VDS Operator

About the Team

Fanatics Collectibles is a new company working at the intersection of collectibles and technology.  We are backed by some of the best investors, sports & entertainment properties and operators in the world.  Fanatics Collectibles is integrating with Fanatics’ global digital sports platform – which includes 900 sports relationships and more than 81 million reachable fans – to reimagine the collectibles business for the 21st century.

Role Summary
The mandate of the Fanatics Collectible Pre-Press team is to guarantee card designs are turned into accurate, error-free files ready for offset or digital printing. We're looking for a Prepress Variable Data Operator to help create personalized print files (PDFs) that include custom text and images—like player names, stats, etc. This job involves working with the Adobe Creative Suite design software and print tools to ensure everything looks perfect before going to print.
Candidates with a passion for sports and entertainment will likely find themselves a strong cultural fit.

In this role, you will…

• Use special software to add custom names, images, or text into card designs using Adobe InDesign
• Find and fix any problems with data, file formatting, or printing errors
• Work closely with the production team to make sure deadlines and priorities are met
• Check final files carefully to make sure everything is accurate (fonts, images, colors, layout, and personalized info)
• Utilize the printing workflow management tool system to process incoming print jobs, ensuring proper file preparation, imposition, and trapping for optimal output
• Keep track of project details and file versions
• Stay updated on new tools and trends in printing and variable data

The ideal candidate:

• Strong skills in Adobe InDesign, Acrobat, Illustrator, and Photoshop
• A certificate, degree, or at least 1 year of experience in graphic design or print production
• Excellent attention to detail and problem-solving abilities
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to interact with various production teams 
• Experience with variable data printing tools like XMPie or Fusion Pro is a plus
• Bonus if you know some Javascript or QLingo (a scripting language used in XMPie)

Fanatics is building a leading global digital sports platform. We ignite the passions of global sports fans and maximize the presence and reach for our hundreds of sports partners globally by offering products and services across Fanatics Commerce, Fanatics Collectibles, and Fanatics Betting & Gaming, allowing sports fans to Buy, Collect, and Bet. Through the Fanatics platform, sports fans can buy licensed fan gear, jerseys, lifestyle and streetwear products, headwear, and hardgoods; collect physical and digital trading cards, sports memorabilia, and other digital assets; and bet as the company builds its Sportsbook and iGaming platform. Fanatics has an established database of over 100 million global sports fans; a global partner network with approximately 900 sports properties, including major national and international professional sports leagues, players associations, teams, colleges, college conferences and retail partners, 2,500 athletes and celebrities, and 200 exclusive athletes; and over 2,000 retail locations, including its Lids retail stores. Our more than 22,000 employees are committed to relentlessly enhancing the fan experience and delighting sports fans globally. 

Fanatics Collectibles is a new model and vision for the hobby, fundamentally changing the experience for current and future collectors, leagues, and players across many U.S. and international professional and college sports. The organization has long-term, exclusive rights to design, manufacture and distribute trading cards for several sports and entertainment properties, including MLB, MLBPA, the Premier League, MLS, UFC, Formula 1 as well as Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars, among others. In January 2022, Fanatics Collectibles announced the acquisition of Topps, establishing the preeminent licensed trading card brand as the cornerstone of Fanatics’ trading cards and collectibles business, and jumpstarted its MLB and MLBPA rights to design, manufacture and distribute trading cards