Senior Trade Book Strategist

Great Minds • Full-time • Remote (Remote from Washington, District of Columbia, United States) • $80,000 - $88,000 / year • 1m ago

Fast Facts

Join Great Minds as a Senior Trade Book Strategist to define and execute their trade publishing strategy while collaborating with cross-functional teams to enhance supply chain performance and vendor partnerships.

Responsibilities: Key responsibilities include overseeing vendor relationships, negotiating complex contracts, developing procurement strategies, and ensuring supply chain optimization.

Skills: Candidates should possess expertise in demand planning, financial analysis, and vendor management, along with excellent analytical and leadership abilities.

Qualifications: A minimum of 5 years in trade publishing procurement or supply chain management is required, along with strong negotiation skills and a deep understanding of the trade publishing ecosystem.

Location: This position is remote, allowing for flexibility in location. The role does not require travel.

Compensation: $80000 - $88000 / Annually

Who We Are

Great Minds is a high-growth, mission-driven organization founded by educators in 2007. As a for-profit, Public Benefit Corporation, we believe all students deserve access to meaningful, challenging content—and all teachers deserve tools that are intuitive, effective, and built for the realities of today’s classrooms.

We develop high-quality, knowledge-rich math, science and ELA curricula grounded in research and designed in collaboration with educators. Our materials reflect real classroom needs and are built to drive lasting student outcomes.

We are committed to usability, coherence, and practical implementation—supporting teachers not just through curriculum, but with professional learning, purposeful technology, and responsive service that enable strong adoption and impact.

What We Build

Our products—Eureka Math and Eureka Math², Wit & Wisdom, PhD Science, Geodes, and the newly launched Arts & Letters ELA—are trusted by thousands of schools and districts nationwide.

Eureka Math is the most widely used math curriculum in the U.S., and is focused on balancing conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and application.
Wit & Wisdom® and Arts & Letters ELA™ anchor our reading strategy with content-rich, grade-level instruction that integrates literature, history, and the arts, grounded in the science of reading. Geodes® complements our reading suite with decodable texts that pair phonics with meaningful content to support early literacy.
PhD Science is a hands-on K-5 Science program that sparks curiosity as students build enduring knowledge of how the scientific world works.

These programs reflect a shared belief in high expectations, joyful rigor, and deep respect for educators and students.

Where We’re Headed

Great Minds is entering a new stage of growth and product maturity. We are focused on building more connected, customer-informed experiences across the full educator journey—from curriculum to professional learning to platform and support.

Our long-term vision is to become a true partner in impact—not just delivering curriculum, but supporting educators in achieving outcomes at scale.

Job Purpose

Reporting to the Manager, Supply Chain Operations, the Senior Trade Book Strategist will act as a key strategist responsible for defining and executing Great Minds’ enterprise trade publishing strategy, driving sourcing excellence, strengthening vendor partnerships, and ensuring the availability of high-quality trade books that power Great Minds’ instructional offerings and growth objectives. This role will serve as the organization’s subject matter expert on trade title procurement, integrating business intelligence, financial acumen, and market insights to inform executive decision-making. The Senior Strategist will collaborate closely with cross-functional leaders in Demand Planning, Sales, Product Development, and Finance to optimize purchasing, manage risk, and enhance overall supply chain performance. This role will have a significant impact on Great Minds’ operational resilience, cost competitiveness, and ability to deliver best-in-class educational materials to schools nationwide.

Responsibilities

Strategic Vendor and Partnership Leadership:
o Serve as a key enterprise partner for strategic relationships with 20+ global and domestic trade publishers, cultivating long-term partnerships that support Great Minds’ growth and innovation goals.
o Negotiate complex contracts including rights agreements, pricing structures, and long-term printing arrangements, balancing cost efficiency with strategic flexibility.
o Establish performance metrics and lead Quarterly Business Reviews, ensuring vendor accountability, continuous improvement, and alignment with Great Minds’ quality and service standards.
o Act as a thought partner to leadership on emerging industry trends, new sourcing models, and partnership opportunities.
Procurement Strategy and Supply Chain Optimization:
o Architect and implement the organization’s trade title procurement strategy, leveraging market analysis, data modeling, and risk assessment to optimize cost, availability, and lead time.
o Oversee contract lifecycle management and vendor qualification in partnership with Legal and Finance, ensuring compliance and optimal financial terms.
o Apply subject matter expertise to impact diversification of sourcing channels and contingency planning to strengthen supply chain resilience.
o Develop and maintain key performance dashboards to inform executive-level decisions related to spend, inventory health, and supplier performance.
Cross-Functional Collaboration and Demand Alignment:
o Partner with Sales, Product, and Demand Planning leaders to ensure accurate forecasting and seamless alignment between trade book availability and customer demand.
o Translate forecast and sales data into actionable purchasing strategies that mitigate risk and maximize revenue opportunities.
o Provide executive reporting and recommendations on supply chain risks, lost opportunity trends, and strategic levers to improve fulfillment performance.
o Collaborate with Product Development to identify, evaluate, and source new trade titles that complement curriculum expansion.
Operational Excellence and Catalog Stewardship:
o Oversee the trade title catalog of 650+ titles, ensuring up-to-date data accuracy across ISBNs, pricing, and availability.
o Manage contract compliance and publisher financial terms in coordination with Finance and Accounts Payable.
o Champion process innovation, leveraging technology and analytics to drive efficiency, scalability, and cost control across the purchasing lifecycle.
o Mentor cross-functional contributors to elevate procurement discipline, supplier engagement, and operational rigor.

Requirements

5+ years of progressively responsible experience in trade publishing procurement, supply chain management, or educational publishing operations
Demonstrated success negotiating complex contracts and managing multimillion-dollar vendor portfolios
Strong command of demand planning, financial analysis (P&L impact, margin optimization), and supply chain risk mitigation
Proven ability to influence and collaborate across executive and operational levels
Deep knowledge of the trade publishing ecosystem, including major distributors, printers, and content rights structures
Exceptional analytical, communication, and leadership skills with a strategic mindset

Required Education

Bachelor’s degree

Status

Full-time

Location

Remote

The expected base salary range for this position is $80,000-$88,000, however the offered salarymay be higher or lower than the above range dependent on numerous factors including, but not limited to location, work experience, skills and internal equity considerations. The base salary is not inclusive of benefits or other incentives.

A cover letter and resume are required to be considered for this position.

New employees will be required to successfully complete a background check.

Any communication to applicants relating to the Great Minds hiring process will only come from email addresses with the domains greatminds.org or greatminds.recruitee.com. If in the course of the application or hiring process with Great Minds you are contacted through another domain, are requested to provide banking or other sensitive information, or you note any other suspicious activity, please contact security@greatminds.org

Great Minds is an equal opportunity employer. We will extend equal opportunity to all individuals without regard to race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, disability, age, genetic information, or any other status protected under applicable federal, state, or local laws. Our policy reflects and affirms the organization’s commitment to the principles of fair employment and the elimination of all discriminatory practices.

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