Creative Production Manager — Print & Direct Mail

Skill; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Subsidized health, vision, and dental

Paid sick leave

Retirement plans with match

Free online training through AquentGym

Job summary

Aquent Talent is seeking a skilled project management professional in Austin, Texas to lead print production for marketing campaigns and brand initiatives. You will coordinate creative teams, external vendors, and internal stakeholders to deliver high-quality results on schedule.

Ideal candidates have 2–5 years of experience in print production, strong collaboration skills, and a solid grasp of production timelines, vendor negotiations, and direct mail practices.

Qualifications

• 2–5 years of experience managing print production in an agency or internal design team.
• Proven ability to collaborate with creative staff and studio production teams.
• Familiarity with creative workflow systems.
• Strong understanding of file construction and PDF preview tools.
• Experience creating production specifications and cost estimates.
• Knowledge of direct mail best practices and postal regulations.
• Experience managing projects with third-party partners and procurement.

Responsibilities

• Manage projects using procurement and project management systems with thorough documentation.
• Collaborate with creative directors, designers, and external vendors from concept to delivery.
• Develop promotional strategies for product launches and campaigns.
• Monitor industry trends to inform promotional strategies.
• Coordinate with vendors on design delivery, negotiate costs, ensure quality.
• Manage budgets and offer strategic options for design deliverables.
• Oversee specifications and align schedules to meet milestones.
• Track production timelines with internal/external partners and print vendors.
• Own production quality assurance including file construction, color, fonts, and paper stock.
• Evaluate vendor capabilities and conduct competitive bids.
• Develop template design programming for on-demand content.
• Act as expert on direct mail constraints and XML data transfer.
• Implement cost-saving measures across production processes.

Skills

Project management

Print production

Vendor management

Budgeting

Direct mail knowledge

PDF preview tools

Design software

Procurement systems

Tools

PDF preview tools

Design software

Workflow systems

Procurement systems

XML file handling

Job description

Aquent Talent is seeking a skilled project management professional in Austin, Texas to lead print production for marketing campaigns and brand initiatives. You will coordinate creative teams, external vendors, and internal stakeholders to deliver high-quality results on schedule.

Ideal candidates have 2–5 years of experience in print production, strong collaboration skills, and a solid grasp of production timelines, vendor negotiations, and direct mail practices.