Director, Catalog Production
Location: SF Bay Area (On-site) | Full-time | $150k - 170k
About the Client
Our client is a luxury home furnishings brand and design authority, with a print catalog program at the center of how it goes to market.
The Role
A luxury home furnishings brand is looking for a Director, Catalog Production to lead a print production team and drive how AI and automation are adopted in the catalog workflow. You are an InDesign expert who builds printer-ready files to spec. You bring 5+ years leading editorial design or production, a sharp eye for detail, a rigorous file-building process, and hands-on experience bringing AI tools into production without compromising brand standards. You’ll work with leadership, designers, retouchers, copy, merchants, project managers, and external printers and vendors. The role reports into catalog leadership and is on-site.
Qualities
- You want to lead a team, and you give clear direction and constructive critique.
- You prioritize and assign work well in a deadline-driven, constantly changing environment.
- You are highly proficient in Adobe InDesign, macOS and Excel, with a strong grasp of print production.
- You solve problems naturally: you talk them through and execute through a mix of hands-on production, management and mentoring.
- You have strong project management skills and a working knowledge of prepress.
- You communicate clearly, concisely and personably with leadership and cross-functional teams.
- You move projects forward without waiting to be asked.
- You hold yourself and your team to a consistently high bar.
- Your confidence is rooted in serving the brand, not ego, in every decision.
- You teach brand standards and how to execute them consistently.
- You stay calm, keep good humor and build positive team spirit.
- You learn new skills and software quickly and adapt to the brand’s specific techniques and protocols.
- You are curious about emerging technologies and AI, test new tools critically, and adopt only what raises or protects quality.
- You lead teams through change by explaining the why behind new tools, building confidence, and setting clear guardrails.
Responsibilities
- Work closely with catalog and creative production leadership.
- Lead a team of 5–6 Production Artists on the Catalog Production Team.
- Assign daily work and the context behind it.
- Coach the team and foster dialogue, collaboration and idea-sharing.
- Support the Production Artists hands-on while owning the most complex production work yourself.
- Lead by example and build on the team’s varied strengths.
- Represent Production in weekly meetings with print and paper vendors.
- Keep the team steady during high-pressure moments.
- Hold both the big picture of brand positioning and the finest detail of every execution.
- Solve production problems, and bring forward solutions and opportunities.
- Hold the team’s institutional knowledge and carry learnings forward season to season.
- Research, pilot and evaluate AI-enabled tools, including generative image, automated layout and file preparation, and workflow automation. Recommend where they improve speed, consistency and quality.
- Partner with creative production leadership and IT to integrate approved AI tools into production, and document new workflows and best practices.
- Set quality control checkpoints so all AI-assisted work meets brand, color and print standards before it goes to market.
- Train the team on new tools and techniques, and encourage experimentation within clear guidelines.
- Help define responsible-use guidelines for AI in production, covering review, attribution, intellectual property and data security.
- Track innovation in print, prepress and digital production, and share learnings across the team and with partners.
Requirements
- 5+ years leading a catalog, editorial design or print production team.
- Expert in Adobe Creative Suite, especially InDesign.
- Strong command of typography, grid systems, visual hierarchy, color and composition.
- Willing to take on any task, large or small.
- Excellent verbal and written communication.
- Strong visual problem-solving and critical thinking.
- A portfolio of work in market for luxury, arts or hospitality brands.
- Degree required.
- Agency or in-house design experience.
- Hands-on experience with AI-enabled production tools such as Adobe Firefly, Photoshop generative features, scripted layout and prepress workflows, and other creative automation.
- A track record of introducing new technology or process into a creative production team, with measurable gains in efficiency or quality.
- Ability to evaluate AI output for brand consistency, color accuracy, print readiness and legal or IP risk.
- Ability to document workflows, build team guidelines and train others.
- Preferred: digital asset management, scripting or automation (InDesign scripting, Photoshop actions, workflow tools), and prompt-based AI workflows.
Interested? Apply here or contact us directly. If this isn’t a fit for you, send it to someone it fits.