The Print Design & Production Lead coordinates and leads the Farms.com Media & Publishing print design team. This role collaborates closely with editorial, sales, marketing, and production stakeholders to plan, coordinate, and produce high-quality print publications across Farms.com and its business units.

This is a hands-on leadership role. In addition to leading and assigning work, the Print Design & Production Lead is actively involved in the design, layout, and production of publications and advertising, ensuring all materials meet quality standards and are delivered on time—every time.

Publications include, but are not limited to, monthly magazines Ag Buyer’s Guide, Better Farming (Ontario & Prairies), as well as Better Pork, Small Farm Canada, and Service Truck Magazine  and custom publications (Show Guides, Ag & Country, etc.).

Leadership & Coordination

You will not only lead and coordinate the team, you also be involved in the production process as well, designing ads (client ads and house ads), managing the layout for several publications: laying out articles, incorporating photos, charts, callouts, etc.

You will prepare Imposition Guides for review by the sales and editorial teams.

But you are not just a graphic designer, diplomacy is your middle name. You will collaborate with clients, both internal and external, to complete the publications in question. Acting as a liaison between the clients and your design team, which includes assigning tasks to team members.

You will also assist in the preparation of the publication rate cards and other marketing material. You will be involved with all stages of design — from concept to production.

You will also be involved in the creation of marketing and promotional materials for Farms.com and many of its business units.

Based on the print ads, you may be tasked with developing digital banner ads and social media. You may also become involved in video editing. Once again, for these projects you will function as the liaison between the client and the design team, or when appropriate, take on the project yourself.

Quality is important to you; you run all client supplied ads through our pre-flight software to ensure quality and work with clients to resolve issues if pre-flight identifies areas of concern. If a photo is not quite right, you will do what you can to enhance it. You will ensure consistency for each publication.

You will follow the processes and systems, as well as standard operating procedures developed by Farms.com. You will become familiar and use our custom-built, internal system for managing print ads, called Print Ad Manager (PAM), which is also connected with our CRM. PAM will help you in assigned print ad development for clients to Team Members.

You will follow all company Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), including using PAM, as well as creative filing instruction and naming conventions.

It goes without saying that you are meticulous and pay attention to detail.

About You

• You are highly detail-oriented and take pride in accuracy and consistency.
• You are an effective communicator with strong diplomacy and collaboration skills.
• You are comfortable balancing leadership responsibilities with hands-on design work.
• You thrive in deadline-driven environments and enjoy managing multiple projects at once.

Responsibilities

Your role will include the following responsibilities:

Leadership & Coordination

• Lead and coordinate the print design team across multiple publications and deadlines.
• Assign tasks to team members and manage workloads to ensure efficiency and quality.
• Act as a liaison between internal teams, external clients, and the design team.
• Collaborate with editors, publishers, and sales to ensure smooth project execution.
• Ensure all print deadlines are met—we never miss a print deadline.

Print Design & Production

• Design and produce client ads and in-house ads using Adobe Creative Suite.
• Manage layouts for multiple publications, including articles, photos, charts, callouts, and other visual elements.
• Create Imposition Guides for print publications for review by sales and editorial teams.
• Prepare publications for print and upload files to third-party print portals accurately and on time.
• Proof publications thoroughly to ensure minimal errors and consistent quality.
• Maintain visual consistency and brand standards across all publications.

Quality Control

• Run all client-supplied ads through pre-flight software to ensure print quality.
• Work directly with clients to resolve pre-flight issues or file concerns.
• Enhance images and photos as needed to meet print standards.
• Ensure adherence to Farms.com processes, systems, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Ensure typos, orphans, and runts are kept to a minimum.
• Ensure contrast between text and background or images.

Systems & Process Management

• Use Farms.com’s internal Print Ad Manager (PAM) system for managing print ads and workflows.
• Assign print ad development tasks to team members through PAM.
• Follow all SOPs, including file management, naming conventions, and creative workflows.

Digital & Marketing Support

• Repurpose print ads into digital banner ads and social media creative as required.
• Occasionally assist with video editing projects.
• Collaborate with the marketing team on in-house print mock-ups and promotional materials.
• Support the development of publication rate cards and other marketing materials.

Additional Responsibilities

• Conduct photo research as needed for editorial and advertising projects.
• Work with internal departments and third-party service providers.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Interested in joining our Team? Submit your application by clicking on APPLY TO THIS POSITION.