Director, Content Operations & Transformation

Company Description

Job Description

At Macmillan Learning, we're committed to driving innovation that transforms education. We seek team members who thrive on pushing boundaries, envisioning future possibilities, and building solutions that make a lasting impact. Whether you're a Pioneer shaping bold new ideas, a Builder turning possibilities into reality, or a Stabilizer optimizing for success, you'll play a vital role in advancing our mission. If you're excited by the prospect of testing new technologies, implementing transformative strategies, and thriving in a fast-paced, innovative environment, we’d love to hear from you! 

We are seeking a visionary and action-oriented Director of Content Operations & AI Transformation to lead the next evolution of content processes at Macmillan Learning. This role will sit at the intersection of AI innovation, operational excellence, and change leadership, with a clear mandate to rethink, redesign, and reimagine how content is created, managed, and delivered across the Learning Resource Group (LRG) and beyond. This is not a role for maintaining the status quo. We are looking for a transformation leader, someone who will challenge assumptions, question legacy structures, and push boundaries to drive more agile, transparent, and efficient ways of working.

We know that talented candidates sometimes hesitate to apply when they don't meet every single qualification listed. We encourage you to apply if you're excited about this role and believe you can contribute meaningfully to our team, even if your background doesn't align perfectly with every requirement. We're looking for people who are passionate about our mission and can bring valuable perspectives to our work. Different experiences, skills, and approaches all have the potential to strengthen what we do. If this opportunity interests you, we'd love to hear how your unique background and abilities could contribute to our team's success. We're committed to building a workplace where everyone can do their best work and where diverse viewpoints are valued. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply - we're excited to learn about the different ways you might add value to our organization.

Major responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

AI Transformation & Experimentation

• Partner with stakeholders across LRG, Product, Portfolio Strategy, and Engineering to identify, track, and coordinate AI-powered content initiatives, both customer-facing and operational.
• Maintain a central dashboard of active AI experiments and pilots; develop a system to evaluate impact, surface learnings, and recommend paths for scaling.
• Monitor emerging AI tools and trends and their capabilities. Create and maintain a framework for evaluating their potential to enhance content creation or operations.
• Make strategic recommendations on which tools to test or adopt, and provide competitive insights on AI-driven enablement across the edtech space.
• Facilitate feedback loops from early adopters and continuously improve experimentation frameworks.

Governance & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as a founding member of the AI Governance Group, ensuring strategic alignment and visibility into the development of new content types, tools, and methodologies.
• Lead cross-functional working groups to define and enforce standards for how AI-enabled content work is executed and measured.
• Provide clarity and consistency across departments, ensuring teams are working in shared, aligned ways.

Workflow Redesign & Operational Excellence

• Conduct assessments of legacy content workflows; identify friction points, duplication, and inefficiencies.
• Design and implement scalable, tech-forward processes that reduce manual effort, increase speed to market, and leverage AI and automation at key stages.
• Drive Agile adoption within content teams, including sprint ceremonies, Jira hygiene, capacity planning, and delivery tracking.

Change Management & Enablement

• Develop messaging and enablement tools to help teams adopt new ways of working.
• Host recurring read-out meetings to share progress on AI experimentation, operational KPIs, and transformation milestones.
• Serve as an ambassador for innovation, building excitement, curiosity, and confidence in what’s possible.

Job Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• 8-10+ years of experience in content operations, digital publishing, or content strategy, ideally within education, media, or technology sectors.
• Demonstrated success leading large-scale workflow or systems transformations, ideally involving emerging technologies.
  Experience with generative AI, machine learning, content automation, or adjacent technologies.
• Fluency in agile frameworks, project management methodologies, and tools such as Jira, Confluence, and Airtable.
• Excellent communication and influence skills; able to lead through ambiguity and drive alignment without direct authority.
• Track record of building cross-functional partnerships and delivering measurable operational outcomes.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degree preferred, not required.
• Passion for AI as a strategic enabler of human creativity and productivity.
• Experience in governance, standards, or compliance frameworks related to content operations or technology.
• Comfort with fast-paced change and evolving business models.
• Proven ability to question assumptions and advocate for new models of working, even when it means challenging legacy norms.

Salary Range: $105,000 - $135,000

Exemption Status: Exempt

Physical Requirements:

Requires periods of close concentration; must be able to multi-task; must be able to travel occasionally; work overtime - more than 40 hours a week – regularly, as needed.

The position is eligible for remote employment, excluding the following locations: Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming.