Offset Sheetfed Press Operator, Team Lead

Lead Litho Press Operator

The Lead Litho Press Operator provides hands-on leadership for daily operations and maintenance in the Litho Press department. This role sets the pace for safety, quality, and throughputcoordinating crew assignments, ensuring efficient make-ready and color control, resolving press issues, and supporting continuous improvement. The Lead partners closely with Scheduling, Prepress, Bindery, and Quality to meet customer specifications, delivery commitments, and plant performance targets.

Responsibilities:

• Run the start-of-shift huddle: safety alerts, job priorities, quality focus points, and resource assignments.
• Coordinate crew assignments across Heidelberg presses based on job complexity, skills, and priorities.
• Serve as the first responder for technical issues (registration, color, web/sheet handling, marking, scumming, streaking, roller settings).
• Oversee shift handoff communications and ensure complete documentation in job travelers/press logs.
• Ensure efficient make-ready practices: plate mounting, blanket/cylinder checks, ink/water balance, wash-ups, changeovers.
• Validate imposition, plates, substrates, and ink sets before release to production; escalate discrepancies to Prepress/Planning.
• Achieve/maintain color standards (densities, ?E, gray balance, G7 targets where applicable) and document results.
• Maintain documentation and traceability (lot/batch tracking for inks/substrates, line clearance, label control) as required by customers and, where applicable, GMP/ISO standards.
• Conduct and enforce operator PMs (roller care, blankets, filters, lubrication, wash systems) and escalate issues for maintenance.
• Verify tooling and consumables readiness (plates, blankets, fountain solution, pressroom chemistry, wash rags, spray powder).
• Support root cause analysis for downtime, quality defects, or repeat issues; drive corrective actions.
• Ability to operate offset presses as needed.
• Enforce safety procedures (LOTO, nip guards, chemical handling, ergonomics) and report near-misses/incidents.
• Promote a culture of ownership, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience in offset lithography with Heidelberg sheetfed (e.g., Speedmaster) or equivalent presses.
• Demonstrated proficiency in make-ready, color management, and troubleshooting on multi-color presses (aqueous/UV coatings a plus).
• Strong understanding of substrates, ink/water balance, coatings, and pressroom chemistry.
• Ability to read job tickets, color standards, proofs, and prepress documentation (plates/impositions).
• Proven leadership in a working lead or senior operator capacitycoaching, prioritizing, and communicating.
• Basic PC skills; comfort with press consoles, data entry, and quality recording systems.
• Frequent standing, walking, reaching, and lifting up to 50 lbs; manual handling of paper, plates, blankets.
• Work in a production environment with inks, coatings, solvents, noise; required use of PPE.
• Ability to work assigned shift schedule, overtime, and weekends as needed.