Artwork and Prepress Production Manager

At Niagara, we’re looking for Team Members who want to be part of achieving our mission to provide our customers the highest quality most affordable bottled water.

Consider applying here, if you want to:   

• Work in an entrepreneurial and dynamic environment with a chance to make an impact.   
• Develop lasting relationships with great people.   
• Have the opportunity to build a satisfying career.

We offer competitive compensation and benefits packages for our Team Members.

Artwork and Prepress Production Manager

The Artwork and Prepress Production Manager provides day to day leadership for Niagara’s Artwork Production Design and Prepress Production Design functions, setting direction for team performance, print readiness, supplier execution, and cross-functional artwork workflow effectiveness. The Manager serves as a strategic partner to PLM, Sales, Marketing, Legal, Procurement, Operations, Quality, customers, and suppliers to anticipate business needs, resolve systemic issues, and advance artwork and prepress capabilities in support of organizational priorities.

Essential Functions

• Builds and leads a high-performing organization with strong bench strength, clear accountability, succession planning, and leadership capability across artwork production and prepress functions.
• Owns the end-to-end artwork and prepress operating model, including governance, workflow standards, escalation paths, quality expectations, and continuous improvement priorities.
• Partners cross-functionally with PLM, Sales, Marketing, Legal, Procurement, Operations, Quality, customers, printers, and third-party suppliers to shape artwork strategies, resolve complex business issues, and improve execution outcomes.
• Establishes short- and long-term production objectives, capacity plans, KPI targets, and service-level expectations that support business growth, customer commitments, and packaging launch timelines.
• Develops and maintains performance metrics for quality, turnaround time, workload distribution, supplier performance, print readiness, rework, and process efficiency; uses insights to drive measurable improvement.
• Leads strategic supplier and print quality management, including vendor expectations, ColorCert governance, printer specification standards, proofing alignment, and consistent brand/color execution across suppliers.
• Serves as a senior subject matter expert for print production, prepress, packaging artwork, mechanical file requirements, and supplier readiness; advises internal and external stakeholders on risks, tradeoffs, and best practices.
• Leads complex customer and supplier engagements related to artwork requirements, pre-production planning, print feasibility, cost considerations, and issue resolution to protect customer relationships and business results.
• Drives standardization of artwork processes, mechanical file requirements, preflight expectations, proofing practices, supplier uploads, and print-ready release criteria to improve consistency and reduce rework.
• Identifies systemic artwork, prepress, supplier, and process risks; leads root-cause analysis and corrective action plans that improve quality, turnaround, scalability, and customer satisfaction.
• Guides prioritization of internal artwork requests, special projects, marketing support, mockups, trials, and customer-facing materials to ensure resources are focused on the highest-value business needs.
• Develops team capability through coaching, training, performance management, technical development, and customer-management guidance that strengthens execution, collaboration, and leadership readiness.
• Creates communication forums, training content, and stakeholder alignment processes that improve understanding of artwork workflows, print production requirements, supplier expectations, and customer decision points.
• Maintains awareness of industry trends, print technologies, packaging requirements, and functional best practices; translates relevant learnings into process, quality, and capability improvements.
• Represents the function in strategic meetings, supplier reviews, customer discussions, press checks, and cross-functional planning sessions as needed to support business continuity and successful project execution.
• Manages administrative responsibilities for the function, including time and attendance oversight, invoice and purchase order review, and related operational controls as needed.
• This position requires approximately 25% travel.
• Please note this job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without prior notice.

Qualifications

• Minimum Qualifications:
  • 6 Years  – Experience in Field or similar manufacturing environment
  • 6 Years  – Experience in leadership role
  • 6 Years  – Experience project management
  • 6 Years  – Experience with prepress file preparation experience and related software such as Esko, ColorCert or similar
  • 6 Years  – Experience with Adobe Creative Suite
  • 6 Years  – Experience with Oracle Agile PLM Software or other large manufacturing product lifecycle management system
  • 6 Years  – Experience with Microsoft Office Applications including Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint

*experience may include a combination of work experience and education

• Preferred Qualifications:
  • 10+ Years– Experience in Field or similar manufacturing environment
  • 10+ Years – Experience working in similar position           
  • 10+ Years – Experience managing people/projects
  • 10+ Years  – Experience with prepress file preparation experience and related software such as Esko, ColorCert or similar
  • 10+ Years  – Experience with Adobe Creative Suite
  • 10+ Years  – Experience with Oracle Agile PLM Software or other large manufacturing product lifecycle management system
  • 10+ Years  – Experience with Microsoft Office Applications including Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint

