Production Operation Manager

Lakeside Book Company•Garden City, NY

21h•Onsite

About The Position

Dover Publications, a division of Lakeside Book Company, is a niche publisher with over 7,500 titles in print. Since its founding in 1941, Dover has built an exemplary reputation by offering remarkable products at amazing prices. Based in Garden City, New York, Dover Publications has consistently shown a commitment to excellence through finely crafted books and high-quality content across adult coloring, classic literature, mathematics, music, wellness, children's publishing, and more. We are seeking an experienced Production Operations Manager to oversee all aspects of book production and manufacturing for Dover Publications’ diverse list. This role will ensure projects meet schedule, budget, and quality standards while supervising the production team and coordinating with internal and external partners. You’ll take the lead in managing all aspects of book production — from first concept to finished copy — ensuring each title meets our quality, schedule, and budget goals. You’ll thrive here if you’re a hands-on problem solver with deep knowledge of the book manufacturing process and a passion for bringing great ideas to life.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a related field and 7+ years of experience in book production or manufacturing
Knowledge of trade, children’s, and adult book production processes
Proven experience managing large-scale production projects from concept to completion
Excellent organizational and project management skills — you keep things on track and on time
Strong analytical skills with the ability to identify trends and optimize workflows
Collaborative communication style with experience working across multiple departments
Familiarity with tools such as Google Suite, Adobe Acrobat, Title Management, and content systems

Nice To Haves

Experience in Book Publishing Managing Editorial tasks and process strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Supervise, coach, and support the production team through workflows
Oversee scheduling, estimating, printing, and binding for text and components
Oversee product testing/safety requirements
Manage the manufacturing process for a large and varied title list, including priority projects
Maintain quality control by reviewing book samples and resolving production issues
Enforce production deadlines and ensure adherence to schedules and budgets
Ensure product safety/testing requirements are up to date
Work closely with Sales, Editorial, Customer Service, Design teams and Inventory Specialist
Partner cross-departmentally with Editorial, Sales, and Design on new product development, researching and identifying relevant manufacturing trends
Provide editorial with delivery options and investigate manufacturing alternatives
Attend weekly status meetings to track title progress
Lead weekly reprint meeting to evaluate titles that fall below margin and offer alternative manufacturing solutions with both domestic and offshore vendors to achieve desired margin
Ensure optimization of project management and tracking tools.
Coordinate with domestic and overseas printers and binderies.
Negotiate pricing, monitor vendor performance, and maintain strong professional relationships.
Oversee quality control reviews and address any vendor-related issues.
Expand selection options and onboard both domestic and offshore new vendors as needed.