Production Manager Jobs

Desert Cactus, a leading DTC brand focused on Amazon, makes non-apparel products for some of the biggest brands including the NBA, NHL, 700+ colleges & universities, Hasbro, as well as others like bands Ozzy Osbourne and Motley Crue. 2022 was a record year for the company with over 775,000 orders, moving into a new 14,000 square foot facility in Rolling Meadows across from the new Chicago Bears stadium, as well as the new launch of products and brands. Desert Cactus is seen as the leader in the licensed product space on Amazon for non-apparel products with company management being quoted in industry publications as well as local, regional and national news publications.

The Production Manager position focuses on in-house product manufacturing and execution. This position oversees a full-time staff of two other individuals but will grow tremendously over the next 36 months. Products being produced at our Rolling Meadows facility include vinyl printed stickers, paper based products such as invitations and posters, and a variety of other products digitally printed such as golf balls and embroidered baseball hats.

Desert Cactus is looking for someone who is a problem solver that can identify key areas of efficiency or new machinery that can help take our company to the next level.

Responsibilities

• Oversee all daily operations of the Production Department
• Maintain supplier relations
• Investigate and review new machinery needs
• Coordinate with other departments on production timing or other projects
• Consult with design team on project materials or file construction
• Maintenance of all machines, as needed
• Work with design team on proofing projects
• Conduct inventory counts on a regular basis
• Adhere to production order deadlines for DTC and B2B divisions of the company
• Operate or delegate production machinery and finishing
• Diagnose and solve any issues within production (not limited to machines)
• Develop processes and procedures with all new products or techniques
• Produce and package daily retail orders

Requirements

• Good time management and attention to detail skills
• Experience managing multiple people
• Familiarity with different RIP systems (Onyx, Fiery, VersaWorks preferred)
• Knowledge of garment printing and embroidery preferred
• Familiarity with Adobe Illustrator
• Familiarity with Roland, Epson, Summa, and Konica Minolta preferred
• Good knowledge of the digital printing industry
• Knowledge of UV printers preferred
• Familiarity with CNC cutters (Summa, Duplo)
• Good cross-departmental communication skills
• Ability and willingness to attend trade shows and seminars locally to identify new machinery and techniques
• 3+ years experience in a production environment or experience with machinery listed below
• Knowledge of various substrates and finishing materials

We offer a variety of benefits including medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, paid time off, company-paid life insurance, as well as 401k/profit sharing and defined benefit plan, and performance bonus.

Desert Cactus provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applications for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.