Journals Circulation Manager

About the Company

When you join the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), you are at the center of transforming health care. You are on the leading edge of ensuring family doctors have what they need to adapt, and you are part of a legacy that has been instrumental in improving and advocating for family medicine since 1947. Make an impact that matters. Be Team AAFP.

About the Role

The Journals Circulation Manager is responsible for the strategic and operational management of subscription revenue, audience delivery, and distribution compliance for the American Academy of Family Physicians’ core journals: American Family Physician, Family Practice Management, and FP Essentials.

Responsibilities

• Owns approximately $3.2M in annual subscription revenue and a $1.6M expense budget.
• Provides leadership to internal staff, cross‑divisional teams, and external vendors to ensure that journal circulation programs are financially sound, operationally efficient, audit‑ready, and compliant with evolving regulatory requirements.
• Plays a critical role in ensuring that AAFP journals reach the right audiences, through the right channels, while supporting broader journal revenue goals across advertising, marketing, and digital platforms.

Subscription Revenue & Financial Management

• Owns the financial performance of the circulation program, including a departmental expense budget of approximately $1.6 million and annual subscription revenue of approximately $3.2 million.
• Responsible for planning, forecasting, and monitoring revenues and expenses; approving invoices; and ensuring financial accuracy through monthly reporting and variance review.

Circulation Infrastructure, Compliance & Risk Management

• Leads the design and ongoing maintenance of circulation infrastructure, tools, and processes to support compliant subscription sales, fulfillment, and audience reporting.
• Owns compliance with USPS Periodicals requirements, AAM audit standards, and state and federal subscription auto‑renewal regulations, including bi‑annual internal reviews and an annual in‑depth compliance review in partnership with Legal.
• Subscription Growth, Promotions & Team Leadership
• Directs subscription marketing strategy and execution across print and digital channels (email, web, direct-mail, social) with responsibility for growing paid subscribers and managing controlled circulation requirements for American Family Physician.
• Leads and develops the subscription team, including institutional and organizational sales functions, and oversees promotional content across digital platforms.

Vendor Management, Fulfillment Operations & Team Resilience

• Provides strategic oversight of external vendors and internal partners responsible for subscription fulfillment, production coordination, and special circulation projects.
• Serves as the primary point of accountability for vendor performance, contract management, and service quality across mailing, fulfillment, and production workflows.
• Negotiates and maintains vendor agreements, coordinating legal review when required, and ensures that vendor services align with budgetary, operational, and compliance requirements.
• Leads staff training and cross‑training initiatives to build operational resilience, ensuring continuity of circulation functions and eliminating single‑point knowledge dependencies.
• Maintains a working knowledge of internal promotional tools (e.g., HubSpot) to support integrated circulation and marketing efforts.

Cross‑Functional Initiatives & Special Projects Leadership

• Serves as the circulation lead on enterprise‑level initiatives and special projects that impact subscription sales, fulfillment operations, and audience delivery.
• Represents Journal Media circulation interests in cross‑divisional project teams, ensuring requirements related to data integrity, compliance, revenue continuity, and operational readiness are addressed.

Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or through equivalent work experience plus 6-10 years of related work experience.

Required Skills

• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to analyze circulation data and generate reports to support decision-making.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with medical, scholarly, or professional (business-to-business) journal publishing environments is preferred.

HOURS: Monday-Friday (*hybrid)* Position is eligible for remote work for applicants located within reasonable driving/commuting distance of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Office is in Leawood, Kansas. Additional hours as needed. TRAVEL: Possible 2-3 days travel per year.

Equal Opportunity Statement

At the AAFP we are committed to diversity and creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, ethnic or national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, pregnancy, marital status, religion, physical or mental disability, military/veteran status, or any other protected status.

For the Hearing Impaired our TTY number is: (913) 906-6333

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