Manager, Daily Digital Publishing

Written Word Media sends five daily emails across five reader brands. Five emails that cannot be late and cannot be wrong. Behind each one is an author whose book launch, promotion, or livelihood is riding on it. You are the person who makes that happen. You run the newsroom, you own the deadlines, and nothing ships without meeting the standard.

This role is the operational core of that machine. You are the floor manager of a high-volume production environment. Your job is to make sure that every campaign, for every brand, goes out on time and error-free and that the systems, team, and processes are strong enough to make that feel routine. You’ll also lead our customer support function, ensuring authors receive fast, thoughtful, and high-quality communication.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in high-volume, deadline-driven environments and takes pride in building systems and teams that deliver consistent, high-quality results at scale.

You’ll run daily operations and take ownership of the systems, processes, and performance that power delivery of our products and services. You’ll create structure, improve workflows, manage capacity, and step in when needed to support execution. This is a player–coach role where you will both lead and execute.

Our headquarters is in Durham, NC — but this is a fully remote position.

Here’s what you will do

Run Daily Operations

• Own the end-to-end execution of daily email production and delivery across all brands.
• Maintain 100% on-time, 100% error-free deployment as the non-negotiable standard.
• Monitor production flow in real time and resolve blockers before they impact delivery.
• Serve as the escalation point and hands-on backup when a resource gap threatens output.

Manage Capacity and Throughput

• Monitor real-time workload volume and team bandwidth to ensure smooth delivery.
• Maintain and update capacity models to inform resourcing and planning.
• Adjust team priorities and resources dynamically to meet demand without compromising quality.

Lead the Team

• Manage a team of 5–7 Operations and/or Author Relations Specialists. 
• Set clear expectations, provide direct feedback, and build a culture of accountability, reliability, and shared ownership. 
• Act as a player-coach, providing hands-on support for complex situations or coverage, and serving as the emergency escalation contact for weekend coverage.

Ensure Quality and Accuracy

• Maintain a high bar for detail across all workflows, including preparation, QA, scheduling, and deployment.
• Standardize processes to ensure consistent quality across all outputs.
• Implement safeguards to prevent errors and ensure the team is equipped to execute reliably at scale.

Own Customer Support & Communications

Authors submit campaigns, and often there is back-and-forth to get the details right before deployment. Managing that communication loop – clearly, quickly, and professionally –  is an integral part of keeping the production line moving. This is not customer service as a separate function; it is a critical input to on-time, accurate delivery.

• Lead the customer support function with ultimate ownership of CSAT, response times, and quality.
• Handle high-level escalations with professional judgment and a solution-oriented mindset.
• Coach the team to ensure all communication with authors is clear, thoughtful, and effective.

Build Systems and Processes

• Design and refine workflows that increase efficiency, accuracy, and scalability. 
• Create and maintain comprehensive documentation to eliminate bottlenecks and tribal knowledge.
• Audit existing systems to reduce “operational chaos” and build a foundation for company growth.

Use Data to Improve Performance

• Track and report on key operational metrics to provide visibility into team performance.
• Analyze data to identify emerging trends, risks, and process opportunities.
• Continuously test and iterate on operational methods to drive incremental improvements.

Partner Across Teams

• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, and Marketing to streamline cross-departmental workflows.
• Ensure smooth handoffs and alignment on shared goals and product launches.
• Advocate for operational needs and system improvements during interdepartmental planning.

The perfect candidate

Cares About Authors
You understand that every email we send represents an author’s work and trust in us. You care about getting the details right.

Owns Outcomes Fully
You take responsibility for results, not just tasks. Nothing slips through the cracks on your watch, and when problems arise, you step forward to solve them.

Is Operationally Rigorous
You are highly organized, detail-oriented, and process-driven. You thrive in high-volume environments and take pride in building systems that deliver consistent, reliable results. You never miss a deadline. 

Leads with Clarity and Accountability
You set expectations clearly, follow up without apology, and address performance issues directly. Your team knows exactly what is expected of them and why it matters. You do not confuse being kind with avoiding hard conversations.

Is a Player–Coach
You are comfortable leading a team while also stepping into the work when needed. You support your team by being hands-on when it matters most.

Thinks in Systems, Not Tasks
When something breaks, your first instinct is to fix the process, not just the incident. You are drawn to eliminating single points of failure, reducing manual steps, and building workflows that are repeatable at scale.You don’t just execute, you improve. You look for better ways of doing things, identify inefficiencies, and build processes that scale.

Stays Curious and Improves Continuously
You ask how things can be better, faster, and more efficient. You are excited about leveraging AI and automation to improve workflows and team performance.

Communicates with Precision and Speed

Whether with your team, with author-advertisers, or with leadership, your communication is clear, direct, and timely. You understand that in a production environment, slow or vague communication is a liability.

Handles Pressure with Calm and Focus
You operate with a steady hand in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments. You prioritize effectively and keep the team aligned even when things get busy.

This role is probably not for you if…

• You prefer to lead from a distance and find repetitive operational cadences draining.
• Your management philosophy centers on culture-building over process-building and accountability.
• You have not personally managed a recurring, high-volume production workflow with measurable output.
• You are energized by strategy conversations but less interested in the details of daily execution.

Qualifications

Required

• Demonstrated experience managing a high-volume, deadline-driven operational process (digital media, fulfillment, logistics, call center, or similar).
• Experience managing a team with clear performance accountability –  not just mentoring or coordinating.
• Strong process documentation and workflow design skills.
• Experience using data to track operational performance and drive decisions.
• Ability and willingness to execute hands-on when needed.

Strongly Preferred

• Background in Lean, Six Sigma, or formal process improvement methodology.
• Experience improving workflows through automation or AI tools.
• Familiarity with email deployment platforms or marketing automation tools.
• Experience managing customer support or service teams

Company Perks

• Startup environment with direct access to founders and company leadership for unique learning opportunities. 
• Fully remote position.
• Comprehensive health, vision, dental, and insurance benefits.
• 401k and Profit Sharing: Automatic 3% company contribution to your 401k, plus an annual discretionary profit share.
• Book Perks: Free books to support your reading habit, with purchases benefiting indie bookstores.

About Written Word Media

At Written Word Media, books are a force for good. Our mission is to empower authors and publishers to reach their audience and help readers find their next great book. We operate multiple media brands that cater to over one million readers. Written Word Media has served over 30,000 authors, many of whom are independent. We pride ourselves on providing outstanding customer service and effective products & services. We are a company that values courage, focused effort, creativity, and quality.