Global Print Partner Operations Manager

Job Description

As a Global Print Partner Operations Manager on the Mixbook Operations team you are the last gate keeper, final custodian of quality before our customers receive the precious memories they created. You will be an active and critical participant in our operations team with a very tactical focus on printer quality. You will manage and optimize the print partner relationships, strategically balance execution work with analysis, and drive improvement in quality, capacity, and NP metrics. Your ability to build strong relationships with print partners and optimize our network will be the key driver of Mixbook's continued growth in the industry. You will have a critical impact on the overall customer experience, margins, and scalability of our business, this role presents an unparalleled opportunity to make a lasting impact. 

Location
This is a US-based remote position, but there is the expectation that this person will be available from 8am-4pm Pacific. There will also be required travel 25-40% of the time to our US and Canadian printing partners.

What You’ll Do 
You will be responsible for developing and implementing action plans to minimize manufacturing reprints, with a target of less than 1%, while continuously striving to reduce reprints. Ensuring on-time shipment performance consistently exceeding 90% throughout the year will be a key objective. You will also play a pivotal role in analyzing the total printer network, utilizing capacity utilization modeling to identify opportunities for improvement and implementing ongoing enhancements.

• Monitor and manage costs to ensure achieving the target profit margin of 59%.
• Independently manage and optimize the internal order routing system.
• Optimize order routing by effectively managing order flows across our entire printer network, balancing cost and quality performance.
• Provide consistent analysis via excel of large-scale data sets to inform vendor performance reporting, and overall business strategies 

Relationship/Vendor Management

• Own and manage printer relationships as the primary contact, including weekly calls and contract negotiations.
• First point of contact for all (printer) vendor escalations
• Coordinate with vendors on product requirements, pricing, and production timelines
• Liaison between vendors and internal
• Skillfully negotiate price increase requests with print partners.

Metrics Management

• Responsible for quality control/metric management, holding vendors accountable (we have 15, with six core printers).
• Uphold SLA (service level agreement)
• Create and report on KPIs measuring vendor performance
•  Isolating areas for improvement including Reprints and Costs and On Time Shipment performance. 
• Take ownership of the overall reprint rate metric, actively supporting internal and external improvement projects aimed at reducing reprints across the network. (Supplier Quality)

Printer Network Capacity & forecasting

• Understand the full capacity of the Mixbook printer network and maintain line of sight to capacity risks
• Provide unit level forecasting to print partners to secure capacity and material readiness

Securing Capacity with partners.  

• Continuously evaluate the current capacity of the printer network, forecasting future capacity needs 12 months ahead based on Mixbook's growth, ensuring a 30% excess capacity is maintained year-round.

Customer Service Escalation

• Manage escalations from CS 
• Review  customer escalations for art file and print quality; migrating data into quality improvement initiatives directly with print facilities

Relationship Building/Collaboration

• Develop a trusted relationship with stakeholders and suppliers
• Creating spreadsheet to manage order issues between vendors and the product team

What You’ll Need 

• 8+ years of overall work experience with at least 5-8 years of experience in a supplier/vendor management role or account management in a co-manufacturing or manufacturing company.
• Strong experience in managing multiple vendors (5-10+).
• Previous responsibility for quality control/metric management.
• Strong data analysis skills for managing vendor partner performance and identifying process improvement opportunities.
• Ability to data story tell to Operations leadership and key internal stakeholders on opportunities with the broader printer network 
• Strong ability to context switch between strategic initiatives and tactical execution on a daily basis
• Previous responsibility for Quality control/Metric, holding vendors accountable (we have 15, have six core printers) 

Nice To Have

• Experience managing Printer performance (OTS/ OTD/ reprints)
• Capacity modeling/ printer level forecasting
• Order Routing optimization/management