Bindery Coordinator

Thornwillow Press, Ltd.; City of Newburgh (NY); On-site; USD 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Thornwillow Press in Newburgh, NY, a renowned fine press, seeks a Bindery Coordinator to join our on-site team. You will coordinate all bindery activities—from folding and sewing to leather bindings and box making—while cultivating mastery of traditional handcrafts and maintaining production workflow.

This full-time position starts with a training period of 3–6 months at $160/day, with potential increases based on performance and responsibility.

Qualifications

• Enthusiasm for hands-on craft and books.
• Ability to work with hands, organizational skills, patience.
• Willingness to learn and dedication.

Responsibilities

• Become familiar with press techniques and steadily improve mastery.
• Deliver high-quality work efficiently and on schedule.
• Update project reports and production schedules.
• Maintain component inventories.
• Coordinate outsourced projects and care for tools.
• Improve quality and productivity by refining workflow.
• Train and supervise newer team members.

Skills

Hand craftsmanship

Organization

Project planning

Attention to detail

Manual dexterity

Teamwork

Learning mindset

Job description

Thornwillow is a printer and publisher of handmade, limited edition books. We do all of the design, typesetting, letterpress printing, and binding at the press in a complex of 19th-century buildings in Newburgh, NY. We believe that in this age of disposable communications and virtual relationships, beautifully made objects that are designed to last matter. Thornwillow is one of the leading fine press publishers in the world. Our books are in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian, the Metropolitan Museum, and the White House. Our collectors and customers are based all over the world. We are an artisanal enterprise committed to teaching and perpetuating the related arts and crafts of the written word.

Bindery Coordinator Responsibilities and Desired Skills

We are looking for a full-time person to work in and help coordinate our bindery. In the bindery, we do every aspect of fine bookbinding in-house, from folding and sewing to making paper, cloth, and gold-tooled leather bindings. We also make the clamshell boxes, marble, and decorative paste paper in-house. We are looking for someone with enthusiasm, the ability to work with their hands, organizational skills, patience, determination, and a love of books.

Bindery Coordinator responsibilities include:

• Becoming familiar with the techniques employed at the press and working every day to learn and improve one’s mastery of the craft.
• Delivering top-quality work efficiently and on schedule
• Updating project reports and schedules
• Maintaining component inventories
• Preparing and coordinating outsourced projects
• Responsibility for care and maintenance of tools and equipment
• Responsibility for maintaining production workflow and procedures
• Responsibility for managing project planning, scheduling, and organization
• Responsibility for finding ways to improve quality and productivity through modifying workflow, deploying dormant equipment. and expanding the skillbase of the team.
• Responsibility for training and managing the work of new and less skilled members of the team

The following skills are within the scope of work:

• Organization, project planning
• Managing people, workflow, and projects
• Team spirit.
• Solid organization and time-management skills
• folding & collating
• Sewing
• cloth bindings
• half leather bindings
• full leather bindings
• edge gilding
• stamping and tooling
• leather paring
• marble and paste paper making
• box making
• Care and attention to detail.
• Excellent manual dexterity and hand skills

Hours and Compensation Job Type: Full-time Schedule: Monday to Friday 8:30 to 5:30 Work Location: Newburgh, NY 12550: Candidates must be able to reliably commute or relocate before starting work. Compensation & Structure This position begins with a training period (typically 3-6 months) at $160/day, with increases based on performance, ability, and level of responsibility. Positions typically begin at 3-4 days per week, with the potential to grow over time. For candidates with prior experience, compensation may be adjusted accordingly. This is an on-site role at our Press in Newburgh, New York.

For more information, please contact: [e-mail]