DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS – Schaumburg, IL; Washington, DC, or Remote
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) serves more than 53,000 members in the U.S. and around the world. With more than 175 talented employees, our organization places tremendous value on the contributions, expertise and knowledge that each one brings to our table. Our Schaumburg, Illinois headquarters is home to member support, education, marketing and operational functions, while colleagues in Washington D.C. advocate on behalf of patients, physician anesthesiologists and the specialty. Thanks to our positive, supportive work environment, ASA has been named one of Chicago's Best & Brightest Companies to Work For® over the last three years. In 2018 and 2017, ASA was also named one of the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation®. As we continually seek to strengthen the organization, we welcome individuals who are competent, innovative, motivated and agile. If this sounds like you, please consider reaching out!
Position Summary:
Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Director of Publications is responsible for advancing ASA’s strategic plan through the management of ASA’s publications, including its scholarly journal Anesthesiology, member magazine ASA Monitor, and the society’s e-newsletters. The Director partners with Marketing and Communications to ensure all communication activities are consistent and integrated across the organization, balancing the intricate relationships between subject matter experts, content authors, advertising sales, marketing and PR professionals, production staff, and vendors and publishing partners to deliver high quality, relevant and impactful content to members and customers. The Director leads ASA’s publishing initiatives and positively impacts business development and financials, optimizing resources while maximizing revenues and proactively leading multiple vendors, managing contractual relationships and issuing requests for proposals in a continuous effort to improve quality, streamline process and deliver value. The Director is primary point of contact with ASA’s publishing partner, Wolters Kluwer, on all business and contractual issues. The Director builds and leads a team of professionals and partners with member volunteers and executive leadership to create positive morale and influence and reinforce mission-driven ideals.
Primary Position Responsibilities:
· Oversees business management of Anesthesiology, ASA’s peer-reviewed journal and flagship publication, to achieve revenue and member value/satisfaction goals. Manages the society’s contractual relationships with various vendors (currently including Wolters Kluwer, and J&J Editorial), and manages the society’s relationship with the Journal editorial board and journal staff. Works with journal Managing Editor to set the annual journal budget in accordance with publishing contract and editorial agreements and manages Journal P&L and financial reporting. Helps plan and participates in two Journal strategy meetings and participates in multiple editorial board meetings each year. With the Journal Managing Editor, responsible for facilitating the work of Anesthesiology’s Editor-In-Chief and Editorial Board in the context of the Publishing agreement with Wolters Kluwer. Participates in hiring of journal staff and is liaison for staff about all personnel issues.
· Leads strategic initiatives and development plans for Anesthesiology and ASA Monitor with key business and publishing partners (including Wolters Kluwer) to identify growth opportunities and to operationalize new initiatives.
· Responsible for management of publishing contracts, identifying when partners are not fulfilling obligations, and developing action plans for cures.
· Directs ASA Monitor and product development including hiring and management of ASA Monitor staff and vendors associated with ASA Monitor print and online production to achieve strategic, editorial and revenue goals. Works with ASA and Wolters Kluwer team to execute new editorial vision of the ASA Monitor in its new newspaper/tabloid format effective July 2020. Responsible for budgeting and P&L management for the Monitor. With Monitor Managing Editor, helps plan and participates in ASA Monitor editorial board and strategy meetings.
· Leads development and execution of member-facing e-newsletter portfolio including ASAP, Anesthesiology Today and Monday Morning Outreach. Defines success criteria and evaluates success ensuring publications meet member needs and achieve benchmarks and communications goals.
· Serves as a key member of ASA’s website content governance team and works collaboratively with Marketing and Communications leadership, content authors and subject matter experts across the organization.
· Partners with Marketing and Communications and other departments to facilitate ASA communication initiatives and establishes workflow and communication guidelines while creating and enforcing consistent tone and voice to key audiences.
· Builds and cultivates successful team of high-performing staff who demonstrate strong commitment. Ensures the department meets deadlines and monitors performance against long-range goals and targets
· Serves as staff liaison for the Committee on Publications and Digital Oversight and the Committee on Newsletters, partnering with each committee to report on and monitor performance metrics including financial data and online usage, etc. and problem-solving areas of weakness in order to achieve the overarching goal of improving member and customer engagement and experience.
· Serves as ASA staff liaison to the anesthesiology academic and research communities, strengthening the relationship between these communities and the ASA and enhancing engagement while executing on the community’s core mission to promote anesthesiology science and research to key audiences.
· Manages department budget, publications budgets and budgets for various initiatives. Manages resources, including workload, workflow and prioritization. Positively contributes to meeting ASA’s fiduciary goals and optimizing resources while generating publication and non-dues revenue.
· Insightfully make connections between publishing and digital content initiatives and ASA’s other strategic programs and projects so that cohesive and consistent links appear in printed and digital material that represent ASA’s initiatives and brand.
· Investigates best practices and keeps apprised of industry innovations, changes and opportunities that affect ASA’s publications and communications efforts and impact performance.
Position Qualifications:
· Bachelor’s degree in related field is required; a Master’s degree is preferred.
· Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in scholarly journal publishing and/or digital content development/delivery with a health-related organization.
· Minimum 3 years of senior managerial or director experience related to publishing; experience in STM publishing preferred.
· Experience designing organizational strategy around digital content delivery.
· Demonstrated experience developing long-term strategic plans for a publishing enterprise and executing against that plan through direct staff and with partners to develop exceptional results.
· A strong understanding of the business development and revenue-generation of a publishing enterprise with active participation in the Society for Scholarly Publishing and/or other related organizations.
· Expertise in digital publishing, social media, and transforming the readers from print publications to digital first experiences.
· Ability to work cross departmentally and collaboratively and to bridge between staff members and volunteers.
· Strong project management skills with demonstrated ability to multi-task and set priorities within tight timelines with high customer expectations.
· Utilizes a data driven approach, working within performance metrics.
· Leadership agility to leverage available resources, set clear goals for committees, members, and staff in achieving teamwork and collaborations.
· Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Highly developed interpersonal skills, demonstrating confidence and poise with a strong member-service orientation.
· Ability to translate effectively the financial and business aspects of publishing model to staff and volunteer leadership.
· Ability to build credibility and work well with volunteer physicians, Board Members, and staff.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is a medical association that serves more than 53,000 members in the U.S. and around the world. We strive to be the world's premier medical society by offering superior educational opportunities and resources to our members, as well as a positive, empowering environment for our employees.
With more than 175 talented, enthusiastic employees, our organization places tremendous value on the contributions, unique expertise and vast knowledge that every individual brings to our table. Our Schaumburg, Illinois headquarters is home to a variety of member support, education, marketing and operational functions, while colleagues in Washington D.C. fiercely advocate on behalf of patients, physician anesthesiologists and the specialty as a whole.
Each of us is dedicated to our members and we strive to create an outstanding experience that helps them succeed. This commitment to excellence reaches far beyond our daily tasks—we set high expectations for ourselves, exhibit a strong work ethic and take pride in the results we achieve. Collectively, our desire to keep improving allows us to achieve great things as we seek feedback, pursue knowle...dge and strategize to enhance our organization for the future.
One tangible result of living our values is being named one of Chicago's Best & Brightest Companies to Work For® over the last three years. In 2018 and 2017, ASA was also named one of the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation®.
As we continually seek to strengthen the organization, we welcome individuals who are competent, innovative, motivated and agile. If this sounds like you, please consider reaching out!
