Production & Technical Assistant (Digital Printing)

Department: LAB

Location: Saxenburg Park, Rustdal, Cape Town, 7580. (In-Office Role)

Versus Socks is a fast growing, leading performance sock company dedicated to providing active individuals with high quality, innovative, and stylish socks. We believe in pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo to deliver products that are exciting and performance driven.

We're on a mission to become the performance socks world champs, and we're building a world championship team.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for a highly capable and detail driven individual to join our Production Team as a Production & Technical Planning Assistant. This role is a direct support position to our Production & Technical Manager for digital sock printing. The successful candidate will learn all aspects of artwork preparation, printer operation, machine maintenance, and eventually production planning.

This position suits someone with a graphic design background who also enjoys hands on technical work with machinery and problem solving in a fast moving production environment.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Artwork Preparation & Graphic Design (30-40%)

• Prepare, edit, and format artwork for production according to template and colour specifications.
• Ensure all designs meet technical requirements for printing.
• Work closely with the Sales & Custom Socks Team to resolve artwork queries.
• Maintain digital artwork libraries and version control.

2. Printer Operation & Technical Support (40-50%)

• Operate and monitor digital sock printing machines.
• Load artwork to printer systems and allocate jobs to appropriate machines.
• Perform basic maintenance, cleaning, calibration, and troubleshooting.
• Assist with diagnosing technical issues and performing minor repairs.
• Ensure machines are running optimally to meet daily production targets.

3. Production Planning Support (20-30%)

• (Training provided - no prior experience required)
• Assist the Production Manager with daily and weekly production scheduling.
• Allocate artworks to printers based on capacity, deadlines, and machine requirements.
• Monitor workflow and update job boards/systems.
• Identify bottlenecks and communicate with relevant departments.
• Support continuous improvement of production processes.

4. Quality Control

• Inspect printed samples for colour accuracy and print quality.
• Flag any issues immediately and assist in implementing corrective actions.

5. Backup / 2IC Responsibilities

• Learn and understand all processes performed by the Technical Manager.
• Act as second in command to ensure seamless operation when the manager is absent.
• Contribute to standardising procedures and documenting best practices.

REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

Must Have:

• Graphic design background (Diploma or proven experience).
• Strong working knowledge of Adobe Illustrator / Photoshop / similar.
• High attention to detail and strong colour accuracy.
• Technical aptitude - comfortable working with machines and solving technical issues.
• Good problem solving skills and ability to work under pressure.
• Willingness to learn production planning and process management.

Nice to Have (Not required):

• Experience with digital printing, sublimation, DTG, or textile production.
• Experience with production planning or workflow management.
• Basic mechanical skills or interest in machine maintenance.
• Experience in manufacturing or fast paced production environments.

Personal Attributes

• Proactive and eager to learn.
• Strong communicator and team player.
• Structured and organised.
• Takes ownership and can work independently.
• Ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities.

What we offer

Full training on all printing machines and systems.

Opportunity to work in a fast growing manufacturing environment.

Exposure to both creative design work and technical production operations.

• Be part of a high performance, fast growing South African brand.
• Work in a dynamic, energetic environment where ideas move fast.
• Help scale a division with massive potential.
• Collaborate with a talented team that values creativity, innovation, and speed.