Newspaper Mailroom / Packaging Department Manager

Major Areas of Accountability

• Lead the daily operations of the mailroom, packaging, inserting, mailing and commercial finishing departments.
• Ensure that safety, productivity, quality, housekeeping and on-time production goals are consistently achieved.
• Manage, train, coach and develop employees working on the evening shift.
• Establish clear expectations and hold team members accountable for performance, attendance, quality and workplace conduct.
• Cookordination labor, equipment and materials based on daily and weekly production schedules.
• Operate production equipment and provide hands-on support when needed.
• Promote a positive workplace culture based on teamwork, respect, accountability and pride in our facility.
• Identify production problems, workflow bottlenecks and equipment concerns before they affect customer deadlines.
• Lead improvement efforts focused on safety, quality, efficiency, waste reduction and equipment reliability.

Key Responsibilities

• Review daily production schedules, job tickets and customer specifications.
• Assign employees to equipment and production responsibilities based on workload, experience and deadlines.
• Cookordinate newspaper inserting, commercial finishing, addressing, stitching, trimming, sorting and packaging activities.
• Ensure all publications and commercial jobs are produced according to customer specifications.
• Verify insert quantities, bundle counts, mailing information, skid tags and production documentation.
• Maintain accurate production, waste, timekeeping, training, maintenance and quality records.
• Train new employees on equipment operation, job procedures, quality expectations and safe work practices.
• Provide ongoing coaching and cross-training to strengthen the capabilities and flexibility of the department.
• Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical and workflow issues and coordinate repairs when additional support is required.
• Maintain an organized, clean and customer-tour-ready production department.
• Monitor inventory levels for supplies such as inkjet ink, strapping, wrapping materials, labels, stitching wire and other production materials.
• Investigate quality concerns, missed deadlines, shortages and production errors and implement corrective actions.
• Communicate production results, staffing concerns, equipment needs and improvement opportunities to plant leadership.
• Support company policies, safety requirements and operating procedures.
• Perform other duties as assigned based on the needs of the operation.

Qualifications

• Three or more years of leadership, supervisory or lead-operator experience in newspaper production, commercial printing, direct mail, manufacturing, packaging or a related environment preferred.
• Demonstrated experience managing employees in a deadline-driven production environment.
• Strong mechanical aptitude and the ability to troubleshoot production equipment.
• Ability and willingness to operate equipment and work alongside the production team.
• Strong leadership, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to set clear expectations and consistently follow up on results.
• Strong organizational, scheduling and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple jobs, changing priorities and firm production deadlines.
• Attention to detail and a commitment to producing accurate, high-quality work.
• Basic computer skills, including experience with Microsoft Excel, Word, email and production-related software.
• Ability to communicate effectively with employees, managers, customers, vendors and technical support providers.
• Ability to work collaboratively and respectfully with employees throughout the organization.
• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Additional technical, printing, manufacturing or leadership education is preferred.

Physical And Work Requirements

• Ability to work the regular schedule of 4:00 PM to 12:00 midnight.
• Ability to work additional hours, weekends or holidays when necessary to meet production requirements.
• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods.
• Ability to bend, reach, climb and work around moving production equipment.
• Ability to lift and move materials commonly used in newspaper and commercial print production.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced manufacturing environment with production noise, moving equipment and changing temperatures.
• Ability to safely perform equipment setup, adjustments, cleaning and basic maintenance.