Operations/Production Manager

Itch Recruitment; Perth; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Itch Recruitment is partnering with a well‑established printing and manufacturing business in Perth to identify a technical leader who can own production flow and coordinate with sales. You’ll drive pre‑flight discipline, quality control, and a calm, capable leadership presence for a diverse, blue‑collar team.

The role requires hands-on coordination, strong admin discipline, and the ability to work with an AI‑integrated ERP system—owning schedules, training, and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Leads a production team in a complex manufacturing/print environment.
• Must implement a clear task allocation and schedule.
• Drives quality control as a mindset, not a checkbox.

Responsibilities

• Owns the production schedule and department priorities.
• Pre-flights jobs to ensure smooth floor ready status.
• Manages steps, timing and job profitability.
• Ensures QA at least a day before dispatch.
• Coaches and develops the team, fostering accountability.

Skills

Production leadership

Strategic planning

Quality control mindset

ERP systems

Team coaching

Tools

ERP system

Quality control software

Job description

This isn't your average print job. Not even close.

In this business, there is a choreography of flatbed printing, screen presses, lasers, routers, resin doming, embossing and more… all running simultaneously, all needing someone who can hold the whole picture in their head without blinking.

It’s part print. Part manufacturing. Entirely unique.

And right now, our client needs a technical leader the team can look to. Someone who doesn't wait to be asked, who walks in on Monday and already knows what's next.

That someone is you.

What you’re walking into

A well-established business that’s never just been a printer. One that takes great pride in doing things most can’t, won’t, or don’t know how to.

You’ll be leading a team in production, coordinating with sales, and owning the flow of jobs through a smart, AI-integrated ERP system.

It’s busy. It’s varied. You need to nail the coordination, the pre‑flight discipline, and the sheer give-a-s*@! factor this business runs on.

The team you’ll lead? Eclectic, caring, skilled, and invested. No egos. No alpha posturing. Just good people who care about their work and their craft… and who need a leader worthy of their trust.

The stuff that gets you excited

• You live and breathe production flow; you see the bottleneck before it happens
• You're the kind of leader who gives people a clear task and then lets them run, no micromanaging, no hand‑holding that doesn't need to be done
• You know that quality control isn’t a checkbox… It’s a mindset
• You can hold a calm, firm line with a blue‑collar crew while still being the person they want to grab a coffee with
• ISO 9001? You know the deal. Admin doesn’t scare you, especially when it’s there to protect quality
• You love helping people grow. Training, accountability, developing a team that improves because you were here

The role in real life

• Owning the production schedule – clear task allocation, print lists and department priorities
• Pre‑flighting jobs before they hit the floor (this is non‑negotiable and game‑changing)
• Managing steps, timing and job profitability
• Quality checks, NCPs and ensuring jobs are QCd at least a day before dispatch
• Stock management and raw material oversight
• Coaching and developing your team – this is one of the biggest parts of the role
• Problem solving on the fly, without drama, consistently and with documentation

You’ll have tools that make the job better – a solid ERP system, AI integration that’s actively being built out for smarter scheduling, and a Managing Director who loves questions, backs his team, and actually wants you to win.

What makes this rare

The business is healthy, respected and growing; decades of repeat work don’t happen by accident.

The culture is deliberately inclusive, human and family‑oriented. Flexible when someone needs it. Focused when the work demands it. This business walks its talk on being a genuinely open workplace.

You’re probably someone who…

• Has led a production team in a complex manufacturing or print environment…
• Knows the difference between managing tasks and leading and inspiring people
• Doesn’t wait for direction, you create clarity for others
• Stays calm when it’s chaos (and it will be chaos sometimes – that’s the job)
• Has strong admin discipline and quality‑control instincts baked in
• Brings experience, not potential – this business needs someone ready to go, not someone to grow into it