Product Manager, Prints

Learning Resources•Vernon Hills, IL

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

hand2mind is a growing, family-owned company with over 60 years of experience inspiring learning through play with hands-on, classroom-tested educational materials. They are recognized as a Chicago Tribune Top Workplace and trusted by teachers and families. hand2mind creates a wide range of educational products, including classroom tools, consumer products, and innovative items. They are looking for a Product Manager to lead the development of all printed products for their Publisher and Custom Kit teams. This role involves collaborating with experts to create high-quality educational print materials such as books, activity and instruction guides, card sets, labels, and gameboards. The Product Manager will work cross-functionally to ensure timely and accurate product development, sourcing, and RFP quoting, acting as a subject matter expert in print specifications, proofing, and art file management to drive efficient sourcing and cost estimating while fostering creativity and innovation in product design.

Requirements

4+ years of experience working with print production, sourcing/costing, and vendor management.
Strong understanding and developing print specifications, print substrates, and production processes.
Experience requesting, analyzing, and comparing printer quotes.
Intermediate skills in Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and PDF’s
Microsoft Office or Google Suite experience
Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate cross-functionally.

Nice To Haves

Intermediate levels of program knowledge (Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator) is desired.

Responsibilities

Manage vendor RFP and product development process for all new print materials supporting Publisher and School Custom Kit channels, including the creation of print specifications for vendor price quotes, analyzing vendor quote details for accuracy, request and review printer samples, and recommend appropriate vendor selections for the initial print order.
Partner with Product Managers to develop clear, complete print specifications, offering guidance and suggestions to align product needs with customer requirements and budget constraints.
Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales and Product Development to recommend, source, and support the design of packaging and printed product options.
Develop and maintain process documentation and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for print file management and RFQ creation.
Own the organization, maintenance, and archival of print files on designated servers using consistent naming conventions to ensure easy access and reference.
Create new print art files and modify existing files using Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, or other designated design software.
Partner with the Creative team for projects that require original design or complex revisions.
Create and maintain product specifications and related data within our ERP system.
Perform other duties for this role as assigned and necessary.