Manager, E-Commerce & Business Development - WETA Learning Media
The manager is responsible for generating earned income to help support WETA’s four national education projects:
§ LD OnLine (the world’s leading Web site on learning disabilities; www.LDOnLine.org)
§ Reading Rockets (a multimedia project that looks at why young children learn to read, why so many kids struggle, and what we can do about it; www.ReadingRockets.org)
§ ColorinColorado.org (a bilingual site for the parents and teachers of English language learners)
§ AdolescentLiteracy.org (launching this fall)
Our business activities include an online store ( LearningStore.org), sponsorships, online Yellow Pages, individual donations, and an affiliate relationship with Amazon.com . Earned income represents an increasingly important source of revenue for these projects.
The manager will be responsible for managing all aspects of our existing lines of business, with the goal of steadily increasing net revenue and meeting or exceeding revenue targets established in WETA’s budget. This position will also be responsible for exploring and developing new lines of business that show promise of generating substantial income and that are consistent with the educational mission of WETA and its Learning Media projects.
Report to Director, Learning Media Web Sites (for day-to-day operations) and Vice President, Learning and Interactive Media (for meeting overall revenue goals)
Essential Functions:
1. Operate and expand our online store:
Ensure that the store experience is appealing and intuitive, so that customers can easily find and buy what they want.
Regularly add new inventory to stores and manage existing inventory.
Oversee all elements of making sales (customer acquisition, online search, online conversion, payment processing, fulfillment, and customer service).
Prepare monthly reports on sales and Web traffic, in coordination with our fulfillment company and WETA Finance.
Manage relationships with existing customers to encourage more repeat buying and to maximize their long-term value.
Work with the managers of our Web sites to find ways to generate more traffic to the store from our sites and from our newsletters, while still maintaining the overall non-profit feel of our work.
Ensure that user inquiries are handled efficiently
Explore affiliate relationships with other stores and possible relationships with online shopping malls such as shop.com and then manage those relationships once established
2. Sell sponsorships for our Web sites, for our online newsletters, and for other products and services produced by Learning Media.
- Manage our existing relationships with companies such as Lindamood-Bell to ensure that we fulfill our obligations to them and that they are motivated to renew or expand their sponsorships with us
- Establish and modify packages and rate cards for new sponsors
- Seek new sponsors and manage the relationships once those sponsors sign up
- Coordinate with our national ad sales rep. Traffic ads through DART ad serving software.
3. Manage all aspects of our online Yellow Pages, including sponsor acquisition, fulfillment of our obligations to them, renewals, and collections.
4. Seek other opportunities for generating earned income
5. Seek to generate earned income for other educational projects that our department might launch.
6. Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
1. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
2. Ability and willingness to perform effectively in a sales environment.
3. Experience with online retail and online sponsorships highly desirable.
4. Superior writing skills; writing that is clear, compelling and well organized, generally free from errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
5. Adeptness with Microsoft Excel, including its database functions.
6. Willingness and ability to make cold calls to generate new business.
7. Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
8. Knowledge of the issues affecting people who struggle with reading and people with learning disabilities is desirable.
9. Strong presentation skills.
10. Ability to exercise independent judgment and discretion in performing duties.
Supervisor: Vice President, Learning and Interactive Media
Minimum Hiring Sal: $_______
Location: Arlington, VA
Contact: WETA TV/FM
PO Box 2626
Washington, DC 20013-2631
Or fax to 703-998-2034
Visit our Website: http://www.weta.org
