Minimum of 4 years of print production experience in a commercial printing environment.
Lithographic (litho/offset) printing experience is REQUIRED. Candidates must possess direct, hands-on knowledge of lithographic printing processes and press operations.
Minimum of 3 years of supervisory or team leadership experience in a manufacturing or print production environment.
Strong working knowledge of print production workflows, including Prepress, Offset Press, Digital Print, and Large Format operations.
Proven ability to establish structured processes, maintain organized production schedules, and consistently enforce procedures.
Working knowledge of press makeready, registration, color control, print quality standards, troubleshooting, and production efficiency.
Experience monitoring production metrics, managing waste, reducing rework, and improving operational performance.
Strong communication, organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
Ability to manage competing priorities in a deadline-driven production environment.
Nice to have
Experience supervising multiple print production functions or departments.
Experience with production scheduling systems, estimating or job-tracking software, and manufacturing performance reporting.
Knowledge of continuous improvement methodologies, root-cause analysis, and standard work practices.
Experience with employee training, cross-training, performance management, and corrective action processes.
Full description
At Spartan Graphics, the Print Production Supervisor provides hands-on leadership and direct supervision of daily print production operations. This position is responsible for leading production employees, maintaining highly structured workflows, enforcing established procedures, and ensuring all jobs are completed safely, accurately, efficiently, and on schedule.
The Print Production Supervisor oversees Prepress, Offset Press, Digital Print, and Large Format operations, with a strong emphasis on lithographic (litho) printing expertise, production planning, quality assurance, employee accountability, and operational consistency.
The ideal candidate is an experienced print production leader who understands the technical demands of commercial printing, has direct experience with lithographic press operations, and can establish clear expectations, maintain disciplined production processes, and develop a high-performing team. This individual must be comfortable balancing hands-on technical knowledge with employee supervision, problem-solving, and daily operational decision-making.
Key Responsibilities
Production Leadership & Supervision
- Provide direct, hands-on supervision of all assigned print production employees, establishing clear expectations for performance, productivity, quality, attendance, and workplace conduct.
- Lead daily production meetings and communicate priorities, job requirements, deadlines, staffing needs, and operational changes to the team.
- Develop and maintain structured daily production schedules, ensuring jobs are properly prioritized, resources are allocated effectively, and deadlines are consistently met.
- Assign work based on employee qualifications, equipment capabilities, workload, and production priorities.
- Monitor production progress throughout each shift, proactively addressing bottlenecks, scheduling conflicts, staffing challenges, and delays.
- Hold employees accountable for following established procedures, meeting production standards, maintaining quality, and completing assigned work.
- Lead, coach, train, and develop employees to strengthen technical skills, improve performance, and support cross-training initiatives.
- Partner with Human Resources on employee relations, performance reviews, corrective action, attendance concerns, and employee development.
- Maintain consistent communication and coordination across Prepress, Offset Press, Digital Print, and Large Format operations.
Lithographic & Print Production Operations
Print Production Supervisor at Spartan Graphics (Sparta, Michigan, United States) — aijobsearch
- Apply extensive hands-on knowledge of lithographic (offset) printing processes to oversee production, troubleshoot technical issues, and ensure consistent print quality.
- Supervise and coordinate Offset Press operations, including job setup, makeready, registration, color control, production runs, and changeovers.
- Ensure production teams follow established job specifications, press instructions, color requirements, proofs, and customer expectations.
- Oversee Prepress activities to ensure files, proofs, plates, and job specifications are accurate and production-ready before jobs move to press.
- Coordinate Digital and Large Format printing operations to support production schedules, quality expectations, and customer delivery requirements.
- Evaluate production methods and workflows to identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce setup time, minimize waste, and increase throughput.
- Serve as a technical resource for troubleshooting print defects, equipment issues, color inconsistencies, registration problems, and other production challenges.
- Ensure jobs are completed according to established specifications and that quality issues are identified, documented, and corrected promptly.
Structured Processes, Scheduling & Accountability
- Establish and maintain standardized workflows, documented procedures, production checklists, and clear operating expectations across all print production areas.
- Ensure employees consistently follow standard operating procedures, job travelers, work instructions, and quality requirements.
- Monitor daily production performance against established goals for output, efficiency, waste, rework, on-time completion, and labor utilization.
- Maintain accurate production records, job documentation, downtime reporting, and performance metrics.
- Review production results and identify root causes of recurring delays, quality issues, waste, and operational inefficiencies.
- Implement corrective actions and follow up to ensure improvements are sustained.
- Maintain an organized, disciplined production environment in which priorities are clear, responsibilities are defined, and employees understand expectations.
Quality, Equipment & Safety
- Establish, communicate, and enforce quality standards throughout the production process.
- Verify that production employees perform appropriate quality checks and follow established inspection and approval procedures.
- Ensure equipment is operated correctly and preventive maintenance schedules are followed.
- Coordinate with maintenance personnel to address equipment breakdowns, recurring mechanical issues, and production interruptions.
- Promote a culture of safety by enforcing company policies, proper equipment operation, housekeeping standards, and required safety procedures.
- Investigate production and quality concerns, document findings, and implement appropriate corrective and preventive actions.
- Ensure work areas remain clean, organized, and compliant with company safety expectations.
Communication & Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with leadership, Customer Service, Sales, and Prepress to communicate production capabilities, scheduling requirements, job status, and potential delivery concerns.
- Communicate proactively when production issues could affect quality, costs, customer commitments, or delivery schedules.
- Support inventory accuracy, material planning, production reporting, and documentation requirements.
- Maintain strong internal and external customer service standards by ensuring production commitments are managed professionally and reliably.
- Perform other related duties as assigned to support operational objectives.
Required Qualifications
-
Minimum of 4 years of print production experience in a commercial printing environment.
- Lithographic (litho/offset) printing experience is REQUIRED. Candidates must possess direct, hands-on knowledge of lithographic printing processes and press operations.
- Minimum of 3 years of supervisory or team leadership experience in a manufacturing or print production environment.