Key Facts

Remote From:

United States

Full time

English

Hard Skills

Other Skills

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People Management
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Analytical Skills
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Progress Reporting
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Quality Assurance
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Mentorship
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Prioritization
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Accountability
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Resilience
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Multitasking
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Leadership
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Time Management

Roles & Responsibilities

Proven experience leading large, complex initiatives in a matrixed environment with line management or mentoring responsibilities.
Deep knowledge of implementation management, business change, and process/data improvement; strong facilitation, backlog management, and prioritization skills; data governance and metadata management principles.
Ability to influence across diverse stakeholder groups and navigate complex organizational structures, with excellent communication and the ability to summarize complex topics succinctly.
Degree or equivalent experience in implementation management, transformation, or business change; experience in a similarly complex academic publishing, data-rich, or matrixed environment.

Requirements:

Lead and direct Flow Efficiency implementation across multiple initiatives, align delivery plans, surface dependencies and risks, and provide clear direction to the Delivery and Implementation Leads.
Line manage the two seconded Delivery and Implementation Leads, providing coaching, direction, and ensuring the initiative backlogs, plans, and deliverables are sound and transparent.
Deliver assigned high-value initiatives, maintain the initiative backlog, ensure requirements are clear and prioritized, and define/agree acceptance criteria with stakeholders.
Design and set up the future Implementation capability within the Academic Divisional enablement structure, shaping operating models, documentation standards, and delivery rhythms.

Job description

We are the world’s largest university press. We have both a worldwide reach and a personal understanding of local needs, partnering on the ground to adapt publications and resources to meet the individual needs of communities, societies, and countries. We partner with researchers, educators, and technology partners to stay ahead of the changing ways people around the world are accessing and sharing knowledge. With a presence in more than 50 countries and millions of customers around the world, an idea launched at OUP can have a global impact.

More about OUP

Advancing Knowledge and Learning

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Implementation Manager plays a pivotal role in driving the successful delivery of Flow Efficiency initiatives as part of Academic Divisional transformation.

The Flow Efficiency programme lies at the heart of the Digital Sales and Product Enablement (DSPE) transformation, improving the quality, consistency, and flow of data, systems, and processes to get content to market more quickly and efficiently.

Within the parameters of the Programme roadmap, and the framework for strategic prioritization and cross‑initiative decision‑making, the Implementation Manager will:

Provide expert input into prioritization discussions, delivery approaches, and risk mitigation recommendations.
Coordinate implementation activity across multiple concurrent initiatives within the Flow Efficiency roadmap.
Line‑manage the seconded Delivery and Implementation Leads, providing direction, coaching, and quality assurance across their areas of work.
Lead the delivery of their own designated initiatives.
Provide dotted‑line mentoring and support to Implementation/Transformation/CI Leads across the Academic Division.
Contribute to the establishment of the Implementation capability within the future Academic business enablement/process optimization structure.

This role would suit an experienced operational professional, with experience in a similar or related role.

Key Accountabilities include:

1. Leadership of Flow Efficiency Implementation

• Own and direct implementation activity across multiple initiatives within the Flow Efficiency roadmap.
• Ensure alignment of delivery plans across different workstreams.
• Shape and recommend delivery approaches, surfacing dependencies, risks, and options for resolution.
• Provide clear direction to the Delivery and Implementation Leads, ensuring alignment with program‑level goals.

2. Line Management and People Leadership
• Onboard and Line manage the two seconded Delivery and Implementation Leads, providing coaching, direction, and structured feedback.
• Review and assure initiative level backlogs, plans, and deliverables.
• Build a strong delivery culture based on transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement.

3. Delivery of Own Initiatives

• Lead the delivery and implementation of assigned high value initiatives.
• Establish and maintain the initiative backlog.
• Ensure requirements are clear, prioritized, and aligned to business value.
• Define and agree acceptance criteria with stakeholders.

4. Delivery of Own Initiatives

5. Business Enablement/Process Optimization design and set up

• Work with the Program Director on the design and setup of Implementation capability in the future Divisional business enablement/ process optimization structure.
• Shape operating models, engagement approaches, documentation standards, and delivery rhythms.

6. Delivery Management, Risk and Dependency Control

• Lead refinement and clarification sessions on complex requirements.
• Proactively identify risks, issues, and dependencies across initiatives.
• Report unmitigated risks upwards and take ownership of mitigated risks/issues
• Support teams to unblock progress and adapt plans as needed.

7. UAT, Roll out and Business Readiness

• Plan and manage User Acceptance Testing across relevant initiatives.
• Ensure impacted teams are informed, trained, and prepared for transition.
• Ensure solutions are well documented, understood, and supported operationally.

8. Reporting and Governance

• Provide clear, quantitative progress reporting to the Program Director.
• Maintain initiative trackers, delivering accurate and timely updates.
• Highlight deviations early with recommended mitigations.

ABOUT YOU

Able to influence across multiple levels and functions without direct authority.
Comfortable leading through ambiguity and shaping clarity for others.
Exceptionally organized, able to juggle multiple initiatives and teams.
Strong communicator with the ability to summarize complex topics succinctly.
Solution‑oriented, resilient, and pragmatic; comfortable with empowered delivery models.
Deep working knowledge of implementation management, business change, and process/data improvement.
Strong facilitation, backlog management, and prioritization skills.
Excellent understanding of data governance and metadata management principles.
Ability to navigate OUP’s organizational structure, approval pathways, governance forums, and cross‑Divisional stakeholder landscape.
Understanding of OUP’s Academic workflows, systems, and data flows (or demonstrably fast learner in a complex publishing context).
Able to apply analytical and problem‑solving skills to complex issues.
Skilled in dependency mapping, risk assessment, and stakeholder alignment.
Educated to degree level or able to demonstrate equivalent experience in implementation management, transformation, or business change.
Proven experience in leading large, complex initiatives in a matrixed environment.
Experience in line management or mentoring, with a track record of developing others.
Experience working within a similarly complex academic publishing, data‑rich, or matrixed environment.
Evidence of successful process, data, or systems change delivery.
Demonstrated ability to influence across diverse stakeholder groups.

BENEFITS

We care about work/life balance at OUP. We offer 15 days’ vacation time that rises with service, 10 sick days, plus floating holidays, personal days, company holidays, and a 35-hour working week. We are open to discussing flexibility in respect of working hours and the use of technology to support regular remote working, dependent on role. We also have a great variety of active employee networks and societies.

We care for you and your dependents by offering health, dental, and vision insurance plans to our full-time employees. Each plan has multiple levels of coverage to fit your needs and has a high level of contribution made by OUP. In addition, we offer Employee Assistant Programs for all full-time employees, regardless of whether you elect in health insurance. We also offer life insurance and disability insurance.

We help make your money go further by providing a non-elective contribution on your behalf to your retirement plan of 7% of your salary and a matching contribution to the retirement plan of 50% on the first 6% of employee contributions on based earnings.

Position Location: This role can be remote in the United States.

GJC Level: M7 (for internal purposes only)

Salary: $111,300 - $159,000 dependent on skills and experience

We are committed to supporting diversity in our workforce and ensuring an inclusive environment where all individuals can thrive. We seek to employ a workforce representative of the markets that we serve and encourage applications from all.

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