Publishing Operations Manager

American Counseling Association•Alexandria, VA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The American Counseling Association (ACA) is the world’s largest organization representing professional counselors in various practice settings. Our vision: We are the preeminent advocate and resource for professional counselors and their clients in a world where everyone has access to mental health services.Our mission: Advancing mental health and well-being through advocacy, community, inclusion and research.Our values: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Integrity, Proactive Leadership, Professional Community & Relationships, Scientific Practice & Knowledge, Social Justice & Empowerment. All American Counseling Association team members are encouraged, supported, and expected to demonstrate The Way We Work Values: Be Flexible, Be Creative, Be Empowered, Be Inquisitive, Be Collaborative and Be Respectful. JOB PURPOSE The ACA Publishing Operations Manager is a highly detail-oriented, deadline-driven publishing professional who serves as a key operational leader within the Publications team. Reporting to the Director of Publications, this role manages the day-to-day execution of ACA’s book publishing program, ensuring accuracy, consistency and follow-through across multiple concurrent projects. This position requires exceptional project management skills, strong attention to detail and the ability to maintain a comprehensive understanding of all publications in development. The Publishing Operations Manager works closely with all members of the Publications team and external partners, adapting communication styles as needed to support collaboration, accountability and shared success. Leveraging tools such as Monday.com and publisher/vendor systems, this role is responsible for maintaining production schedules, overseeing workflows, coordinating vendors and supporting data-informed decision-making. The Publishing Operations Manager plays a critical role in operational continuity and is essential to the effectiveness and scalability of the ACA Publications program. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES As Publishing Operations Manager, you play a central leadership role in ACA’s book publishing program. You are responsible for managing the full production workflow, overseeing internal systems and schedules, and ensuring that team members and freelancers stay aligned with established processes and timelines. You bring both operational expertise and a commitment to continuous improvement, helping to keep ACA’s publishing work efficient, organized and future-focused.

Requirements

Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience managing editorial and production workflows for a portfolio of publications, preferably in a scholarly, academic, nonprofit or mission-driven publishing environment.
Demonstrated success managing multiple complex projects simultaneously, with a strong record of meeting deadlines and maintaining accuracy in high-volume, detail-driven work.
Exceptional attention to detail, with the ability to identify errors, inconsistencies, and gaps in data, schedules, metadata, and documentation.
Proven excellence in project management, including the ability to enforce workflows and ensure accountability across team members and external partners.
Strong working knowledge of editorial, design, and production processes, with the ability to apply house style guidelines and editorial standards consistently.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel, including the ability to work confidently with spreadsheets for tracking, reporting, and analysis; proficiency with the full Microsoft Office suite and Adobe Acrobat Pro.
Ability to work effectively with colleagues and partners who have diverse communication styles, priorities, and areas of expertise, adjusting approach as needed to achieve shared goals.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to interpret operational and sales data to support strategic decision-making.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a professional, service-oriented approach to internal and external stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to manage vendor relationships and collaborate with finance and operations teams on invoicing, reconciliation, and reporting.
Proactive, organized, and solutions-oriented, with a commitment to continuous improvement, inclusive practices, and operational excellence.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with publishing, distribution, or fulfillment systems (e.g., Ingram CoreSource, iPage, or comparable platforms) preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

Manage multiple, overlapping book projects simultaneously, from manuscript handoff through final publication in print and digital formats, ensuring accuracy, consistency and on-time delivery across all stages of production.
Maintain a comprehensive working knowledge of all active and forthcoming publications to support continuity, issue resolution and informed decision-making.
Maintain and continuously improve Monday.com project management boards, ensuring they accurately reflect current priorities, deadlines, dependencies and ownership.
Ensure strict adherence to established workflows, schedules and document management practices across the Publications team and freelancers to ensure editorial quality and alignment with ACA’s style and standards.
Organize and manage the team’s shared document library, ensuring easy access to current production materials, final files, reprint-ready assets and translation materials.
Lead logistics and planning for the ACA Conference Bookstore, including inventory coordination, shipment scheduling and on-site execution.
Serve as the lead liaison to ACA’s print and eBook distribution vendors, working within vendor systems such as Ingram CoreSource and iPage to manage inventory, metadata, fulfillment and order processing.
For the warehouse and fulfillment partner, manage inventory levels, update and maintain product metadata, determine appropriate printing schedules, manually process ACA Member web orders with fulfillment vendor, and respond to vendor inquiries on fulfillment and customer issues.
Ensure a high level of accuracy in all vendor-facing data, communications and transactions.
Partner with the Marketing and Communications team to ensure timely, accurate, and engaging promotion of ACA books.
Maintain the ACA book catalog and ensure ACA Store listings and product metadata are current and accurate.
Provide regular analysis of sales data and trends to support strategic decision-making by the Director of Publications.
Collaborate with the ACA Finance team on invoicing, reconciliation, and reporting.
Prepare and distribute royalty reports to authors in a timely and accurate manner, working with the Finance team to ensure proper payment and documentation.
Collaborate closely with the Director of Publications, Acquisitions Editor, and Digital Publishing Specialist to improve publishing operations and implement new tools and processes.
Provide excellent support through the Publications inbox, addressing inquiries from members, customers, and vendors professionally and promptly.