Agency-wide Requirements
All applicants must be:
- U.S. citizens (dual U.S. citizens also eligible)
- At least 18 years of age
- Willing to move to the Washington, DC area
- Able to complete security and medical evaluations
- Registered for the Selective Service
About the Job
As a Prepress Production Specialist for the CIA, you will assemble hardcopy and electronic files for the creation of finished products such as books, pamphlets, magazines and foldouts, etc. You will be part of a team of prepress technicians responsible for providing print-ready files for the printing of publications. These duties included but are not limited to: pre-flighting, electronic assembly, conventional printing, scanning, plating, and proofing operations. You will also cross-train in the digital print center and large format print sections to learn and operate other print production equipment while also learning dissemination procedures. This includes working in other print production area such as press and bindery. The Prepress Production Specialist operates on all production shifts to include 1st and 2nd shifts; surge assignments and willing to work overtime as needed.
Prepress Production Specialists work in Imaging & Publishing Support (IPS), an office within the Directorate of Support, which provides both traditional and digital printing, online publishing, multimedia support, photographic support, digital archiving, and copier management services to the CIA, Intelligence Community and other federal government agencies. IPS provides a vital service to the Intelligence Community and national policymakers by producing high volume, high-quality color and B&W products for both classified and unclassified products.
Who You’ll Work With
At the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), we recognize our Nation’s strength comes from the diversity of its people. People from a broad range of backgrounds and viewpoints work at CIA, and our diverse teams are the reason we can keep our country safe.
Read more about diversity and inclusion
What You’ll Get
Our benefits support every aspect of a working professional’s life, including health and wellness, time off, family, finances, and continuing education. Our programs include highly sought-after government health benefits, flexible schedules, sick leave, and childcare. In some cases, we also offer sign-on incentives and cover moving expenses if you relocate.
As a CIA employee, you’ll also get the satisfaction of knowing your work is part of something bigger than yourself. Our work is driven by one mission: to keep our Nation safe. Every day is an opportunity to enhance U.S. national security.
Learn more about working at CIA
Minimum Qualifications
- 3+ years of print production experience or equivalent formal Graphic Arts Technical Training /Education to address the following:
- Read and interpret print work orders to prepare customer files to meet finished print product specifications.
- Knowledge to select the appropriate prepress tools, processes, and procedures needed for conventional, digital, or wide format printing production.
- Analyze and resolve print-related production problems and technical issues to include but not limited to font issues, RGB vs CMYK color issues, lack of bleed, trapping, overprint, and knockouts.
- Ability to work in a team environment consisting of customer service representatives, prepress technicians, press operators, bindery technicians, digital imaging technicians, and photographers to ensure consistency and quality of all print output.
- Experienced in current design and page layout software.
- Working knowledge of the following:
- Prepress operations and procedures related to five-color offset printing, digital toner printing and inkjet wide format printing.
- Raster Imaging Processing (RIP) prepress workflows.
- Proofing systems for color reproduction and imposition proofing systems.
- Understanding of print theory to include offset, digital, and inkjet printing.
- Strong communications skills suitable to interpret and convey technical publishing concepts to others.
- Ability to lift up to 50 pounds in accordance to established safety regulations.
- Ability to stand for long periods of time, recurring bending, crouching, or standing.
- Ability to work in a noisy environment.
- Ability to meet the minimum requirements for joining CIA, including U.S. citizenship and a background investigation.
Desired Qualifications
- Working knowledge of the following:
- Digital Prepress workflows.
- Acrobat Pro, Pitstop, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, PowerPoint, Word and Excel.
- Operation and maintenance of laser platesetters.
- CD/DVD replication.
- Laser cutter/engraver operations.
- Experience with Color Management rules and methodologies.