Sr Manager, Royalty Operations

The Senior Manager, Royalty Operations will lead and manage a small squad of Royalty Managers responsible for the accurate and timely preparation, analysis, review, and issuance of royalty statements to authors, agents and other contractual parties for the Macmillan US Trade division. This team management role requires the orchestration of end-to-end royalty operations, including the application of complex contract terms, the management of royalty and advance payment processing, and ensuring the integrity of underlying systems. The Senior Manager will drive continuous improvement of processes, reporting and governance for royalty operations. In addition, the role will collaborate extensively with various departments within the organization, as well as external parties to ensure transparency, accuracy and trust in, royalty-related operations.

What you'll do:

• Lead and Manage a Squad of Royalty Managers:
  
  
  
  • Supervise, mentor, and develop a team of 2-3 Royalty Managers and Royalty Administrators, fostering a collaborative and high-performing environment.
  • Develop team capabilities and set team goals, priorities and performance expectations, ensuring alignment with departmental and organizational objectives.
  • Oversee the assignment of tasks and responsibilities within the team, ensuring efficient workflow and balanced workloads.
  • Conduct regular team meetings, providing updates, addressing challenges, and facilitating knowledge sharing.
  • Conduct performance reviews and provide ongoing feedback and coaching to team members.
  • Participate in the recruitment and onboarding of new Royalty Manager team members
  
  
  
  
• Oversee Royalty Statement Preparation and Analysis:
  
  
  
  • Coordinate and direct the process for royalty period close and related activities.
  • Review and approve complex contract interpretations and payee setups within the royalty system.
  • Oversee the analysis of sales data prior to interfacing with the royalty system, ensuring data integrity.
  • Monitor the posting of expenses, fees, and deductions to the royalty system for accuracy.
  • Conduct final reviews of royalty statements prepared by the team to guarantee accuracy and compliance with contract terms and company policies.
  • Oversee the calculation and recording of reserves for returns in accordance with contract terms and company policies.
  • Review and approve manual adjustments and statements prepared by the team when required.
  
  
  
  
• Issue Resolution and Communication:
  
  
  
  • Act as a point of escalation for complex royalty-related issues, working collaboratively with business units and other departments to find effective resolutions.
  • Communicate clearly to internal and external stakeholders (agents, authors, etc.) regarding escalated inquiries and requests around Royalty statements.
  • Foster positive and professional relationships with external stakeholders.
  
  
  
  
• Continuous Improvement:
  
  
  
  • Identify operational risks and escalate them appropriately, collaborating across departments to manage and resolve issues.
  • Contribute to the development and implementation of process improvements and best practices within the Royalty department.
  • Partner with Technology and other relevant departments to optimize royalty systems and processes, providing input to design, testing and quality assurance.
  • Represent the Royalties department in cross-functional projects and initiatives.
  
  
  
  
• Contract and Payment Management Oversight:
  
  
  
  
  • Orchestrate the timely and accurate payment processes for advances and royalties, coordinating with Finance stakeholders and approvers to hit deadlines.
  • Oversee the processing of new contracts and amendments by the team.
  • Review and approve complex advance and payment requests, ensuring adherence to contractual terms and internal controls.
  • Ensure the team's compliance with US and foreign tax withholdings, reporting, and filing requirements related to advances, royalty, and subrights payments.
  
  
  
  
• Reporting and Analysis:
  
  
  
  
  • Prepare and present regular and ad hoc reports and analyses on royalty performance and trends for management.
  • Contribute to the development of key performance indicators (KPIs) for the Royalties function, including the setup, tracking and reporting of KPIs.
  • Identify opportunities for data-driven insights to improve royalty processes and reporting.
  
  
  
  

What you'll bring:

• Proven experience leading and developing high-performing teams, fostering a culture of
  accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Deep understanding of royalty operations, contract application and complex payment structures.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with a keen attention to detail and good judgment.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills, with the confidence to
  engage effectively with all levels of the organization and external stakeholders.
• Highly proficient with Microsoft Excel, databases, and system queries.
• Demonstrated ability to manage high volumes of data, meet deadlines, and effectively prioritize in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to lead change, manage cross-functional initiatives and navigate unexpected events.
• Resourceful and proactive in addressing challenges and implementing solutions.
• A high degree of personal and professional integrity, with a commitment to accuracy, transparency, and service excellence.

Ideal Experience

• 5+ years of progressive experience in royalty accounting and statement preparation, with at least 2 years in a supervisory or team lead role.
• Extensive experience with royalty contracts and their application.
• Strongly preferred experience within the book publishing industry.
• Proficiency with Biblio royalty platform and SAP is highly desirable.
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or applicable experience in a related field.

This role will have an annual salary of $115,000 - $130,000

Macmillan Publishers is the U.S. trade company that is part of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a large family-owned group of media companies headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Holtzbrinck Publishing Group's publishing companies include prominent imprints around the world that publish a broad range of award-winning books for children and adults in all categories and formats.

U.S. publishers include Celadon Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Flatiron Books, Henry Holt & Company, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, The St. Martin's Publishing Group, and Tor Publishing Group. In the UK, Australia, India, and South Africa, companies in the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group publish under the Pan Macmillan name. The German publishing company, Holtzbrinck Deutsche Buchverlage, includes among its imprints S. Fischer, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Rowohlt, and Droemer Knaur.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are actively seeking job applicants who reflect a broad representation of differences, including race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, physical ability, neurodiversity, age, family status, economic background and status, geographical background and status, and perspective. We believe that the best companies reflect the incredible diversity in viewpoints, backgrounds, and identities of the world in their staffs, and are committed to inclusive hiring across departments and levels. The successful candidate for this position will be an employee of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.