PrePress and Digital Production Manager – Technical Specialist

JOB SUMMARY

Your primary responsibility is to lead, motivate, and inspire the graphic design/prepress and digital production team members. This involves providing training and guidance to ensure they excel in their roles. You'll be tasked with creating, implementing, and refining workflows based on industry best practices to enhance efficiency while upholding quality standards. In addition to supervising the productivity of the production and design departments, you'll maintain job logs, set clear goals, and establish accountability standards. Your role also entails troubleshooting and modifying files to ensure they meet quality criteria and are print-ready. You'll not only address issues yourself but also train the team to do the same. Furthermore, you'll actively contribute to the manufacturing objectives by identifying opportunities for incremental process improvements or re-engineering techniques to enhance quality, productivity, and service.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

· Proficiently work on files in Adobe Creative Suite with an emphasis on Indesign, Acrobat Pro and Illustrator, Enfocus Pitstop and/or Xerox FreeFlow

· Provide leadership, direction and oversight to the design/prepress and digital production team daily.

· Establish production expectations and quality standards for the company with the teams.

· Coach teams to continually meet department and organizational goals, delegate and balance workloads.

· Address issues, resolve internal and external conflicts and/or concerns.

· Effectively communicate with client’s, design, prepress, sales and production team

· Receive high resolution files from clients and create digital images to specifications as outlined by client.

· Provide guidance and maintain electronic files and archives for all jobs.

· Actively design and work with graphic artists and prepress specialists to answer questions; review design files as needed.

· Perform preflight on client’s artwork to determine what is needed to effectively convert from digital format to printed material.

· Ensure files are set-up in the proper format, size, image, and color to meet client’s needs.

· Proactively research and learn new graphics and prepress solutions, programs, techniques and technologies

· Train teams on new technologies, software programs and techniques designed to ensure continued learning and solutions are implemented.

· Proficiently utilize graphics programs

· Manage log of job tickets and routing of jobs

· Troubleshoot digital files for trapping, transparency, overprint and separation issues.

· Prepare proofs as needed, to present to client for approval.

· Identify and output print files to correct digital devices, including digital copiers, color laser printers, envelope ink jet printers and wide format inkjet printers.

· Prepare files for bulk mail production, including cleaning and processing mailing lists for variable data mailing jobs

· Actively run digital production equipment and oversee output to ensure results meet client and company expectations.

· Train team on digital production procedures, operations and mailing processes to ensure consistency and proficiency standards are met.

· Understand the inner workings of social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter, blogging, email blasts.

· Maintain a clean and well-organized department.

· Ensure compliance with Company safety rules and policies.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsible for the overall direction, leadership and supervision for department and personnel within. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees, planning, assisting and directing work, appraising performance, recognition and rewarding of employees, discipling, addressing complaints and resolving problems. Carries out leadership responsibilities in accordance with Company policies, procedures, safety and applicable law.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, the individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required.

· Must be proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, Indesign, Acrobat Pro and Enfocus Pitstop

· Cross-platform computer experience

· Digital Production expertise and proficient use of the latest graphics programs

· Leadership, management, supervision of design and/or prepress team(s)

· Experience with MIS Systems

· Working knowledge of digital devices

· Ability to develop and conduct training on new technology.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

Experience and high level of proficiency working on cross-computer, MIS, prepress, design programs and digital print production. Comprehensive understanding of color CMYK and RGB, file set-up, design techniques, and how the process of image to print. Prior experience in a similar role in a printing environment. Associate degree or equivalent from a 2-year college or technical school; or four-year related experience and/or training or equivalent combination of education and experience.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to read, analyze and interpret general information, job specific requirements, client’s needs, technical procedures, policies and learn new programs as needed. Ability to professionally communicate both verbally and in written correspondence. Ability to effectively present information, respond to team members, management, clients, sales team, and production team.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Solid knowledge of basic mathematical functions. Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations and print jobs.

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to define problems, collect information in an impartial manner, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret and extensive variety of computer instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job the employee is regularly required to sit, talk, hear. The employee is frequently required to stand, walk, use hands, wrists, fingers to handle, feel, reach with hands and arms. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision and the ability to adjust focus. Some independent travel may be required.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee may occasionally be exposed to fumes, chemicals and printing equipment with moving mechanical parts. The noise level in the work environment is generally quiet to moderate.

OTHER DUTIES

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $28.00 per hour

Expected hours: 40 per week

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Day shift
• Monday to Friday

Work Location: In person

Salary : $28