*experience may include a combination of work experience and education

Competencies

This position embodies the values of Niagara’s LIFE competency model, focusing on the following key drivers of success:

• Lead Like an Owner
  • Makes safety the number one priority
  • Keeps alert for safety issues and escalates immediately
  • Effectively prioritizes tasks based on department goals
  • Shows respect to others and confronts interpersonal issues directly
  • Prioritizes resolution of customer issues effectively
  • Responds promptly and honors commitments to internal and external customers
• InnovACT
  • Makes recommendations to continuously improve policies, methods, procedures, and/or products
  • Demonstrates adaptability by reacting appropriately to unexpected changes in situations or circumstances
  • Increases performance through greater efficiency
• Find a Way
  • Seeks to develop technical knowledge through learning from other experts
  • Understands interdepartmental impact of individual decisions and actions
  • Seeks solutions rather than placing blame
• Empowered to be Great
  • Consistently looks for ways to improve one’s self through growth and development opportunities
  • Communicates clearly and promptly up, down, and across
  • Communicates effectively to manage expectations

Additionally, the ideal candidate is expected to demonstrate the following competencies:

• Leadership – inspires and motivates others to perform well; displays passion and optimism; can take charge when necessary to ensure decisions are made; able to build morale and group commitments to goals and objectives; ability to balance team and individual responsibilities.
• Fosters Teamwork – listens and responds to others’ proposals; enlists active participation of all team members; recognizes and encourages behaviors that contribute to teamwork; balances team and individual responsibilities; contributes to building a positive team spirit; able to build morale and group commitments to goals and objectives. 
• Manage Performance – ensures team members have clear goals and responsibilities; provides specific performance feedback, both positive and corrective; supports team in achieving goals.
• Creativity – uses original ideas or imagination to create pleasing and meaningful graphic designs for use in packaging; can identify and foster others’ creativity for use in design and business.
• Insightful – skilled at identifying opportunities for increasing business efficiency; stays abreast of business, industry and market advances and trends.
• Oral Communication – speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; demonstrates presentation skills. 
• Written/Oral Communication – writes and speaks clearly and informatively; presents information and data effectively; able to read and interpret written information from a variety of levels and technical proficiencies. 
• Planning/Organizing – strong sense of urgency for solving problems efficiently and getting projects completed; organizes or schedules other people and their tasks.
• Detail Oriented – minimizes mistakes, follows every step in a process and follows through with all tasks; double checks work for accuracy.
• Time & Project Management - comfortable working within tight and changing deadlines; able to work independently and set priorities.
• Change Management - communicates changes effectively; builds commitment and overcomes resistance. 

Education

• Minimum Required: 
  • Bachelor's Degree in Organization Management, Graphic Design, Illustration, Publishing, Marketing, or Advertising and other related fields or equivalent experience

• Preferred: 
  • Master's Degree in Business, Marketing, Design or related field

Typical Compensation Range

Pay Rate Type: Salary

$136,778.46 - $198,328.77 / Yearly

Bonus Target: 10% Annual

Benefits

Our Total Rewards package is thoughtfully designed to support both you and your family:

Regular full-time team members are offered a comprehensive benefits package, while part-time, intern, and seasonal team members are offered a limited benefits package.

• Paid Time Off for holidays, sick time, and vacation time
• Paid parental and caregiver leaves
• Medical, including virtual care options
• Dental
• Vision
• 401(k) with company match
• Health Savings Account with company match
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Expanded mental wellbeing benefits including free counseling sessions for all team members and household family members
• Family Building Benefits including enhanced fertility benefits for IVF and fertility preservation plus adoption, surrogacy, and Doula reimbursements
• Income protection including Life and AD&D, short and long-term disability, critical illness and an accident plan
• Special discount programs including pet plans, pre-paid legal services, identity theft, car rental, airport parking, etc. 
• Tuition reimbursement, college savings plan and scholarship opportunities
• And more!

https://careers.niagarawater.com/us/en/benefits

* *Los Angeles County applicants only** Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the California Fair Chance Act, and any other applicable local and state laws.

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Employment agencies that have fee agreements with Niagara Bottling, LLC and have been engaged on a search shall submit résumé to the designated Niagara Bottling, LLC recruiter or, upon authorization, submit résumé into this career site to be eligible for placement fees.