Print Production Manager [AQ-19532]

Aquent; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Subsidized health, vision, and dental

Retirement plan with match

Free online training (Aquent Gymnasium

Paid sick leave

Job summary

Aquent Talent connects the best talent in marketing, creative, and design with the world’s biggest brands. This role focuses on managing end-to-end print production, coordinating cross-channel workflows, and ensuring QA across formats for a leading financial services organization.

Join a team that champions cost-efficient production, strong vendor partnerships, and rigorous adherence to brand and regulatory requirements, including Direct Mail best practices.

Qualifications

• 2-5+ years of dedicated experience managing print production with an agency or internal design team.
• Proven experience collaborating with creative staff and studio production teams.
• Familiarity with Workfront or Basecamp for workflow management.
• Ability to understand complex file construction and preview in Adobe PDF.
• Fluency with Adobe Creative Suite and creating/revising native files and PowerPoint decks.
• Experience coordinating with third parties and drafting Production Specifications.
• Knowledge of purchasing, unit costs and change requests.
• Familiarity with procurement systems and Direct Mail best practices.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Brand, Marketing, Creative, Digital, and Media teams to plan and execute integrated production across channels.
• Develop and maintain integrated production plans with scopes, estimates, schedules, milestones and dependencies.
• Oversee cross-channel delivery and asset handoffs, ensuring timely launches and trafficking.
• Establish QA standards across formats, ensuring compliance with brand and legal requirements.
• Manage external production partners, SOWs, bids, rights, and deliverable acceptance.
• Guide projects from concept through fruition with Creative Directors and vendors.
• Lead promotional strategies for product launches and campaigns.
• Monitor industry best practices to inspire innovative promotions.
• Negotiate with vendors on costs and ensure material quality before delivery.
• Manage budgets and provide clear options for design deliverables.
• Develop production timelines and coordinate with external print vendors.
• Own production QA covering file construction, color, typography, and mailing.
• Assess vendor capabilities and conduct competitive bid analyses.
• Collaborate on template design for on-demand, personalized content.
• Serve as expert in Direct Mail practices and data-driven content via XML.

Skills

Print production

Adobe Creative Suite

Workfront/Basecamp

File construction

Vendor management

Budgeting

Tools

Workfront

Basecamp

Adobe Acrobat

Peoplesoft

Ariba

Job description

Aquent is proud to partner with a leading financial services organization, a company dedicated to empowering individuals and institutions through innovative solutions and a steadfast commitment to client success. This organization is a pioneer in its field, constantly evolving to meet the dynamic needs of its diverse client base. Joining this team means contributing to a mission that impacts millions, driving forward initiatives that shape the future of financial well-being.

What You’ll Do

• Partner closely with Brand, Marketing, Creative, Digital, and Media teams to plan and execute integrated production across all channels, ensuring strict adherence to brand standards.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive integrated production plans, including scopes, estimates, schedules, milestones, and dependencies, proactively identifying and resolving risks to keep projects on track.
• Oversee cross-channel delivery and manage all asset handoffs, including specifications, naming conventions, versioning, and final file packages, to ensure timely launches and seamless trafficking to platforms and partners.
• Establish and enforce rigorous integrated Quality Assurance (QA) standards across various formats, covering aspects like color, typography, accessibility, functional testing, proofs, and preflight, ensuring all deliverables meet brand, legal, compliance, and channel requirements.
• Manage relationships with external production partners, such as studios, retouchers, developers, printers, and fulfillment vendors, handling Statements of Work (SOWs), bids, rights/usage, and deliverable acceptance, all while driving cost efficiency without compromising quality.
• Collaborate with Creative Directors, Designers, and outside vendors to guide projects from initial conception through to successful fruition.
• Develop and lead promotional strategies for product launches, seasonal campaigns, and brand initiatives across diverse channels.
• Monitor competitive trends and industry best practices to inform and inspire innovative promotional strategies.
• Work with external vendors to engineer projects, advising design and production teams on file construction and delivery specifics, negotiating costs, and ensuring material quality before final delivery.
• Manage substantial budgets, providing internal partners with clear budgetary options related to design deliverables.
• Manage project specifications for various deliverables, aligning internal and external schedules to meet all delivery milestones.
• Develop and track all production timelines for internal partners, coordinating various deliverables with external print vendors, and implementing cost-saving measures.
• Act as the ultimate owner of production QA, meticulously managing elements such as file construction, image quality, resolution, color, fonts, paper stock, design construction, mailing, and fulfillment.
• Maintain a deep understanding of current vendors and their capabilities, effectively assessing vendor pools to conduct competitive bid analyses.
• Collaborate with vendors to develop template design programming for on-demand, personalized content generation.
• Serve as the expert in Direct Mail practices and constraints, understanding the intricate connection between data files and variable content rendered via XML transfer.

What You’ll Bring

Must-Have Qualifications:

• 2-5+ years of dedicated experience managing print production, gained either with an agency or an internal design team.
• Proven experience working effectively with creative staff and studio production teams.
• Familiarity with creative workflow systems such as Workfront or Basecamp.
• Ability to understand complex file construction and proficiently utilize Adobe PDF preview.
• Fluency in Adobe Creative Suite, with the ability to create or revise native files, including the creation and revision of PowerPoint decks.
• Experience working on projects involving third parties, whether from the client or vendor side.
• Expertise in writing comprehensive Production Specifications that accurately translate file information into precise production instructions.
• Solid knowledge of purchasing specifics, including figuring unit costs and calculating change requests.
• Working knowledge of procurement systems such as Peoplesoft or Ariba, or other purchasing instruments.
• Strong understanding of Direct Mail best practices and Postal Regulations.
• Ability to accurately estimate production times based upon specifications and quantities needed.
• Exceptional attention to detail and the ability to perform effectively under pressure.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Knowledge of various paper types, stocks, weights, and coatings, along with the ability to anticipate visual outcomes based on ink configurations.

About Aquent Talent

Aquent Talent connects the best talent in marketing, creative, and design with the world’s biggest brands.

Our eligible talent get access to amazing benefits like subsidized health, vision, and dental plans, paid sick leave, and retirement plans with a match. We also offer free online training through Aquent Gymnasium. More information on our awesome benefits!

Aquent is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. We’re about creating an inclusive environment-one where different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, and everyone can contribute, grow their careers, and thrive.