Fast Facts

The Sr Outsourcing Specialist at Ascend Learning will collaborate with product and content teams to manage vendor relationships and oversee content development processes, ensuring alignment with organizational standards and deadlines.

Responsibilities: Key responsibilities include developing outsourcing strategies for content creation, managing vendor partnerships, tracking budgets and contracts, and leading performance discussions.

Skills: Required skills include strong leadership, communication, project management, financial acumen, and familiarity with content development processes and vendor management.

Qualifications: Preferred qualifications include a Bachelor's degree and over 6 years of experience in editorial or content strategy roles, particularly involving external partnerships.

Location: Remote work is available within the United States.

Compensation: Not provided by employer. Typical compensation ranges for this position are between $85,000 - $115,000.

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 a Senior Outsourcing Specialist, you will partner with Product and Content leadership to ensure that vendor partners are successfully managing authors and performing high-quality content development work within defined timelines and established budgets. Key elements of this role are experience managing relationships with external partners, strong understanding of best practices for external development, and ability to communicate effectively across multiple teams with exceptional transparency and planning.  

WHERE YOU’LL WORK  

This position offers flexibility of remote work within the United States. 

HOW YOU’LL SPEND YOUR TIME 

• Partner with Content team leadership to understand, plan, and execute outsource strategy for content creation and co-development across the segment.  
• Champion outsource development and best practices across the segment, building productive partnerships and workflows with portfolio teams.  
• Drive the processes for tracking all external vendors: sourcing, evaluations, statements of work, and vendor expectations. 
• Leverage knowledge of vendors and pipelines to ensure productive partnerships and clear communication across the organization. 
• Manage and oversee contracts, invoice approvals, budget tracking; onboarding and resource ramp-up for internal and external stakeholders 
• Ensure authors/SMEs are executing against agreed-upon expectations; resolve any outstanding content direction issues between authors/SMEs and content vendor 
• Lead candid discussions with vendors and internal stakeholders to plan engagements, resolve issues, and enhance long-term relationships. 
• Prepare performance reports for internal business reviews and present to segment leadership as needed on evolution of outsource model.  

WHAT YOU'LL NEED 

• Bachelor’s degree preferred; High School Diploma or GED required. 
• 6+ years’ experience as Editorial Director, Senior Content Strategist, or similar role working with authors/SMEs and vendors, ensuring delivery of high-quality content that meets organizational and market expectations.  
• Experience with outsourcing and external content and development management required 
• Demonstrated understanding of author management and content development processes and how multiple external resources can be integrated into a fast-paced and quality-focused project 
• Strong ability to track, prioritize, and conscientiously follow through on multiple competing elements of work, in timely fashion, across groups with varying interests 
• Clear and concise communication, leadership, and people skills that cater appropriately to different levels of audience, from vendors and partner team members to senior leaders 
• Strong financial and legal acumen  
• Strong influence skills to achieve results and deal effectively with ambiguous and unstructured problems and situations 
• Demonstrated ability to operate in a fast-paced, intellectually intense, service-oriented environment and manage tight timelines and deliverables across multiple portfolios/business units and teams while staying true to Ascend’s values and culture 
• Ability to leverage analytics and foster a data-minded environment  

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 
• 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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