Lead Bindery & Finishing Operations Manager

Description

The Bindery Manager is responsible for leading the day-to-day operation of the Berkeley bindery and finishing department. This role ensures finished products are produced safely, efficiently, on time, and to customer and company quality standards. The manager directs people, schedules, equipment, materials, maintenance, and process improvement across the department and serves as the technical and operational resource for guillotine cutting, folding, folder-gluing, die cutting, clamshell die cutting, packing, and related finishing processes.

Leadership & Team Support Responsibilities

• Provides clear daily direction to supervisors, leads, and operators; establishes accountability and maintains open communication throughout the department.
• Recruits, interviews, onboards, coaches, and develops department employees in partnership with HR and plant leadership.
• Plans staffing and overtime based on production requirements and approved labor plans; supports cross-training and succession planning to strengthen department flexibility.
• Provides timely feedback, recognizes strong performance, addresses attendance or performance concerns, conducts evaluations, and administers corrective action consistently with company policy.
• Ensures operators are trained and qualified on assigned equipment, job procedures, quality expectations, machine guarding, lockout/tagout, and safe material handling.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead all bindery and finishing operations across scheduled shifts, including guillotine cutting, folding, folder-gluing, die cutting, clamshell die cutting, and related hand-finishing activities.
• Prioritize, schedule, and assign work to meet customer specifications, production schedules, quality requirements, and delivery commitments.
• Review job tickets, production plans, samples, layouts, tooling requirements, and special instructions before production begins and ensure expectations are clearly communicated.
• Maximize equipment and labor utilization by balancing workloads, reducing setup time, sequencing work effectively, and matching assignments to employee skills and machine capabilities.
• Monitor productivity, efficiency, utilization, spoilage, rework, non-chargeable time, labor, materials, and supplies; identify root causes and implement corrective action.
• Coordinate with Scheduling, Prepress, Press, Customer Service, Quality, Maintenance, Shipping, and other production teams to maintain workflow and resolve constraints.
• Ensure equipment is maintained in safe and reliable operating condition; coordinate preventive maintenance, repairs, housekeeping, and downtime with Maintenance and Operations.
• Drive continuous improvement in safety, setup reduction, throughput, waste reduction, standard work, quality, workplace organization, and cost performance.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Required Skills and Abilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. In keeping with Mittera’s philosophy that each individual should be encouraged to reach his or her full potential, and in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), reasonable accommodations or modifications will be made for qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Hours may vary depending on departmental staffing needs.

• Five or more years of progressively responsible bindery/finishing experience preferred, including direct experience with cutting, folding, folder-gluing, and die-cutting processes.
• Three or more years of supervisory or management experience in printing, packaging, converting, or a related manufacturing environment preferred.
• Practical knowledge of guillotine cutting, folding, folder-gluing, die cutting, and clamshell die cutting, including setup evaluation, defect troubleshooting, and run-performance improvement.
• Demonstrated leadership, organization, communication, delegation, and conflict-resolution skills in a manufacturing environment.
• Ability to read and interpret job tickets, samples, diagrams, schedules, safety rules, equipment instructions, maintenance information, and customer specifications.
• Ability to use measurements and basic math, including fractions, decimals, percentages, dimensions, and production calculations.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, make sound decisions under pressure, solve practical…