Associate Director, Print Supply Operations

About inquirED

inquirED supports teachers with high-quality instructional materials that make joyful, rigorous, and transferable learning possible for every student. Our pre-K/TK and elementary curricula include Great First Eight (Pre-K/TK), Inkwell (K–2 integrated ELA and social studies), and Inquiry Journeys (K–5 social studies). Together, they help students develop the deeper knowledge, comprehension, literacy, and inquiry skills they need to grow as readers, writers, thinkers, and participants in a thriving democracy.

About the role

Description

inquirED is hiring an Associate Director of Print Supply Operations to own how our physical materials are planned, printed, sourced, stocked, and delivered. For our three curricula, we ship printed materials, hundreds of trade book titles, and classroom kits to districts across the country. Every piece needs to arrive before the first day of school, and if a box arrives short, the teacher starts the unit without all of the necessary materials.

This is the first time inquirED has had one person own this work. Much of your first year will be hands-on: tracing short shipments, fixing incomplete orders, and answering districts who want to know where their materials are. You'll handle those situations yourself while you design the systems that keep them from recurring, and your time will shift toward planning and vendor strategy as those systems take hold.

As our senior expert on physical materials, you'll bring cost and timing information to Product, Sales, Marketing, and Finance early enough to shape what we make and how we price it. This role reports to our CEO.

Responsibilities

Get materials to classrooms complete and on time

• Own the path from closed deal to delivered box. Turn each order into a vendor-ready order with the right components, quantities, school allocations, and delivery dates.
• Plan production and shipping backward from the first day of school and beginning-of-year professional development.
• Resolve missing, damaged, or incorrect orders, and track every issue until it's closed.
• Set quality checks that catch printing and kitting errors before materials reach a district.
• Keep Sales, Partner Experience, and districts informed about order status.

Plan inventory ahead of demand

• Maintain a complete breakdown of the titles, printed pieces, and kit components inside everything we sell.
• Forecast demand with Sales and Product, then set print quantities and reorder points.
• Manage trade book risk (reprints, back orders, and out-of-print titles), with options ready before a gap affects a unit.

Hold vendors to clear standards

• Set our approach across printers, fulfillment centers, warehouses, book distributors, and kit suppliers, including when to consolidate work and when to split it.
• Lead RFPs and negotiations, and review each vendor's performance every season.
• Coordinate between designers, Product, and printers so specs are feasible to produce and true to the curriculum team's design.
• Visit vendor sites to review quality and capacity.

Bring cost and margin into product decisions

• Track the full cost of each item and kit, from printing through shipping.
• Partner with Finance and Marketing to track margin by product, and recommend pricing and packaging changes.
• Share production timelines with curriculum teams early, so they can plan backward from file handoff dates.

Build the function as we grow

• Track and report measures such as on-time delivery and cost per kit.
• Document core processes, and hire and manage added support as needed

Requirements

• 6+ years in supply chain, print production, or fulfillment operations, including ownership of orders from purchase through delivery.
• 3+ years managing vendor relationships with printers, fulfillment centers, or warehouses, including leading RFPs and negotiating price and schedule.
• Direct experience with printed materials, trade books, and multi-item kits.
• Working knowledge of print production and inventory planning, including specs, proofs, forecasting, and reorder points.
• Strong analytical skills, including cost modeling and margin analysis.
• A track record of fixing operational problems, then putting a process in place so they don't come back.
• Willingness and ability to travel.

Preferred qualifications

• A background in K–12 publishing or classroom materials, including back-to-school delivery cycles and state adoptions.
• Experience working with third-party fulfillment warehouses and trade book distributors.
• Prior work as the first owner of a function at a growing company.

Why Work For Us

• Health & 401K: Employee-covered health care and retirement match
• Flexible PTO & Company Closures: Flexible PTO and 12+ observed days off.
• Chances to Connect: Biannual company retreats and optional local meetups 
• Remote Opportunities:  Most positions are remote, supporting work-from-home flexibility  
• Perks and Stipend: Technology package provided, plus a home office stipend
• Learning and Development: Educational and development opportunities, monthly Brunch and Learns, and more!

The base compensation range for this role is $117,300 - 158,700. Total compensation for this role also includes a full benefits package. This compensation range and title may be adjusted based on actual experience.

*Please note that because of high application volume, we are only able to respond to applicants moving forward in the process.

Must be U.S. based.