Production Controller

Title: Production Controller at Hoxton Mini Press

Salary: £26–32k, dependent on experience

Start date: As soon as possible

Location: Hybrid working. Both from our canal-side studio by London Fields and WFH

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

We are looking for an experienced, enthusiastic, and exceptionally organised Production Controller who can manage the production of 20+ books from final layout through to final delivery. You will need to have at least two years’ experience in four-colour print production. Our focus is on quality, so you’ll need to have excellent attention to detail and a calm, positive and flexible work ethic – even when under pressure. You’ll have an excellent grasp of figures and be fluent in spreadsheets, both Google and Excel. We are a small company so the ability to work using your own initiative is a must, but equally you should have a desire to be part of a growing team and be happy to be involved in all aspects of the publishing process.

WHO ARE WE?

Hoxton Mini Press is a young independent publisher based in east London. Our goal is to make art books more affordable and accessible (while still making them beautiful enough that you’ll pass them down to your grandchildren). We have received critical acclaim from the likes of Martin Parr, Time magazine and the Guardian, and have won multiple awards for design, publishing, and production. We are a very small team who care. We care about each other, we care about the environment and we care deeply about every book we make.

KEY DUTIES IN DETAIL

Production

• Getting quotes from printers and understanding all aspects of the print process. 
• Arranging print schedules with printers and coordinating closely with the full team to ensure that all assets (editorial, photographic, layout) are well organised and supplied on schedule to meet print deadlines.
• Finding new printers to ensure we always have competitive prices.
• Finding new materials – papers, board, cloth, etc. and keeping up to date with the latest trends and print technologies. 
• Working with the designer and wider team to finalise specs on each book and looking for ways to make each book as attractive an object as possible.
• Creating profit and loss budgets from multiple quotes to ensure each book is financially viable.
• Creating print purchase orders. 
• Checking pre-press files, final print files, plotters, F&Gs and advance copies.
• Dealing with any queries from printers about files and schedules.
• Capable of using InDesign and Photoshop to check that all files are ready for press. 
• Managing the production of custom stationery for ecommerce (notecards, wrapping paper, stickers, etc.)
• Inspect all printing and reprinting to ensure quality control is met and address any quality issues promptly in a creative and collaborative way with the team and printers.
• Continuously look for ways to improve the process to save time and money while maintaining quality and then update the ‘process documents’ so any knowledge is written down.

Stock and inventory

• Overseeing transport of stock from printer including customs clearance and delivery into warehouse.
• Keeping an eye on stock levels, managing reprint analysis and production on all reprints.
• Overseeing book inventory in our warehouses.  

Admin

• Managing picture research requirements on projects involving image libraries, including budget and copyright clearance.
• Preparing monthly sales sheets.
• Managing the carbon offsetting of all publications.
• Creating agendas and running weekly production meetings with full team where we run through each title and any associated issues.
• Managing a database of all titles: their print costs, print runs, specs and stock unit values.

Office general

• Filing or discarding proofs, running sheets, dummies, etc.
• As we are a small team, we expect each member to help out with occasional day-to-day duties: keeping the office in order, ordering new stationery if needed, keeping their computer orderly and up to date.

WHAT SKILLS DO YOU NEED?

• Two years’ experience in book production or an equivalent project management role, ideally with a good understanding of aspects of the print production process, particularly in photographic/four-colour books.
• Great experience with spreadsheets and a good understanding of finances, budgets and simple profit and loss calculations.
• Some experience in image research.
• Experience working with printers both in Europe and the Far East.
• Confidence in managing multiple projects from start to finish.
• Good communication skills and the ability to work with a wide range of people.
• An excellent eye for detail.
• Strong negotiation and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent time management and the ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment.
• Advanced use of Mac is essential as is knowledge of Microsoft Office, in particular Excel.
• Experience with Photoshop and InDesign would be useful.
• Knowledge of project management software/Gantt charts would be helpful.
• You will be able to demonstrate a genuine interest in photobook publishing and photography in general, with a good eye for design.

APPLY HERE:

https://hoxton-mini-press.homerun.co/production-controller-2023/en