Director, Business Planning & Analytics

Come join our team!

$1,000 Retention Bonus (after 1 year)
Paid Time Off
14 Paid Holidays
Eligible to participate in the 401(k) Plan
Competitive Benefits

MPS, a division of Macmillan Publishers, a leading US publisher of Trade and Academic titles, has a job opening for a Director, Business Planning & Analytics in our Gordonsville facility. MPS provides back office support, warehousing, and, fulfillment for Macmillan US, and is their primary distribution facility for North America.

Position Summary
The Director of Business Planning and Analytics is a senior leadership role responsible for advancing data-driven decision-making across inventory control, logistics, and operational planning within a high-volume print book distribution environment.

The Director will work closely with the VP of Planning and Analytics to absorb institutional knowledge, technical systems expertise, analytical methodologies, and strategic planning capabilities. The Director will assume increasing ownership of mission-critical analytics, ERP-adjacent systems, and cross-functional operational strategy initiatives, and develop into a key role on the senior leadership team.

This position requires a rare combination of operational leadership, analytical capability, systems fluency, and business modeling expertise.

Key Responsibilities

Inventory Strategy & Control

• Assist inventory control with strategies across a multi-location print book distribution network.
• Analyze shrinkage, adjustments, and systemic inventory accuracy trends.

Logistics & Network Optimization

• Partner with the logistics manager to evaluate inbound, outbound, and inter-facility freight strategies.
• Model service levels vs. cost trade-offs.
• Support peak season planning and capacity modeling.

Distribution Planning & Policy Modeling
Quantitative evaluation of:

• New customer terms and policy changes
• Internal process changes
• Inventory deployment strategies
• New business models and distribution channels
• Build financial and operational models to support executive decision-making.
• Translate complex data analysis into clear executive recommendations.

Advanced Analytics & Systems Leadership

• Extract and analyze large datasets from ERP and WMS systems.
• Maintain and enhance mission-critical databases and analytical tools that augment core ERP functionality.
• Oversee the architecture, documentation, and sustainability of internally developed analytical systems.
• Ensure business continuity of all bolt-on databases and reporting tools.
• Partner with IT to improve data governance, automation, and reporting reliability.

Knowledge Transfer & Succession Development
Work directly with the VP to:

• Document institutional knowledge
• Understand historical decision logic and modeling frameworks
• Map data sources and analytical workflows
• Catalog all custom-built systems and tools
• Gradually assume ownership of strategic analyses and executive reporting.
• Develop a long-term roadmap for analytics maturity within the distribution organization.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as the analytical backbone for Operations, Sales, and Supply Chain teams.
• Present complex data in accessible, actionable formats.
• Influence policy and strategy through rigorous, data-based reasoning.
• Mentor analysts and develop internal analytical capability.

Required Qualifications:

• 8-12+ years of experience in distribution, supply chain, or operations leadership.
• Significant experience in high-volume distribution environments (book publishing experience strongly preferred).

Demonstrated experience in:

• Advanced Excel modeling
• SQL querying and database design
• Data extraction from ERP/WMS systems
• Business intelligence tools (Cognos Analytics, Power BI, etc.)
• Experience building and maintaining analytical databases or operational reporting systems.
• Strong financial modeling skills.
• Ability to translate operational data into strategic insight.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in publishing or media distribution.
• Experience with ERP-integrated bolt-on systems.
• Lean/Six Sigma or similar process optimization training.
• BA/BS in Supply Chain, Analytics, or related field.
• Experience with SAP Financials and Order-to-Cash.

Critical Competencies
This role requires:

• Systems Thinking - Understand how inventory policy, customer terms, logistics cost, and financial outcomes interrelate.
• Technical Curiosity - Comfortable going beyond reports to raw data.
• Analytical Rigor - Builds defensible, data-backed recommendations.
• Operational Credibility - Earns trust with warehouse and logistics teams.
• Executive Communication - Simplifies complex modeling into decision-ready insights.
• Institutional Stewardship - Protects and modernizes mission-critical analytical infrastructure.

MPS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, consistently striving to foster a culture where everyone belongs. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and identities. Qualified applicants are evaluated without regard to race, color, religion, age, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability status, physical ability, neurodiversity, genetic information, protected veteran status, family and economic status, and background or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. We prohibit discrimination of any kind and will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with applicable law.