Design Operations Lead- Print & Packaging

Ad Talent; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Ad Talent is seeking a hands-on Design Operations Lead to guide a remote team of four designers, ensuring artwork is print-ready and production workflows stay on track. This role focuses on leading and coaching, solving pre-press challenges, and maintaining high quality under tight deadlines.

Ideal candidates will have 4+ years in print production or production design, strong CMYK knowledge, and proficiency with Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop.

Qualifications

• At least four years of experience in print production, pre-press, packaging artwork or production design.
• Advanced Adobe Illustrator skills; InDesign and Photoshop experience is a plus.
• Excellent knowledge of CMYK, spot colours, vector graphics, print specs and production requirements.
• Experience coordinating designers, managing production workflows or leading a team.
• Ability to work accurately in a high-volume, deadline-driven environment.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
• Interest in workflow optimization, automation and AI tools.
• Hands-on leadership style with ability to coach and motivate others.
• Ability to work independently and with a European team; CET-aligned working hours.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop a remote team of four designers; manage workloads and deadlines.
• Review, correct and approve customer artwork for print production.
• Troubleshoot pre-press and artwork issues; ensure files meet printing requirements.
• Maintain high quality while delivering fast turnarounds; identify bottlenecks and implement improvements.
• Develop templates, systems and processes to improve consistency and productivity.
• Collaborate with internal teams to streamline workflows from artwork to production.
• Provide hands-on artwork support during peak periods and resolve production challenges.
• Drive continuous improvement to achieve 99.9% of requests within a two-hour SLA.

Skills

Team leadership

Workflow management

Automation interest

Problem-solving

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

InDesign

Photoshop

Job description

Who are we:
We are a fast-growing European scale-up transforming the custom packaging industry through innovative and sustainable solutions. We work in a fast-paced environment where quality, efficiency and customer experience are everything.

Who are we looking for:
We’re looking for a hands-on Design Operations Lead with a strong print and pre-press background to lead a remote team of four designers.
This role is ideal for someone who understands the technical side of print production, knows how to get artwork right the first time, and thrives on managing workflows, solving problems and meeting tight deadlines.
You’ll need to be comfortable rolling up your sleeves, checking artwork, resolving production issues and keeping a team performing at pace.
This is not a traditional graphic design role. Experience in print production, pre-press and production artwork is essential.

What will you do:

Lead, coach and develop a remote team of four designers. Manage workloads, prioritise requests and ensure deadlines and service-level agreements are consistently met. Review, correct and approve customer artwork to ensure it is accurate and ready for print production. Troubleshoot pre-press and artwork issues, ensuring files meet professional printing requirements. Maintain high-quality standards while driving fast turnaround times. Identify workflow bottlenecks and implement improvements, automation and AI-supported solutions. Develop efficient templates, systems and processes to improve consistency and productivity. Collaborate with internal teams to streamline workflows from customer artwork through to production. Provide hands-on artwork support during busy periods and resolve technical production challenges. Drive continuous improvement, with a target of delivering 99.9% of customer design requests within a two-hour service level.

What will you need:

At least four years’ relevant experience in print production, pre-press, packaging artwork or production design. Strong hands-on experience preparing, checking and correcting production-ready artwork for professional print. Advanced Adobe Illustrator skills, with InDesign and Photoshop experience advantageous. Excellent knowledge of CMYK, spot colours, vector graphics, print specifications and production requirements. Previous experience in the print or packaging industry is essential. Experience coordinating designers, managing production workflows or leading a team. The ability to work accurately and efficiently in a high-volume, deadline-driven environment. Strong organisational, planning and problem-solving skills, with exceptional attention to detail. An interest in workflow optimisation, automation and AI tools. A proactive, hands-on leadership style with the ability to coach and motivate others. The ability to work independently and collaborate with a European team, with working hours aligned to CET.

What’s on offer:

Full-time, fully remote position. 37-hour working week, Monday to Friday. Competitive salary based on experience. Six weeks of paid annual leave. Paid sick leave and generous paid parental leave. Overtime compensation, although overtime is generally not expected.

The opportunity to work with an international team in a growing, innovative business.
If you come from the print industry, know your way around pre-press and production artwork, and are ready to lead a team in a fast-moving international environment, we’d love to hear from you.

REQUIREMENTS

Adobe Illustrator Marketing automation Team leadership Workflow management Printing