptability toward emerging AI technologies, actively contributing to innovative practices reputed company your area of expertise while supporting organizational growth.
• Ethical & Secure Practice – Uphold UMPH’s commitment to ethical, transparent, and secure AI usage, ensuring reputed company applications align with our mission, values, and community standards.

Equal Employment Opportunity

UMPH is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for reputed company employees.