Operations Director

With the planned retirement of the current Site Manager at the end of 2027, a company specialising in photoengraving, graphic execution, printing and production of high-end communication materials is looking for its future Site Manager.

This role is a key position within the organisation.

In a human-scale environment, characterised by proximity, responsiveness and a strong culture of service, the Site Manager ensures the overall management of the activity, the supervision of a team of around ten employees and the quality of relations with a particularly demanding clientele.

They must combine excellent technical mastery of the graphic production chain, genuine managerial capability and strong decision-making autonomy.

More than a production manager, they act as a true operational director of the site, guarantor of its smooth running, the quality of services, the fluidity of operations and client satisfaction.

A significant handover period with the current Site Manager is planned to organise the gradual transfer of know-how, client specifics, internal practices and responsibilities.

Main responsibilities

Operational management of the site

The Site Manager assumes day-to-day responsibility for the smooth running of the facility.

In this capacity, their main responsibilities will be to:

• Ensure the opening and start-up of the site from the beginning of activity;

• Supervise daily workload, priorities and the allocation of resources;

• Check and arbitrate the planning of production, installations, deliveries and couriers;

• Anticipate emergencies and adapt the organisation to client constraints;

• Coordinate the various trades and contributors to guarantee the fluidity of the production chain;

• Supervise the general facilities management of the site and ensure its perfect functioning;

• Organise preventive and corrective maintenance of equipment;

• Ensure the availability of consumables, materials and resources necessary for production;

• Identify malfunctions and rapidly implement appropriate corrective actions;

• Be the operational escalation point when technical complexity or client stakes require arbitration.

The role requires the ability to make decisions autonomously, prioritise tasks and maintain a high level of service quality, including in situations of strong time pressure.

Technical expertise and production supervision

The legitimacy of the Site Manager rests in particular on their technical mastery of the trade.

Ideally coming from photoengraving, prepress, printing or high-end graphic production, they have in-depth knowledge of the production chain.

They are notably capable of:

• Technically checking and validating files before production;

• Identifying and resolving colour and colour reproduction issues;

• Mastering the main constraints of photoengraving, prepress and printing;

• Supervising ink, proofing and output compliance issues;

• Understanding the constraints related to POS materials, printed media and installations;

• Providing technical expertise to teams on complex projects;

• Assessing the feasibility of a client request and securing its delivery;

• Discussing high-level technical issues with clients, agencies, advertisers and partners.

They are not meant to replace operators on a daily basis, but must have sufficient expertise to understand, challenge, arbitrate and secure technical choices.

Management and team leadership

The Site Manager is directly responsible for managing a team of around ten employees, with varied profiles and levels of experience.

Their role is to create the conditions enabling each person to work with efficiency, autonomy and rigour.

Their management approach rests on hands-on leadership, combining clarity of expectations, empowerment, availability and exemplary conduct.

In this capacity, they:

• Give meaning to priorities and translate client stakes into clear operational objectives;

• Organise and distribute workload according to skills and production requirements;

• Introduce simple management routines that help information flow smoothly;

• Support employees in developing their skills and autonomy;

• Identify potential and contribute to each person's professional development;

• Ensure a consistent level of rigour regarding quality, deadlines and service;

• Encourage empowerment rather than a way of working based on constant control;

• Address issues firmly when necessary, with fairness, consistency and discernment;

• Anticipate and manage any tensions in order to preserve team cohesion;

• Contribute to recruitment and the integration of new employees;

• Promote the transfer of technical know-how within the team.

The candidate profile must demonstrate genuine managerial maturity: the ability to build buy-in, decide, arbitrate and take ownership of decisions while maintaining a relationship of trust with their employees.

In a human-scale organisation, their leadership must be at once natural, accessible and structuring.

Client relations and representation of the company

The Site Manager occupies a central role in client relationships.

The company operates in a world where quality of execution is inseparable from quality of service. It works in particular with premium clients and leading houses, for whom the level of demand, confidentiality, responsiveness and quality of relations are particularly high.

