Column is the software platform for public information. We build automated tools and workflow solutions that help governments, law firms, and media organizations notify the public. Today, thousands of publishers and tens of thousands of agencies, firms, and individuals rely on Column to keep their communities informed every day. We’re reimagining how public information connects people, institutions, and media.

We're a remote-first team of engineers, designers, and builders who are committed to creating software that supports an informed public.

About the Role

We are looking for a detail oriented Pagination Specialist to join our team full-time. This role will support the day to day production of display advertisements and ad block layouts, ensuring work is completed accurately, efficiently, and according to publication specific requirements and deadlines.The ideal candidate has previous experience working in newspaper production, publishing, or a similar fast paced environment and has strong Adobe InDesign skills. Experience with newspaper pagination, page layout, or building display advertisements is strongly preferred.This is a production-focused role that requires strong attention to detail, the ability to follow detailed instructions and specifications, and the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines at once.

Key Responsibilities

Pagination

• Paginate newspaper pages according to publication specific layouts, templates, and formatting requirements.
• Ensure pages meet required specifications, including column widths, spacing, headers, borders, page order, and other publication specific requirements.
• Review completed pages for accuracy and identify layout, formatting, placement, or content issues before final delivery.
• Make revisions and adjustments based on feedback while working within tight production deadlines.
• Manage multiple publications and deadlines simultaneously while maintaining accuracy and quality.

Display Ad Production

• Build and format display ads using customer provided materials, including PDFs, Word documents, images, text, and other assets.
• Recreate or redesign submitted materials in Adobe InDesign to meet newspaper and publication specifications.
• Ensure ads are formatted to the correct dimensions, column widths, and publication requirements.
• Maintain the integrity of customer-provided content while creating clean, readable, and professional advertisements.
• QA completed display ads for formatting, sizing, content placement, and overall accuracy.
• Make customer requested revisions and prepare final advertisements for publication.
• Support daily display production and help ensure work is completed within established turnaround times.

Quality & Production Operations

• Follow documented workflows, SOPs, templates, and publication specific instructions consistently.
• Perform thorough quality assurance checks before work is finalized or submitted.
• Identify discrepancies or unclear instructions and escalate questions when necessary rather than making assumptions.
• Prioritize work based on deadlines, urgency, and production requirements.
• Communicate clearly with team members regarding workload, blockers, errors, and time sensitive requests.
• Adapt to changing priorities and assist across pagination and display workflows based on daily production needs.
• Contribute to process improvements and help identify opportunities to make production workflows more efficient and consistent.

Qualifications

• Previous experience in newspaper production, publishing, pagination, page layout, or display advertising is strongly preferred.
• Ability to work a schedule aligned with West Coast business hours.
• Proficiency with Adobe InDesign is required.
• Strong understanding of page layout, typography, spacing, alignment, and print design principles.
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to identify small formatting or layout inconsistencies.
• Strong ability to follow detailed written instructions, templates, and publication-specific requirements.
• Ability to multitask and manage several assignments and deadlines simultaneously.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Able to work independently while also collaborating effectively with a team.
• Strong written communication skills and willingness to ask questions or escalate issues when requirements are unclear.

Must Have Experience

• 1+ years of experience in newspaper production, publishing, pagination, page layout, graphic production, display advertising, or a similar deadline driven production role.
• Professional experience using Adobe InDesign to create, edit, or format print materials.
• Experience managing multiple production assignments with competing deadlines.
• Experience working from detailed specifications, templates, and production instructions.
• Experience performing quality assurance and reviewing work for formatting, sizing, layout, placement, and content accuracy.
• Experience working independently in a fast paced production environment with clear productivity and quality expectations.
• Strong understanding of page layout, typography, spacing, alignment, and print design principles.

Nice to Have Experience

• Experience creating, modifying, or maintaining plugins, scripts, or automation tools within Adobe InDesign.
• Experience identifying opportunities to automate manual design or production workflows.
• Experience helping document, standardize, or optimize design and production processes.
• Experience training or supporting other designers on advanced InDesign workflows, templates, or automation tools.

30-60-90 Day Plan

Days 1 to 30: Learn & Stabilize

• Complete training on Column’s pagination and display ad workflows, systems, templates, and production standards.
• Become familiar with publication specific requirements, including page layouts, column widths, spacing, headers, borders, page order, and ad specifications.
• Learn how to review incoming pagination and display assignments and identify the information and assets required to complete each request.
• Become familiar with Column’s quality assurance process and expectations for reviewing completed work before delivery.
• Shadow experienced team members and begin completing pagination and display assignments with support.
• Demonstrate consistent use of Adobe InDesign, templates, documented workflows, and production instructions.

Days 31 to 60: Implement & Build

• Independently manage assigned pagination and display ad work from intake through final delivery.
• Consistently prioritize assignments based on publication deadlines, urgency, and production requirements.
• Complete pagination according to publication specific layouts and specifications with limited revisions required.
• Build and format display advertisements using customer provided materials while maintaining content accuracy and publication requirements.
• Perform thorough quality assurance checks before submitting completed work.
• Complete revisions accurately and within established turnaround times.
• Communicate proactively with the team regarding workload, blockers, missing information, and time sensitive requests.
• Begin managing a larger share of daily production volume while maintaining accuracy and quality.

Days 61 to 90: Own & Optimize

• Independently manage assigned pagination and display production while consistently meeting turnaround and quality expectations.
• Maintain a low rework rate by identifying formatting, layout, sizing, and content issues before final delivery.
• Confidently manage multiple publications and overlapping deadlines without sacrificing accuracy.
• Identify and escalate production risks early enough to prevent missed deadlines.
• Demonstrate strong knowledge of recurring publication requirements and apply those requirements consistently.
• Contribute to team goals around reducing rework and increasing the percentage of pagination and display work completed in house.
• Identify opportunities to improve templates, documentation, quality assurance, or production workflows.
• Serve as a reliable owner of assigned work and support the team during periods of higher production volume.

What Success Looks Like at 90 Days

At 90 days, you can independently manage pagination and display ad assignments while consistently meeting turnaround, accuracy, and quality expectations. You understand how to navigate publication specific requirements, work efficiently in Adobe InDesign, manage multiple deadlines, and identify potential issues before work is delivered.

You consistently perform quality assurance on your own work, require minimal rework, communicate proactively when requirements are unclear, and escalate production risks before they impact publication deadlines. You are a reliable owner of your assignments and contribute to a production operation that is accurate, efficient, and scalable.

Why This Role Matters

Pagination and display production directly impact whether advertisements and public notices are published accurately and on time. Incorrect sizing, formatting, placement, or page layouts can result in rework, missed deadlines, and a poor experience for both publications and customers.

The Pagination Specialist plays a critical role in ensuring production work meets each publication’s requirements before final delivery. By producing accurate pages and advertisements, performing thorough quality assurance, and managing deadlines effectively, this role helps Column maintain reliable production while continuing to bring more work in house and scale efficiently.