Graphics Production Senior Manager (NCA)

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Position Overview:

As the Senior Manager of Production Graphics  (Plates, Color and Quality) for North & Central America (NCA),  you are a leader on the NCA Graphics team, reporting to the Senior Director, Global Graphics.  You will contribute to the success of Ball by overseeing the production and performance of printing plates to guarantee precision and adherence to quality standards.  You will lead  the development and implementation of strategies that ensure high-quality graphic material production while optimizing processes and resources.   You will drive innovation in color management practices, ensuring consistent and accurate color output across all projects. 
 

In this role, you will be expected to foster collaboration between production teams, customers, and suppliers, to enhance operational efficiency, improve product quality, and maintain customer satisfaction, ultimately contributing to the profitability and reputation of the organization.

Your Key Areas of Responsibility Include: 

• Graphics Printing Plates Management:  Oversee the design, production, and maintenance of printing plates; ensure that plates meet technical specifications and quality standards.
• Color Management: Develop a  nd implement color management strategies to ensure consistent color accuracy across all production sites. Collaborate with design and production teams to optimize color workflows.
• Quality Control: Establish and maintain quality control processes to monitor graphics production standards and product integrity. Drive process improvements within the plants to enhance quality, and develop KPIs to measure performance; enabling better-informed decisions to further improve quality.
• Process Optimization:  Identify and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency and reduce waste. Utilize data analytics to track performance metrics and inform decision-making.
• Team Leadership and Development: Lead and mentor a team of graphics professionals, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration. Provide training on best practices in printing, color management, and quality assurance.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with R&D, marketing, and production teams to align objectives and ensure project success. Build strong relationships with suppliers and clients to enhance product offerings and service delivery.
• Budget and Resource Management: Manage budgets related to printing plates, color management, and quality control initiatives. optimize resource allocation to maximize productivity and profitability.
• Quality Compliance: Work with quality teams to define the ideal package and enhance downstream graphics processes, systems, and training. Offer technical support to production facilities to improve design implementation, process speed, and drive improvement actions.
• Customer Satisfaction: Address client inquiries and concerns related to color accuracy and product quality. Implement feedback mechanisms to improve service and product offerings based on customer input.

Required Skills and Experience: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, or other relevant discipline or equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of leadership (team lead, project lead, etc.) experience.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in printing or graphics industry, with a strong focus on printing plates, color management, a quality control processes.
  • Printing Technologies, understanding of offset, digital printing and their specific requirements to insure accurate color reproduction.
  • In depth knowledge of color theory, color spaces (RGB, CMYK) and color calibration techniques to insure accurate color reproduction.
  • Quality control standards. Familiarity with quality control practices, metrics, and industry standards.
• Demonstrated skills:
  • Concise, effective and efficient relationship and communication skills that ensure collaborative interactions with cross-functional teams and customers.
  • Strong project management skills with an understanding of project management principles, including experience in managing multiple projects, meeting deadlines, and staying on budget.
  • Software proficiency, familiarity with graphic and color management tools (such as: Esko, X-Rite, MS Office Suite, Adobe Suite,etc.).
  • Customer focused mindset: must have a strong commitment to customer satisfaction, addressing customer’s needs, and feedback related to product quality and performance.
  • Familiarity with process improvement methodologies

Preferred Skills and Experience: 

• 5 or more years of experience working graphics or quality in beverage can manufacturing, highly preferred. 
• Experience working with an ERP system.