Fast Facts

The Outsource Operations Manager at Ascend Learning will oversee outsourcing operations for a team focused on innovative learning solutions, ensuring efficiency and quality in content development and production.

Responsibilities: Key responsibilities include managing assessment projects, collaborating with internal teams and external vendors, optimizing outsourcing operations, and enhancing vendor relationships to drive continuous improvement.

Skills: The ideal candidate should have strong project management skills, excellent communication abilities, and experience with outsourcing models, coupled with excellent critical-thinking and problem-solving capabilities.

Qualifications: Preferred qualifications include a Bachelor’s degree and over 8 years of relevant experience in content strategy or management, alongside familiarity with tools like Smartsheets and Jira.

Location: This position requires a hybrid schedule, primarily from the Burlington, Massachusetts office, with the option for remote work within the United States.

Compensation: Not provided by employer. Typical compensation ranges for this position are between $90,000 - $130,000.

We Impact Lives Through Purpose-Driven Work in A People First Culture 

Ascend Learning is the connection between a powerful portfolio of brands serving students, educators, and employers with outcomes-based, data driven solutions across the lifecycle of learning. 

Our values-driven culture unifies our teams and inspires a mindset of action, innovation, and collaboration, with a relentless focus on customers. 

We're always looking for talented, passionate professionals to join us in our mission to help change lives. If this sounds like an environment where you'd thrive, read on to learn more. 

Ascend Learning leads the way in innovation and solution creation to improve outcomes and deliver results for students, educators, and healthcare workers in the ever-changing field of healthcare. We offer advanced resources that drive nursing success, empower front-line certified allied health workers, help physicians pass boards and stay current, and provide education management tools for medical education programs. 

WHAT YOU'LL DO  

As an Outsource Operations Manager, you will oversee the outsourcing operations for the Innovative Learning & Assessment Solutions team (ILAS) to ensure efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and quality in content development and production. You will collaborate with internal teams and external vendors to manage assessment and learning projects, source qualified subject matter experts (SMEs), and meet defined timelines and budgets. Building strong relationships with partners and applying best practices for external development are key aspects of this role. You will also focus on strategic planning and budget management, advocating for the benefits of outsourced development and driving continuous improvement across the organization. Your ability to communicate effectively and transparently across teams will be essential in fostering productive partnerships and optimizing workflows. 

WHERE YOU’LL WORK  

This position will work a hybrid schedule from our Burlington, MA office location preferred. Remote will be considered within the United States. 

HOW YOU’LL SPEND YOUR TIME 

• Oversee and optimize ILAS’s outsourcing operations. 
• Support needs assessments in partnership with Content Operations to identify projects and workflow tasks for outsourcing to improve efficiency and scale. 
• Leverage knowledge of vendors and pipelines to ensure productive partnerships and clear communication across the organization. 
• Identify and recommend suitable vendors to ensure adequate elasticity and scale, based on financial, performance, and reliability criteria. 
• Drive the processes for tracking external vendors: sourcing, evaluations, statements of work, and vendor expectations. 
• Manage and oversee contracts, invoice approvals, and budget tracking. 
• Lead onboarding and resource training for internal and external stakeholders. 
• Monitor vendor performance against agreed-upon metrics; regularly communicate on performance scorecards and mitigation plans, as needed. 
• Lead candid discussions with vendors and internal stakeholders to plan engagements, resolve issues, and enhance long-term relationships. 
• Continuously evaluate workload against vendor capacity, balancing assignments as needed to ensure seamless delivery of products to market. 

WHAT YOU'LL NEED 

• Bachelor’s degree preferred. High School Diploma or GED Required. 
• 8+ years’ experience as content strategist, managing editor, production manager, or similar role working with authors/SMEs and ensuring delivery of high-quality content that meets organizational and market expectations. 
• Experience with Smartsheets and Jira preferred. 
• Demonstrated ability to successfully manage, organize, and prioritize multiple projects and tasks including complex interdependencies between projects. 
• Demonstrated experience working effectively in a team environment and directing vendors and freelancers. 
• Possess excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to appropriately tailor communication for various audiences and settings.  
• Demonstrate proven problem-solving and critical-thinking skills; able to predict, identify, and independently resolve issues in a timely and effective manner. 
• Ability to establish, adopt, and implement new processes, procedures, and standards in an environment of continuous improvement and innovation. 
• Experience with outsourcing models and external content and development management required.  
• Demonstrated understanding of author management and content development process and how multiple external resources can be integrated into a fast-paced and quality-focused project. 

BENEFITS 

• Flexible and generous paid time off  
• Competitive medical, dental, vision and life insurance  
• 401(k) employer matching program 
• Parental leave 
• Wellness resources 
• Charitable matching program 
• Hybrid work  
• On-site workout facilities (Leawood, Gilbert, Burlington) 
• Community outreach groups 
• Tuition reimbursement 

Fostering A Sense of Belonging 

We seek out and celebrate all people and perspectives and cultivate an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive, feel valued and be their authentic selves. Our culture is firmly rooted in the belief that by embracing our differences and drawing on diverse perspectives, we are a stronger, more innovative, and more successful organization where employees experience a sense of belonging.  

About Ascend Learning 

As a tech-enabled services company, Ascend Learning is a national leader in developing and delivering data-driven online educational content, software, assessments, analytics, and simulations serving institutions, students and employers across healthcare, fitness and wellness, public and workplace safety, skilled trades, insurance, financial services, cybersecurity, and higher education. We're committed to accelerating the learning pathways that can move people into careers where they have the knowledge and skills to have an impact and help change lives in the communities they serve. Headquartered in Burlington, MA with additional office locations and hybrid and remote workers in cities across the U.S., Ascend Learning was recognized by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group as one of America's 2023 Greatest Workplaces for Diversity. 

Ascend Learning, LLC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer (M/F/Vets/Disabled). No agency or search firm submissions will be accepted. Applications for U.S. based positions with Ascend Learning, LLC must be legally authorized to work in the United States and verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire. 

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