Digital Printing Operations Manager - $110,000 Annually

Company Overview

Labels On Demand is a dynamic and innovative company specializing in digital label printing solutions, serving a diverse range of industries with high-quality, customized labels. Our commitment to cutting-edge technology and operational excellence drives our success in delivering efficient, scalable printing services.

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Operations Manager to oversee our digital label printing operations. The ideal candidate will have in-depth knowledge of HP Indigo printers and label converting processes, ensuring seamless production workflows, quality control, and team performance. This role is pivotal in optimizing efficiency, reducing downtime, and driving continuous improvement in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. Reporting to senior leadership, you will manage daily operations while fostering a culture of safety and innovation, with a strong focus on key performance indicators (KPIs) to maximize revenue, minimize waste, and enhance customer satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and supervise a team of production staff, including training, scheduling, and performance evaluations to ensure high productivity and morale, while promoting labor productivity through cross-training in press, finishing, and prepress operations to build a flexible workforce and measure output per labor hour.

• Oversee the operation and maintenance of HP Indigo digital printers, including troubleshooting, calibration, and optimization for various label substrates and finishes, with an emphasis on throughput and press utilization by maximizing productive press time, reducing idle time, micro-stoppages, and slowdowns, tracking Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), and intelligently balancing short runs versus long runs to treat the press as the core revenue engine.

• Manage label converting processes, such as die-cutting, slitting, laminating, and finishing, to meet production deadlines and quality standards, focusing on finishing efficiency by optimizing die-cutting/slitting scheduling, reducing queue pile-ups, and streamlining roll changes to prevent finishing from becoming a hidden constraint.

• Develop and implement operational strategies to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance throughput in the printing and converting departments, including aggressive waste reduction for substrates and inks by calibrating color early, improving RIP/imposition efficiency, and monitoring start-up waste and reprints to protect margins.

• Monitor inventory levels of materials, inks, and supplies, coordinating with procurement to maintain optimal stock without overages, and manage inventory and material effectively by tracking substrate usage patterns, minimizing obsolete inventory, and aligning with vendor lead times to ensure cash flow and prevent downtime.

• Ensure compliance with industry regulations, safety protocols, and quality assurance standards (e.g., ISO, FDA where applicable), while prioritizing color consistency and accuracy through maintaining ICC profiles, standardizing substrates, and routine press calibration to avoid reprints from color drift, which impact profits and customer satisfaction.

• Analyze production data and metrics to identify bottlenecks, implement process improvements, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs), including make-ready and changeover time reduction by standardizing procedures, using job presets/stored profiles, and staging materials in advance to leverage digital printing’s strength in short runs.

• Collaborate with sales, design, and engineering teams to support custom label projects from concept to delivery, enhancing workflow automation by eliminating manual touchpoints through web-to-print integration, automated preflight, and smart job routing to address bottlenecks outside the press.

• Drive cost-saving initiatives through equipment upgrades, workflow automation, and vendor negotiations, while controlling job turnaround time by shortening the total production cycle with better scheduling logic, parallelizing prepress/print/finishing, and prioritizing by profitability to gain customer loyalty and pricing power.

• Handle emergency responses to production issues, minimizing disruptions and ensuring on-time delivery to clients, supported by preventive maintenance and downtime control through scheduled maintenance, spare parts strategies, and root cause analysis on failures to avoid catastrophic unplanned downtime.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management (Not Required), Industrial Engineering, Printing Technology, or a related field; equivalent experience encouraged to apply.

• Minimum of 5-7 years of experience in digital printing operations, with proven expertise in HP Indigo printers and label converting equipment.

• Strong technical knowledge of digital printing workflows, color management, substrate handling, and converting techniques.

• Demonstrated leadership skills with experience managing teams in a manufacturing or production setting.

• Proficiency in production management software (e.g., ERP systems, workflow automation tools) and Microsoft Office Suite.

• Excellent problem-solving abilities, with a focus on root cause analysis and lean manufacturing principles.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate across departments and with external partners.

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, including occasional overtime or shift work as needed.

• Certification in printing technologies (e.g., HP Indigo Operator Certification) is a plus.

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive annual salary of $90,000 - $120,000.

• Comprehensive benefits package including fully covered health, vision, dental, and life insurance.

• Additional perks: Paid time off, professional development opportunities, and performance-based bonuses.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $90,000.00 - $120,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person