Prepress & Production Art Manager

JOB TITLE:  Prepress & Production Art Manager 

DEPARTMENT:  Design 

REPORTS TO: Design & Ecommerce Director  

FLSA STATUS:  Exempt 

Bay Cities, an Employee-Owned Company, is the leading creative packaging and display partner to brand marketers, retailers, and e-commerce. Our passion, experience, technology, and consumer insights move product and drive sales. 

Our Mission 

Our Passion Powers Your Product 

Our Values 

Creativity: Our ideas create Client success. 

Passion: We have heart with a Customer Service attitude. 

Integrity: We honor our business & planet with sustainable practices. 

Responsible: We own it! 

Safe: Our safe work habits protect us all. 

Fun: We take our work seriously- not ourselves 

SUMMARY 

The Prepress & Production Art Manager leads a highly technical production art team responsible for preparing, adjusting, and optimizing client-supplied artwork for print manufacturing. This is not a creative design role, however there are occasionally opportunities to be creative. The position focuses on ensuring client-provided artwork is production-ready, prints at the highest possible quality, and is routed for the most appropriate printing method and press. 

This role is a working manager position. In addition to managing and developing the team, the manager actively pitches in during peak workloads to help lay out, adjust, and finalize production artwork to meet deadlines and maintain quality standards. The role requires expert-level proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite—especially Adobe Illustrator—and deep technical knowledge of digital, flexographic and lithographic printing methods. 

The manager partners closely with Project Management, Sales, Production, Prepress Operator, Customer Service, and IT. They are responsible for working with Digital and the Prepress Operator maintain prepress standards, optimize workflows, improve automation, and clearly communicate with clients why production adjustments are required to achieve optimal print results. A key responsibility is building a fun, efficient, and high-performing team culture grounded in technical excellence and collaboration. 

JOB FUNCTION / PURPOSE 

• Lead and manage the Prepress / Production Art team, ensuring client-provided artwork is technically accurate, print-ready, and optimized for the highest quality output. 
• Act as a hands-on, working manager, directly supporting production by laying out and adjusting artwork during high-volume periods or when complex issues arise. 
• Review and approve production artwork in collaboration with Project Managers, Sales, Manufacturing, and Customer Service, confirming alignment with print specifications, press capabilities, and client expectations. 
• Evaluate artwork to determine the most appropriate printing method and press—with particular expertise in digital printing—ensuring optimal color accuracy, resolution, and substrate performance. 
• Oversee color matching, proofing, and print quality standards, maintaining consistency across digital, flexo, and litho platforms. 
• Establish, document, and maintain internal and external prepress specifications, workflows, and best practices in partnership with Production and Manufacturing teams. 
• Partner with the IT and Workflow Automation teams to evaluate existing processes, define requirements, and identify opportunities for automation to improve efficiency, accuracy, and scalability. 
• Serve as a technical liaison to clients, confidently explaining production decisions, artwork adjustments, and print limitations to help clients achieve the best possible outcomes. 
• Set goals, manage workloads, and track performance metrics to ensure quality, efficiency, and on-time delivery. 
• Hire, train, coach, and develop team members, fostering accountability, technical mastery, and continuous improvement. 
• Build strong relationships with external vendors (plates, litho labels, digital print partners), supporting vendor qualification and print quality standards. 
• Develop and maintain documentation related to printing technologies, press capabilities, and production art requirements. 
• Foster a positive, engaging, and productive team culture that values collaboration, ownership, and technical excellence. 
• Adapt to changing production demands and support cross-functional initiatives as business needs evolve. 
• Perform other related duties as assigned. 

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE & COMPETENCIES 

• Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Packaging Science, Package Engineering, Industrial Design, or a related technical field; advanced degree a plus. 
• 5–7 years of experience in prepress, production art, or print manufacturing, ideally within corrugated, packaging, or POP environments. 
• 3–5 years of experience managing and developing technical teams. 
• Expert-level proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, with deep hands-on experience in Adobe Illustrator for production artwork and prepress workflows. 
• Demonstrated expertise in digital print production, including file setup, color management, resolution requirements, and press optimization. 
• Strong working knowledge of flexographic and lithographic printing processes. 
• Hands-on experience with print plates, dies, machinery, and corrugated conversion processes. 
• Advanced problem-solving skills with the ability to assess production constraints and guide artwork adjustments for optimal print outcomes. 
• Comfortable working directly with clients to explain technical production decisions and manage expectations. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, capable of translating technical print concepts to internal teams and clients. 
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to thrive in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. 
• Willingness to work extended hours as required. 
• Valid Driver’s License with acceptable driving record. 

Core Competencies 

• High ethical standards. Models and supports organization’s goals and values; adapts to changing conditions; demonstrates persistence and overcomes obstacles. Consistently conduct themselves in an honest and trustworthy manner. Does not pursue their own individual objectives to the detriment of company goals. Sets an example for others to follow. Does the right thing. 
• Demonstrates energy and passion about what they do and knows how to balance work and fun. Is optimistic and upbeat; fun to be around. Has a strong belief and zeal for the industry, the job, and the company. Conveys energy and intensity at work with a capacity for keeping others enthusiastic and involved. 
• Operates with a customer service orientation internally and externally. Works to positively build the Bay Cities brand in everything he/she does. Builds strong, positive relationships with all stakeholders. 
• Acts as an owner of the business and instills that same attitude and level of action in others. Is proactive in taking responsibility for all outcomes/results and avoids ‘pointing fingers. Helps to create and maintain a strong feeling of belonging in the immediate and overall team. 
• Regularly involves others in decisions that affect their job or work environment. Demonstrates co-operation and trust with colleagues and teams across organizational boundaries. Participates as a team player and establishes strong working relationships to deliver positive results. 
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to prioritize, balance, and manage multiple efforts with strong results/goal orientation.  Uses time effectively, prioritizes and organizes workflow; can orchestrate multiple activities at once. Agility and personal adaptability with the ability to successfully manage multiple priorities with a high sense of urgency in a rapidly changing environment. 
• Displays original thinking and creativity; Meets challenges with resourcefulness; Generates suggestions for improving work. Learns quickly when facing new problems; a relentless and versatile learner; open to change; strives for continuous improvement of self and processes. 
• Excellent communication (oral and written) and interpersonal skills with the ability to convey information and ideas in a variety of media, tactful, confident, at all levels, internal and external. Must have strong interpersonal skills and ability to manage multiple projects in a rapidly changing environment.   

OTHER 

• US Persons Only (US citizens, lawful permanent residents, refugee or asylee – all require proper identification and documentation). 
• Minimal local travel required. 
• Physical and Environmental Requirements: While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand and sit. The employee is occasionally required to walk and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 35 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and color vision. 
• The work environment includes front-office and manufacturing.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. 
• Pre-Employment Verifications: Must pass background and reference checks, drug screen, and physical examination prior to employment.