The posting
Arkansas Talent Group is seeking an accomplished business leader and people manager for our client, an established Central Arkansas publishing and media company.
This is first and foremost a general management role.
The person selected will take ownership of an established business unit with approximately $1.5M–$4M in annual revenue, leading its people, sales performance, profitability, strategy and future growth. While this position sits within a publishing company and may ultimately carry the traditional title of Publisher, previous publishing, journalism or media experience is not required.
In fact, our client is particularly interested in leaders who have successfully managed teams, owned business results, developed people and driven revenue in other industries.
You might currently be a General Manager, Market President, Regional Manager, Division Leader, Sales Executive, Managing Director, Director of Business Development or an entrepreneurial leader who has been responsible for much more than one functional area.
What matters is whether you know how to lead a business and the people within it.
What You'll Own
This role has broad responsibility for the performance of an established business unit. You will:
- Take ownership of the overall performance of a $1.5M–$4M business unit, including revenue, profitability, budgeting and expense management.
- Lead, coach and develop a multidisciplinary team, establishing clear expectations, accountability and performance standards.
- Establish short- and long-term strategies for growing the business, its customer base and its market presence.
- Serve as a senior sales leader, coaching sales professionals, monitoring performance and helping develop strategies for significant accounts and opportunities.
- Evaluate the business through a P&L mindset and make decisions that improve both near-term performance and long-term value.
- Identify new customers, partnerships, products, services and revenue opportunities.
- Develop and mentor employees while creating a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
- Work with leadership to establish budgets, goals, performance metrics and growth initiatives.
- Understand what customers and the market need and translate those needs into compelling products and business solutions.
- Evaluate existing products and strategies and have the confidence to challenge, change or improve them when necessary.
- Bring structure and focus to the business while still encouraging creativity and new ideas.
- Serve as a visible and credible representative of the organization within the Central Arkansas business community.
- Make sound decisions when the needs of customers, employees and the business do not perfectly align.
- Identify opportunities to modernize products, processes, sales strategies and the way the organization reaches its customers.
The Leadership Background We're Looking For
We are intentionally casting a wider net than the publishing industry.
A strong candidate will likely bring:
- Significant leadership experience with direct responsibility for managing and developing people.
- A demonstrated ability to hold teams accountable, improve performance and build strong team cultures.
- Experience leading a business unit, division, market, sales organization or similarly complex operation.
- A track record of growing revenue and achieving measurable business results.
- Strong business judgment and the ability to balance people, customers, revenue, expenses and long-term strategy.
- Experience developing goals and translating them into clear expectations for a team.
- The ability to think like an owner and take responsibility for results rather than simply managing a function.
- Strong financial acumen and comfort working with budgets, forecasts, performance metrics and P&L results.
- Experience coaching sales professionals and helping teams improve their approach to customers and opportunities.
- Strong communication, presentation and negotiation skills.
- Executive presence and the confidence to represent an organization publicly.
- A leadership style that combines relationship-building with clear accountability.
- Curiosity, creativity and the willingness to challenge the way things have traditionally been done.
Direct P&L responsibility or significant ownership of a business unit's financial performance is strongly preferred.
What You Don't Need
You do not need publishing experience to be successful in this role.
Our client already has talented professionals who understand content, production, design and the mechanics of publishing. They are looking for a leader who can help those people and the overall business perform at a higher level.
Experience in media, publishing, advertising or journalism is certainly valuable, but it is only one possible path to this opportunity.
Successful candidates could come from industries such as professional services, financial services, technology, hospitality, retail, healthcare, manufacturing, distribution, advertising, communications or other sales-driven businesses.
If you've successfully led a team, managed a business or market, developed salespeople, owned financial results and figured out how to grow an organization, we want to hear from you.
About the Business
The successful candidate will lead one of several established brands within a respected Central Arkansas publishing and media organization.
The business serves sophisticated and highly engaged audiences through a combination of print, digital content, advertising, events, sponsorships and other products and services.
You won't be expected to write articles, edit copy or design publications. Instead, you'll work alongside professionals who do those things and provide the business leadership, sales direction, people management and strategic vision that allow the brand to grow.
Part of the challenge — and opportunity — will be understanding the needs of three important groups: the audience, the customer/advertiser and the business itself. Great leadership in this environment means finding ways to create value for all three while protecting the credibility and long-term strength of the brand.
Benefits
The organization offers a particularly strong benefits package, including:
- 17 days of PTO during the first year, accruing immediately, with PTO increasing with tenure
- Generous 401(k) matching of up to 10%, with the potential for additional profit-sharing contributions
- Employer-supported health insurance
- Employer-paid long-term disability coverage
- Six weeks of paid parental leave
- A family-friendly culture, including accommodations designed to make balancing work and family easier
- A welcoming, people-focused office environment
Why Consider This Opportunity?
This is an unusual opportunity for a leader who is ready to move beyond managing a single function and take responsibility for an entire business.
You'll have the opportunity to lead people, influence strategy, develop new revenue streams, coach a sales organization, shape products, manage financial performance and help determine where an established brand goes next.
If you've spent your career building teams, growing revenue and solving business problems — but have never considered working for a publishing company — that's exactly why we want you to consider this role.
We can teach you the publishing business. We're looking for someone who already knows how to lead people and grow a business.
For more information, please apply directly or reach out to Bailey Clark at [email protected]
Arkansas Talent Group is an Executive Permanent Placement Recruitment Firm, all considerations will be held confidential.
