Prepress Department Manager

United Engravers is a trusted leader in manufacturing flexographic printing plates for the corrugated packaging industry. With decades of experience and a commitment to innovation, we serve top-tier clients across food, beverage, CPG, and industrial markets. We’re seeking a Prepress Department Manager who can lead our high-performing graphics team with confidence, clarity, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Position Summary

We are looking for an experienced and proactive Prepress Department Manager to oversee daily operations in our graphics and prepress department. This role requires a strong leader who thrives on team development, workflow optimization, and consistent, high-quality output. The ideal candidate will be hands-on, detail-oriented, and capable of balancing strategic planning with real-time decision-making in a fast-paced production environment.

Key Responsibilities

- Manage and coach a team of prepress artists, ensuring clarity of daily assignments and production priorities

- Conduct daily job reviews before assigning work to ensure accuracy, completeness, and alignment with deadlines

- Lead daily kick-off meetings to assign production work, communicate goals, and keep artists aligned on department objectives

- Collaborate with Sales and Customer Service to evaluate incoming artwork, relay clear instructions, and confirm deliverables

- Maintain real-time awareness of department workload and proactively manage hot or high-priority jobs

- Develop and maintain a structured training plan for new hires and cross-train existing staff to support departmental coverage

- Ensure quality standards are upheld across all jobs through effective oversight and quality control processes

- Support and schedule the flow of work to ensure the plating department has steady, uninterrupted work throughout the day

- Maintain and update shared resources, reference materials, and standard operating procedures

- Participate in hands-on production as needed for quick edits, revisions, and troubleshooting

What We’re Looking For

- Minimum 5 years of experience in prepress or flexographic print production, with at least 2 years in a leadership role

- Strong working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop) and Esko workflow tools

- Experience in both liquid and sheet photopolymer workflows is highly preferred

- Demonstrated ability to organize production schedules and job priorities in a collaborative environment

- Proven track record of training, developing, and mentoring team members

- Strong file management and organizational skills, including experience maintaining server structures and resource libraries

- Excellent communication and decision-making skills; comfortable managing people, processes, and daily production pressure

- Detail-oriented with a commitment to quality, accuracy, and continuous improvement

- Ability to identify bottlenecks and resolve issues proactively, without requiring constant escalation

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $80,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year

Benefits:

- 401(k)

- 401(k) matching

- Dental insurance

- Disability insurance

- Health insurance

- Life insurance

- Paid time off

- Vision insurance

Shift availability:

- Day Shift (Preferred)

Ability to Commute:

- Schaumburg, IL 60193 (Required)

Ability to Relocate:

- Schaumburg, IL 60193: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person