Prepress Supervisor / Lead Production

Ultimate Staffing is actively seeking an experienced Prepress Supervisor to join their client's team in Maryland. This position is crucial for overseeing daily operations within the digital prepress and flexographic plate making department. The role offers an opportunity to provide direct supervision, technical leadership, and hands-on guidance to the prepress team, ensuring smooth, accurate, and efficient operations.

Responsibilities:

Job Summary:

The Prepress Supervisor bridges the gap between departmental strategy and daily execution-driving workflow automation, maintaining high-quality standards, minimizing material waste, and supporting the team to consistently meet customer deadlines and company profitability goals.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Daily Operational Leadership: Supervise daily departmental operations, delegating, prioritizing, and scheduling work assignments to ensure high-quality output and on-time delivery to the pressroom.
• File Preparation & Proofing: Oversee prepress file preparation, trapping, step-and-repeat layouts, distortion, and digital proof generation to ensure compliance with customer specs and flexographic press profiles.
• Technical Escalation: Serve as the initial technical escalation point for daily production issues, file errors, and equipment troubleshooting.
• Prepress Scheduling: Coordinate the daily prepress and plate making schedule alongside the Prepress Coordinator, Production, Account Services, and Scheduling to accommodate production priorities.
• Workflow Automation: Actively manage and optimize automated digital prepress workflows within an Esko-based environment.
• Equipment Calibration & Upkeep: Ensure the safe and efficient operation, calibration, and routine maintenance of all prepress workstations, proofer units, digital plate imaging equipment, exposure units, and processors.
• Color Management: Maintain rigorous color management protocols to ensure consistent pressroom color matching.
• Vendor & Maintenance Coordination: Partner with the Maintenance Supervisor and vendor representatives to coordinate preventive maintenance and timely repairs for all prepress hardware and software systems.
• Inventory Management: Monitor and manage department inventory for consumables, participating in monthly reporting, and supply recycling programs.
• Supervisory Oversight: Carry out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with company policies and applicable laws, including interviewing, onboard training, performance evaluation, and daily coaching.
• Accountability & Standards: Establish clear metrics and individual accountability for work accuracy, production throughput, and safety standard compliance.
• Skills Training: Train direct reports on updated Esko software features, process instructions, standard operating procedures, flexographic plate making techniques, and quality control checkpoints.
• Employee Relations: Maintain positive employee relations, foster open communication, promote team engagement, and handle workplace conflicts or complaints in a fair and constructive manner.
• Interdepartmental Communication: Communicate daily with Account Service, Production Supervisors, Scheduling, Quality Assurance, and the Plant Manager on job statuses, priority shifts, and potential bottlenecks.
• Process Optimization: Recommend workflow enhancements, software upgrades, and process improvements to reduce cycle times and material waste.
• Departmental Reporting: Assist with operational data tracking, departmental reporting, and yearly budget planning as requested.

Qualifications:

Required Technical Skills & Experience:

• Experience: 3-5 years of hands-on digital prepress and flexographic plate making experience in a packaging or label printing environment, with at least 1-2 years in a lead worker, senior prepress, or supervisory role.
• Adobe / Esko Proficiency: Strong technical expertise in Adobe Creative Cloud and Esko software applications.
• Flexographic Expertise: Deep understanding of flexographic printing processes, substrate characteristics, ink behavior, trapping standards, distortion, line screens, and plate processing technologies.
• Equipment Maintenance: Demonstrated ability to calibrate, troubleshoot, and perform basic maintenance on digital plate imagers, UV exposure units, processors, and proofers.
• Color Management: Proficiency with spectrophotometers, densitometers, press fingerprinting, curve creation, and proof-to-press color matching.

Leadership & Core Competencies:

• Leadership: Proven capability to direct, motivate, and mentor a technical team in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Problem Solving: Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills to resolve complex artwork, software, or technical print plate issues independently.
• Organization: Exceptional time-management skills with the ability to manage competing priorities under tight deadline pressures.
• Communication: Clear written and verbal communication skills for liaising across production teams, account managers, vendors, and plant leadership.

Work Hours:

Monday - Friday

Benefits:

Competitive pay and benefits package.

Additional Details:

Salary: $28 - $35 per hour

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, or military or veteran status. We consider all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with state and local laws, including the California Fair Chance Act, City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.