Printing Manager

Printing Manager

The Printing Manager serves as the key leader of Freshtech's printing operations, encompassing strategic planning, coordination, and supervision. The operations include pre-press submittals through finished print of flexible films. This role demands strong leadership capabilities to manage and motivate a team of production staff, while also liaising with cross functional departments, suppliers, and other stakeholders to ensure seamless workflow and execution.

The position plays a critical role in maintaining print quality, production efficiency, and cost control throughout the printing workflow.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Lead and direct press team to ensure successful execution of departmental objectives.
• Recruit, train, coach, and develop employees to ensure a highly skilled and engaged workforce.
• Establish performance expectations and hold team members accountable to safety, quality, productivity, and attendance standards.
• Conduct performance evaluations and provide ongoing coaching and development.
• Address employee relations issues in partnership with Human Resources.
• Lead departmental safety initiatives and ensure compliance with company safety policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Own departmental quality performance, including customer complaints, internal defects, waste reduction, and corrective action effectiveness.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, delivery, cost, and employee engagement.

Essential Duties

• Develop, implement, and maintain workflows and standard operating procedures designed with a focus on safety, quality, and efficiency. When possible, coordinate these workflows with all other Volm facilities using similar workflows for corporate consistency.
• Minimize waste by establishing and ensuring quality standards and improvement processes are being communicated, followed, measured, and evaluated.
• Serve as the primary liaison between graphic design, customer service, production, and external prepress and plate-making partners to communicate specifications, request quotes, and resolve technical issues. Receive and review incoming design files to ensure they meet requirements for proper trapping, separations, accuracy, and contain proper print requirements. Make and communicate required file changes as appropriate.
• Maintain accurate documentation, specifications, and approved artwork files in accordance with change management and quality control procedures.
• Track department metrics on a regular basis and provide regular reports to Leadership Team.
• Prepare and manage departmental budgets.
• Evaluate and recommend equipment upgrades or modifications to improve production capabilities.
• Monitor and communicate press characterization updates to ensure external prepress partners have accurate and current printing capability information.
• Manage relationships with pre-press, platemaking, ink, and equipment suppliers to ensure quality, service, and cost competitiveness.
• Establish and maintain print standards, color management systems, press characterization data, and process controls to ensure consistent print quality across all products and equipment.
• Accountable for achieving departmental key performance indicators (KPIs) related to safety, quality, delivery, cost, productivity, and employee development.

Required Skills and Abilities

• Strong attention to detail with the ability to identify and resolve technical file issues.
• Solid understanding of flexographic printing and prepress workflows.
• Effective communication skills with the ability to collaborate across departments and with external partners.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Problem-solving skills with a focus on quality, efficiency, and cost control.
• Ability to follow established procedures while identifying opportunities for process improvement.

Education and Experience

• Knowledge of prepress, flexographic printing processes, and print production principles normally acquired by the completion of a bachelor's degree in graphic communication, Printing Technology, Packaging, or a related field and/or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in flexographic printing, prepress, or print production.
• Proven experience in pre-press or print production within a flexographic or packaging environment.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign)and prepress software such as Esko or ArtPro preferred.
• Strong knowledge of color management, file formats, and printing processes.
• Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) certification preferred or ability to obtain within six months, including FIRST Press Operator Level III.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand, walk, and move around for extended periods of time.
• Capability to lift and carry objects of various weights up to 50 pounds occasionally.
• Proficiency in using hands, fingers, and arms for tasks such as typing and writing.
• Sufficient visual acuity to read documents and recognize details at close and distant ranges.
• Ability to hear and understand verbal communication.
• Flexibility to bend, stoop, and reach low or high objects.
• Ability to perform physically demanding tasks, such as lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying heavy objects.
• Adaptability to work in varying environmental conditions, such as temperature extremes, noise, dust, or fumes, depending on the nature of the job.
• Willingness to adhere to safety protocols and wear protective gear, including helmets, goggles, gloves, and safety shoes, as required by the job.

Company Culture & Values

• A Commitment to Our Purpose (COMMITTED PEOPLE) – Our mission is to serve and build up our customers, suppliers, communities, and each other, guided by the principles of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The commitment to serving and building up is easily seen in those employees that exemplify this value.
• Without Our Customers We Are Nothing (CUSTOMER FIRST) – We realize that we are blessed to serve our customers and without them, our company does not exist.  They rely on us for their success and that is a responsibility we cannot take lightly.  Our focus must be on serving them with as seamless communication and access to products as possible.
• Kind, Humble and Positive (HUMBLE) – These positive traits do not mean being a doormat to others.  But when a person is kind, humble and positive it comes through in their genuine caring for those around them.
• A Desire For "Expert" (EXPERTS) – Our people want to be seen as the experts in their specific roles. From how we convert a bag efficiently and with highest quality, to knowledge of the product portfolio, to desiring to know more about tax or human resource policy – the desire for "expert" drives us in each of our roles.
• Intentional Growth – Developing of Self and Others (PERSONAL GROWTH)– Times, tools, and customer expectations change.  Our team members are interested in developing themselves and those around them.   We know that a stronger team is one that makes our customers and our fellow employees happier.
• Strong Work Ethic (HARD WORKERS) – The commitment to serve those around us is honorable and we respond to this by putting our strongest effort into that purpose.
• High Expectations of Self and Others (HIGH EXPECTATIONS) – We expect ourselves, and those around us, to put in our best effort.  When others struggle, we help them align towards perfection.  When we struggle, we are open and humble to hear it and course-correct accordingly.
• If It Isn't Safe, We Don't Do It (SAFETY) – All people deserve to return home to their loved ones safely and work in an environment where they can best execute their tasks safely.  When choosing between safety and profit, safety and efficiency, safety and feelings, safety, and "x" – we choose safety.

Travel Requirements

This position requires occasional overnight travel and occasional travel within the workday.

Driver Qualification

The ability to drive a company owned/leased vehicle or personal vehicle on behalf of the company is preferred. Inclusion in the company's driver qualification program is required to drive a company owned/leased vehicle or personal vehicle.

Becoming a qualified driver includes:

• Agree to the company driving policies that apply to company owned/leased vehicle or personal vehicle as applicable.
• Possess and maintain a valid driver's license and be a minimum of 21 years of age.
• Maintain an acceptable driving record, as evidenced by completion of a baseline motor vehicle record check and ongoing monitoring.
• When driving a personal vehicle on behalf of the company, must provide a copy of the declaration page from personal auto insurance that shows the policy dates and minimum coverage amounts ($300,000 bodily injury per accident/$100,000 property damage per accident or if driving less than 5 hours/200 miles a year