VP, Operations

Description

Who We Are / B&T Values Statement
At Baker & Taylor, we are passionate about changing the world through literacy.  We believe that education, access to content, and the freedom to explore are essential.  We are dedicated to supporting our library partners across the world who tirelessly provide resources to foster the imagination of future generations and improve outcomes in their communities.  Librarians are our heroes and championing and supporting their work is our purpose.
Baker & Taylor is committed to embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion to create an environment that both celebrates and evolves through the unique experiences and contributions of all team members. We are an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.
Who You Are
•    Demonstrates considerable judgement and has authority to act
•    Establishes procedures and guidelines across multiple departments
•    Resolve complex problems with independent action.
•    Detail-oriented, thorough and precise. Proficient in producing briefings and other documents quickly.
•    Thorough understanding of the industry, operations and profitability, internal company frameworks and commercialization processes.
•    Applies comprehensive concepts across fields

What You’ll Do/ A Day in The Life Typically Includes 
Responsible for improving operations and profitability. Responsible for Operations/Transportation systems and analysis. Facilitates the creation of budgets and forecasts, reviews and analyzes all relevant operational data for all business units. Provides direction and support to Director(s) of Core Operations, Director of Customer Service, analysis reporting and operational project rollouts.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities (The following statements describe the general nature of work being performed in this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties. Additional responsibilities may be assigned by management):
•    Responsibilities handled directly or via delegation.
•    Review analyses of activities, costs, operations, and forecast data to determine company progress towards stated goals and objectives.
•    Lead costing team responsible for operational and transportation impact to customer profitability.
•    Participate in formulation and administration of company policies, directing and coordination department activities to develop and implement long range goals and    objectives to meet business and profitability growth objectives.
•    Perform analyses of productivity, financial, organizational and/or planning data. Make recommendations to Executive Team
•    Oversee key projects, programs, processes and performance reports, program reviews, data, and analyses.
•    Review operations and plans to meet requirements for sales planning and to ascertain operational requirements to develop new customers, markets or product offerings.
•    Review and approve preparation of budgetary planning and implementation, production efficiency, financial reporting.
•    Establish and maintain liaison with senior management, department heads and managers to obtain uniform data.
•    Challenge assumptions and conclusions in changes in operational policy and procedure, customer profitability review.
•    Direct corporate planning process for the operations department.
•    Provide leadership and expertise on costing and expense management through the planning process insuring projects and other savings initiative items are integrated into the budget and forecasts.
•    Prioritize IT projects (PICC’s) related to operations and transportation.
•    Review monthly operational reports for continuity with the budget, actual year-to-date results and prior forecasts.
•    Keep informed of all company activities with respect to their impact on operational activities.
•    Assure customers are charged per customer agreement and that charges are updated as costs change.
•    Continually review and work with the IT group to revise B&T transportation systems to assure they can meet changing customer requirements and B&T data requirements.
General
•    Provide guidance and direction to subordinates with a view toward their personal and professional development and develop and maintain, through communication and delegation of authority, an atmosphere that encourages creativity and motivates personnel to assume greater responsibility.
•    Develop and maintain sound employee relations and participate in the implementation and administration of personnel policies and procedures.
•    Recruit employees to staff the organization who have the required qualifications and competence.
Additional Duties and Responsibilities (List the job’s essential or most important functions and responsibilities. Include all important aspects of the job - whether performed daily, weekly, monthly, or annually; and any that occur at irregular intervals)
Financial
•    Responsible for an annual operating budget of approximately $300 million.
Internal Contact
•    All levels of Baker & Taylor, headquarters, regional management, and sales.
External Contact
•    National account managers of major package delivery firms, vendor distribution agents, and key people in trucking and shipping associations.
Travel Requirements
Position requires some overnight travel – 25%
Supervisory Responsibilities
Directly supervises Manager of Operations Analysis, two Service center analysts and TMS coordinator. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
Work Environment
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate

Physical Demands
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; use hands and fingers to use computer equipment; talk and hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk. Specific vision requirements include close vision in order to view PC/CRT and read written documents.

Note:   The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, ability, and physical demands required to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Benefits 
•    Participation in company health (medical, dental) insurance plans on the 1st of the month following your hire date
•    Company short-term and long-term disability benefits
•    Flexible PTO - In recognition of the professional environment in which we work, you will immediately be eligible to participate in the Company's pilot Flex PTO program
o    Under the Flex PTO program, you may use Flex PTO each year for PTO, illness or other personal time provided good standing and subject to business needs
o    There are no predefined number of Flex PTO days, nor do you earn or accrue paid time off under the Program
•    Career development and advancement opportunities
•    Climate controlled facility

Qualifications

Required Skills & Experience
•    Bachelor’s degree and ten years’ operations management experience
•    5 years of accounting and analytical experience
•    5 years’ experience in manufacturing (light manufacturing and processing)
•    Advanced PC skills with an emphasis on database analysis and file manipulation.
•    Certified project management and program rollout experience.

•    Excellent written and oral communication skills.
•    Leadership: track record in motivating staff in an entrepreneurial environment to achieve aggressive goals.
•    Problem solving skills: able to not only define problems/issues, but present and implement solutions.
•    Negotiation Skills: able to assess risk and return: negotiate creative solutions with financial and legal constraints.
•    Analytical skills: comfortable with data mining and analyzing key metrics to inform decision-making. Comfortable in working the numbers and “working the marketplace
•    Team builder/Team player: able to work within span of control but also across functional lines.
•    Work requires originality, initiative and ingenuity to devise methods and organization for a unit, department, or administrative function. Required ability to analyze situations of a complex nature, to apply continuous judgment. Makes long-range strategic decisions, as well as independent daily judgment and discretion.
•    Ability to read, interpret, and write documents, instructions, and reports of highly complex nature. Ability to verbally communicate with groups and individuals on very complex or involved subject matters, requiring a great degree of detail and explanation.
•    Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Preferred Candidates from in and around Momence, IL or Charlotte, NC

Salary : $170,000 - $190,000