Manager, Partner Relations

Follett Content Solutions has been a trusted partner for educators since 1873! We support our educators that touch more than 45 million students worldwide.  Follett Content Solutions helps build a diverse collection of print and digital resources to support every student. We are currently hiring for a Manager, Partner Relations. This position is a full-time exempt position located in McHenry, IL. The pay range for this position is $71,000.00 - $85,000.00. We offer a hybrid work schedule with 3 days in the office (Monday, Tuesday & Thursday) and 2 remote days (Wednesday & Friday). We will consider remote for the right candidate.  We offer an array of benefits, to see those benefits click here

Any pay range disclosed is based upon a combination of neutral factors such as required qualifications, experience, education, skill, training, certifications, seniority, etc.   Follett Content Solutions reserves the right to provide any successful candidate a salary at the most appropriate level set as a result of such candidate’ qualifications, experience, education, skill, training, certifications or seniority.  

Position Overview:

The Partner Relations Manager is responsible for the day-to-day management and growth of business relationships with several of our largest publisher partners with sales exceeding $110M annually. This role involves:

• Identifying and reviewing potential opportunities
• Conducting bi-annual business reviews
• Reserving marketing based on upcoming titles
• Negotiating growth incentives, increased discounts, volume discounts, and specialty lines participation that improve overall profitability for Follett

Additionally, this position is the Partner Management lead on strategic business initiatives.  This role requires cross-functional collaboration with curation, merchandising, inventory, IT, finance, and the operations teams to ensure business efficiencies, productivity, and success. 

Key Responsibilities:

Content Partner Management:

• Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with partners, acting as a trusted advisor and primary point of contact.
• Contract Negotiation: Manage contract negotiations and agreements, working closely with internal stakeholders and legal team.
• Performance Analysis: Analyze partner performance using data and reporting, track key performance indicators, marketing spend, and provide strong quantitative and analytical skills to interpret data and generate actionable insights.
• Conflict Resolutions: Address and resolve issues and escalations that may arise during the partnership cycle.

Lead Strategic Business Initiatives:

• Collaborate with the Director to negotiate terms to meet blended gross margin targets and analyze compliance with top trade terms requirements seasonally.
• Pursue special product opportunities to enhance customer experience and differentiate from competitors.
• Analyze current product lines for cross-sell potential into various business lines and participate in strategic teams to address channel needs and challenges.
• Communicate Marketing opportunities related to these initiatives with broader team and reserve relevant placements for key publisher partners.
• Facilitate chargeback process/reporting with the mainframe and merchandising team(s).
• Participate in ONIX onboarding meetings as the Partner Management liaison to ensure partner and team needs are represented.

Data and Partner Management Support:

• Oversee publisher updates and manage any changes in the vendor file, which involves maintaining accurate records.
• Support non-Key Vendor requests as time allows to ensure compliance with company standards.

Manage research requests within Salesforce, distinguishing between data-related requests and partner management tasks.

Requirements:

• 7-10 years of experience
• Previous experience coordinating with external vendors, partners, or clients, ideally involving scheduling, resource intake, or data submission processes. Familiarity with managing vendor relationships and understanding vendor needs is highly beneficial.
• Experience handling metadata and working with data protocols, such as ONIX, to ensure compliance and accuracy in data submissions. Familiarity with data entry, review, and assignment processes to appropriate personnel is preferred.
  Proficient in Microsoft products; adept at learning new technology.  Thorough knowledge of administrative practices and procedures.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proficiency in Salesforce or similar CRM systems to coordinate and track research requests, assign tasks to team members, and produce workflow reporting.
• Background in managing contracts and agreements, including organizing and maintaining contract repositories, tracking renewal dates, and ensuring compliance.
• Basic marketing experience to support Vendor marketing campaigns, analyze performance data, and develop marketing assets.
• Experience vetting, setting up, and onboarding new vendors or partners, with attention to detail in the initial setup process and effective communication during onboarding.
• Proven ability to work effectively with internal teams, including data management, partner managers, and sales operations, to ensure smooth workflows and align on priorities.
• Experience in generating reports on workflows, managing data submissions, or tracking operational efficiency metrics is a plus.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment and need assistance or an accommodation in the application process due to a disability, please contact us by email or phone.

• Email: Send request to fcshr@follettcontent.com
• Phone: Request assistance by calling 800.773.7010 x45130

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