Manager Access Success – Westchester, IL

position Overview

The Manager of ACCESS Success is responsible for the support, operations, development, execution, and growth of the key strategic program Follett ACCESS which touches 350+ campuses. This role reports directly to the Director of ACCESS Success and is responsible for hiring, training, developing, and strategically leading a team of 10+ ACESSS Success Account Leaders ensuring accountant management and program success of all Follett ACCESS inclusive and equitable access programs for multiple campuses/stores within assigned regionalized geographic group. This position will also be responsible for Auditing & Compliance, Term-Over-Term Program Success (via the use of ACCESS RACI), Program Execution including assisting with Growth & Expansion Goals, Invoicing/Collection support, and assistance/support in the delivery of Willo integrations via publisher/faculty outreach. This position works collaboratively with the Follett ACCESS Support, Implementation, ACCESS Sales Directors and Course Materials Market Managers and Store/Field Teams on training, product, and process improvements & execution and will report directly to the Director of ACCESS Success. Responsibilities include providing deep customer understanding, developing, and executing strategic initiatives, cultivating, and maintaining partnerships, innovating business models and processes, and managing teams that own the end-to-end management of all strategic ACCESS programs including, but not limited to support, implementation, operations, and sales. This position requires the ability to think strategically about Follett’s course material delivery business and operations at a macro and micro level to improve customer value and the value Follett provides to our campus partners. Strong in leadership, self-governance, training, talent management, and cross-team collaboration. Demonstrates Follett Values — One Team, People First, Inclusion, Do What’s Right, Innovate & Create, and Own the Results.

Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategy:

• Own the execution of all current and future ACCESS programs across teams in assigned geography.
• Provide deep customer and market understanding, develop, and collaborate with Director and team to execute strategic initiatives, cultivate and maintain partnerships and innovate business models as related to Follett ACCESS program.
• A key contributor to supporting the adoption and delivery process of IA/EA course materials including physical and digital materials and supplies in collaboration with campus partners, store teams, course materials teams, and ACCESS sales and implementation teams.
• Form a deep understanding of FHE’s strategic goals to ensure platform/program strategy is aligned to achieve revenue and margin goals.
• Participate in the strategic planning process for the FHE business unit in collaboration with Director and VP.

People Development:

• Attract and retain talent to ensure ACCESS sales and execution goals are met.
• Create an effective work environment, setting a positive tone, establishing performance expectations, and driving accountability through motivation.
• Manage teams of reports that coordinate internal and external stakeholder feedback, define business requirements, own the consumer experience, and work cross-functionally with teams to execute operationally.
• Manage a team of 10+ team members.
• Ensure the ACCESS Success team maintains subject matter expertise and adheres to best practices in the ed-tech space as well as in product management, operations, support, implementation, and strategic vision.
• Identify and enable opportunities for professional development on support, implementation, and operations teams to ensure team growth and succession planning.

Business/Financial Acumen:

• Ensure pricing and margin expectations are met.
• Formulate business cases, funding requests, budgets, and KPIs for platform/program portfolio.
• Track and monitor KPIs for the strategic portfolio to ensure program/platform effectiveness and performance Manage capital and expense budgets.
• Ability to conceive and execute quantitative analysis and deliver data-driven insights.

Program Operations & Strategic Execution:

• Lead cross-functional teams, internally and externally, through execution and own accountability for the final metrics, while ensuring stakeholders are engaged and informed.
• Facilitate communication across business groups and stakeholders throughout the course materials cycle.
• Proactively ensure ACCESS Success Account Leaders execute RACI.
• Ensure support teams develop and maintain repeatable, documented processes, ensuring a seamless experience for our customers, both technical and operational.
• Lead a team that engages with store team, campus partners, and course materials leadership to ensure timely, smooth delivery of inclusive and equitable access programs.
• Manage timelines and deadlines for program delivery by coordinating internally with implementation, engineering, reporting, and accounting teams.
• Serve as an escalation path for program inquiries & support for campuses that fall within a given geographic region.
• Prioritize and balance client and vendor initiatives as it aligns with the focus of the organization as a whole.

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in product management or business management within a technology, media, or education firm.
• Minimum of 3 years of supervisory experience in multiple-team management involving but not limited to team member growth plans, hiring, termination, and general oversight.
• Experience successfully navigating and driving change in complex organizations.
• Experience with partnerships involving product integrations.
• Demonstrated writing and verbal presentation skills enabling her/him to prepare and present information and recommendations to a diverse and often senior audience.
• Able to self-manage progress against milestones and deliverables with a high degree of accountability and personal urgency.
• Ability to shift from strategic thinking to tactical execution.
• Collaborative problem-solving and working style to drive change through influence.
• Proven success in program operationalization to execution.
• Proven success in program sales growth.
• Proven success in building strategic partnerships with internal and external parties.
• Well-versed in academic program technical workings such as LMS and SIS Content Provisioning.