Press Room Supervisor

Job Title: Press Room Supervisor

Location: Roanoke, VA

Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent (Onsite)

Reports To: Corporate Director of Print Management

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced, hands-on Press Room Supervisor to lead our printing press operations in Roanoke, VA. In this dual-capacity role, you will balance direct press operation with daily crew supervision—driving production efficiency, upholding strict print quality standards, and maintaining a culture of safety and accountability.

The ideal candidate pairs strong technical expertise as a lead pressman with the leadership skills needed to coach operators, eliminate downtime, and keep client deliverables on schedule.

Key Responsibilities

• Crew Leadership & Floor Operations: Serve as a working supervisor, leading daily shift meetings, assigning operational tasks, and actively operating presses alongside the team to maintain production flow.
• Production & Delivery Execution: Schedule and prioritize print runs to hit strict client deadlines while minimizing waste, ink/paper consumption, and unit production costs.
• Quality Assurance & Process Control: Enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs), monitor color accuracy against customer proofs, and inspect finished output to ensure zero-defect delivery.
• Workforce Development: Onboard, train, and mentor new and existing press operators on machinery operation, safety protocols, and quality standards; step in to cover key workstations during staffing shortages or leaves.
• Safety & Facility Standards: Uphold OSHA compliance, internal safety regulations, and 5S/housekeeping practices; maintain a safe, clean pressroom environment at all times.
• Material Handling & Equipment: Safely operate a forklift to stage raw stock, move finished product, and manage pressroom inventory flow.
• Documentation & Reporting: Maintain accurate shift logs, production metrics, equipment maintenance records, and material usage logs.

Candidate Profile & Qualifications

Experience & Credentials

• 5–7 years of hands-on printing press experience (First Pressman level) combined with demonstrated supervisory or lead experience.
• Active Forklift Certification (or the ability to recertify immediately upon hire) is required.
• High School Diploma or GED required; vocational/technical trade school background in commercial printing or graphic communication preferred.

Technical & Operational Strengths

• Strong working knowledge of commercial press mechanics, prepress workflows, and color theory (densitometry, dot gain, registration, and color matching).
• Practical math skills: comfortable calculating run speeds, ink coverage, paper cutting margins, waste ratios, and proportions on the fly.
• Ability to interpret complex job tickets, visual proofs, schematics, and technical diagrams.

Leadership & Interpersonal Skills

• Clear communicator who can translate technical print challenges into straightforward solutions for operators and cross-functional teams.
• Resilient problem solver capable of juggling multiple deadlines in a fast-paced, high-volume production environment.
• Dependable track record of attendance, team-first leadership, and professional composure on the floor.