The Site Manager must therefore be capable of:

• Personally handling strategic contacts;

• Quickly understanding their stakes, including when these are not exclusively technical;

• Turning a client request into an appropriate operational response;

• Handling sensitive, urgent or complex situations with diplomacy;

• Inspiring confidence through mastery of subjects and quality of communication;

• Guaranteeing a level of service consistent with the company's high-end positioning;

• Embodying the company for its clients and partners.

A genuine relational adaptability is essential: the holder must be able to move naturally from the workshop to a meeting with a brand management team, an agency, a publishing house, a supplier or a technical contact.

This ability to adapt their register without ever losing authenticity or credibility is an essential dimension of the role.

Development and professional network

In-depth knowledge of the professional ecosystem in which the company operates is a significant advantage.

The ideal candidate has built up, over their career, a network of referrers, clients, agencies, houses, suppliers and partners in the fields of communication, publishing, luxury, graphic production or events.

They have a temperament that enables them to detect opportunities and contribute to the development of the activity through the quality of their professional relationships.

The ability to bring in or directly develop a portfolio of business will be an important differentiating factor and may give rise to a specific remuneration package.

This commercial dimension must not, however, come at the expense of the fundamental core of the role: professional expertise, operational excellence, management and retention of existing clients.

Technical skills sought

The candidate must have a solid grounding in the trades of the graphic production chain and in particular master:

Photoengraving and prepress

File preparation and checking, colorimetry, colour, profile management, printing constraints, ink control and proofing.

Graphic production

Good understanding of production flows and of the software and equipment used in a professional graphic production environment.

Digital printing

Knowledge of printing equipment and the ability to supervise its operation, maintenance and quality control of production.

POS and fabrication

Good understanding of the issues of manufacturing, assembly, finishing, packaging and installation of communication materials.

Project management

Ability to manage several projects simultaneously, anticipate technical constraints, manage priorities and secure deadlines.

Candidate profile

We are looking for an experienced professional, coming from a similar or comparable professional environment, who has acquired strong technical credibility and significant experience in managing activity.

The candidate must in particular combine the following qualities:

• Recognised expertise in the graphic production chain, photoengraving and/or prepress;

• Proven experience in managing operational teams;

• Strong capacity for organisation, planning and anticipation;

• Autonomy and genuine decision-making capacity;

• Hands-on leadership and ability to unite different profiles;

• Keen sense of quality and service;

• Excellent presentation and very good communication skills;

• Situational and relational intelligence;

• Diplomacy combined with the ability to set a clear framework;

• Composure and discernment in the face of emergencies;

• Strong client orientation;

• Results-driven mindset and sense of responsibility;

• Ability to work with equal ease in artisanal, technical and premium environments.

The role will particularly suit a personality who appreciates human-scale entrepreneurial structures, in which the scope of responsibility is broad and genuine autonomy comes with high personal standards.

Essential experience

Significant experience in photoengraving, prepress, printing, graphic production or related technical activities is essential.

The candidate must have held roles that enabled them to simultaneously develop:

• Strong professional expertise;

• Operational management capability;

• Managerial experience;

• Direct exposure to demanding clients.

Experience with clients from luxury, watchmaking, publishing, communication or premium brands will be a major asset.

An established professional network in these ecosystems will also be particularly appreciated.

Stakes of taking up the role

Taking up the role is part of a prepared succession, not an immediate replacement.

A handover period with the current Site Manager will allow the future holder to gradually acquire:

• The technical specifics of the company;

• The habits and requirements specific to each client;

• The organisation of production;

• The know-how and expertise of the team;

• The network of suppliers and partners;

• The internal ways of working;

• The operational responsibilities of the site.

The objective is to secure the handover while allowing the future Site Manager to progressively build their own legitimacy with the teams and clients.

Ultimately, they must be able to exercise full responsibility for the day-to-day running of the site.

Remuneration

The envisaged fixed salary starts from €50,000 gross per year, to be adjusted according to experience, technical expertise level, managerial scope and the candidate's autonomy.

For a profile with an active professional network and demonstrating a real ability to generate or bring in revenue, a higher package may be considered, including a variable component directly linked to business development.

The remuneration must thus make it possible to distinguish the managerial and operational value of the role from any additional commercial contribution the candidate may bring.