Project Leader

W. W. Norton & Company is seeking a diligent and articulate Project Leader to reduce operational complexity across the various projects flowing through the Digital Publishing, Production, and Design group. The Digital Publishing, Production, and Design group at Norton is responsible for the making and delivery of products in our College, High School, and Custom publishing programs, such as print textbooks and illustrations, Norton Ebooks, Norton Illumine, Instructor Resources, and assets used across our educational digital products. As Norton s educational business grows, the complex operations to manage dependencies and schedules across projects and teams have multiplied. The Project Leader is responsible for supporting our print and digital production teams by identifying opportunities to reduce complexity, fostering trust and clear communication by coordinating across projects and College Department colleagues, removing blockers by orchestrating the delivery of critical dependencies, tracking project metrics and status, and aiding the evolution of production workflows by managing changes external or internal that affect production plans.

This job is the first of its kind in what is expected to be a growing project coordination organization within the Digital Publishing, Production, and Design team. Therefore, it is also an opportunity to originate a role that will scale and grow, including the addition of direct reports. The ideal candidate will embrace this opportunity, being an enthusiastic leader who is willing to work closely with Digital Publishing, Production, and Manuscript Editorial leadership to implement enduring practices that help everyone.

This position reports to the Director of Digital Publishing, Production, and Design.

Essential Job Responsibilities Include:

• Work with the Director of Digital Publishing, Production, and Design to launch the project coordination team, by analyzing feedback from leaders across Production, Design, College Publishing, and Editorial to create an organization that is supportive of their goals.
• For the disciplines assigned to you, monitor the overall schedule for the product packages (print, ebook, media, and their dependencies), and be the source of information for Production, College Publishing, and College Editorial.
• For the disciplines assigned to you, track the status for each part of the product package, updating their information based on the latest details from Manuscript Editors, Project Editors, Editors, Designers, and Producers, creating up-to-date dashboards and reports.
• Coordinate changes to workflows or delivery plans based on factors like class tests, authoring delays, changes in editorial or promotional strategies, and flagging any such factors to the Production and Publishing teams.
• Ensure that, as projects launch, teams are supported by documenting project criteria, removing ambiguities, scheduling regular status meetings, and running any other necessary events that keep production teams aligned to their goals.
• Use project data to oversee the health of the College frontlist s production, ensuring that expected delivery dates are aligned to the College Department s expectations; if not, communicate the expected delays and risks.
• As the project coordination team grows, manage staff and establish repeatable protocols to help production operations scale.

Required Qualifications:

• 4+ years managing projects involving multiple dependencies and large teams, preferably in the publishing industry
• 2+ years managing or mentoring staff
• 2+ years of remote teamwork and leadership experience
• Employment eligibility to work with W.W. Norton & Company in the US is required.
• Must be able to work full business hours.
• Must be highly organized, disciplined, and self-motivated in a fast-paced environment.
• Must have excellent communications skills in a position that demands collaboration across several different departments.
• Must manage time wisely and be capable of prioritizing among responsibilities, activities, and side projects.
• Must be detail-oriented, making sure that all aspects of the daily activities are handled with accuracy and minimal mistakes.
• Must be able to develop rapport and trusting relationships with all levels of employees.
• Must be proactive and adaptive in a rapidly changing environment and adjust with a "can-do" attitude.
• Must be self-directed and independent.

Technical Skills:

• Strong understanding of book production workflows, preferably in both digital and print publishing
• Proficiency with SharePoint or other documentation platforms
• Proficiency with Smartsheet, Excel, Jira, or other project management systems
• Experience creating data dashboards or other solutions that consolidate project metrics
• Knowledge of current project management models in tech, such as Project Management Offices, is a plus

Compensation and Benefits*

Currently available benefits include:

• Annual compensation for this position is $75,000-95,000. All salaries and salary ranges posted by Norton may vary depending on experience, skills, location, and like considerations.

• Generous paid time off, paid holidays, and summer Friday afternoons beginning in July
• Generous health benefits, including PPO and EPO medical insurance options, vision insurance, dental insurance, flexible spending accounts for healthcare, dependent care and commuter, gym membership reimbursement, and more. Coverage for spouses, domestic partners, and dependent children is available.
• Profit-Sharing and 401(k) benefit plan with discretionary contribution matching by employer
• Disability and life insurances
• FMLA, parental and other leave
• Employee Assistance Program (for mental health, financial planning, and other needs)
• Company-provided laptop
• Employee discounts on Norton books
• Limited matching of employee donations to select non-profit organizations

*All policies and benefits described are subject to change at any time.