Freelance/Contract Studio Operations Manager

A Hybrid working model

The Role

The Studio Operations Manager is responsible for the smooth and effective management of the day-to-day resource and operational requirements for the Studio creative team in North America.

Balancing commercial objectives, talent needs and creative workflow, you’ll support and champion processes to deliver best practices without losing sight of the creative output. Not fazed by the changing requirements of projects, you are able to adapt and deliver effective solutions while working closely with team members such as Business Directors, Project Managers & Creatives to cast the right talent needs for project teams, solve resourcing requests and implement and execute best-practice ways of working across the Studio creative team. 

This is a role that engages with all operations teams and a team of design, copywriting and production talent. It requires the ability to develop strong and trusting relationships at every level, understand skill sets and casting and work within fast moving project timelines.

You’ll need solid experience as a Resource/Talent Manager and/or Creative Ops Manager in a creative agency or similar in-house environment.

 Key responsibilities:

• Leads resourcing for the entire NA Studio creative team, working closely with the Client Engagement/Project Management team to ensure seamless communication


• Acts as first point of contact for all creative resource requirements, including assessing current work allocation and finding the right people with the right skills to do the job


• Maintains knowledge of current and upcoming projects across the Studio, building strong relationships with Client Engagement, PM, Operations and Delivery teams


• Understands and maintains a knowledge database of creative team skillsets and career ambitions to be able to properly assign resources and retain top talent


• Plays a key role in the project intake process, assessing timing requests against feasibility and capacity


• Coordinates the creative process and shepherds creative work against project timelines


• Frames timelines and steps needed to deliver creative work and communicates accordingly with Client Engagement/Project Management teams


• Communicates action items, timelines and next steps on a per-project basis to ensure accountability across all creative team members


• Estimates time and effort needed to fulfill the creative process on a per-project basis, in collaboration with the Project Management team


• Fosters and supports connectivity and collaboration with all Studio teams during all stages of the creative process


• Leads implementation, management and training related to resourcing tool adoption and utilization


• Works with project management functions to ensure internal resourcing platforms are maintained


• Leads weekly resourcing meetings with relevant departments and department heads, to ensure talent is properly utilized; provides a holistic view across all creative deadlines and works to resolve any conflicts or balance workloads


• Partners with Operations Lead to organize and review monthly utilization reports and share insights and action plan with leadership


• Alerts capability leads of any potential concerns or issues in meeting key client deliverables due to resourcing and makes recommendations to resolve 


• Proactively highlights available creative talent that is under-utilized and seeking out projects for them to work on


• When internal options have been exhausted, identifies needs for freelance talent, creates the business case to hire and works with TA to secure the proper temporary support


• Works with the Talent Acquisition & HR teams to on-board department new creative hires and freelancers


• Partner with Finance on invoicing, payments to vendors, and freelance staff payroll


• Champions new vendor and client set up in internal systems as well as trainings for finance systems and support as needed


• Actively works to maintain a balance between agency goals and team’s ability to do their best work, all while being a profitable organization


• Proactively strategizes department staffing needs, identifying peaks/valleys, core competency gaps/redundancies based on client forecasts and trends.


• Work with Project Management & Implementation Lead to author and implement tools




• Use resourcing software to allocate and manage briefs, championing our workflow process, and training colleagues on its use




• Ensure utilization and timesheets are recorded correctly and are up to date

About You:

• A passion for working with people


• An ability to understand peoples’ skills and needs and treat them with respect


• A collaborative approach to work with excellent communication and negotiation skills


• The ability to work in fast-moving environment with an agile mindset with a positive attitude


• Strong relationship building skills


• Understands the different skills and experience needed for different types of creative work within an integrated marketing team (Media / Social / Creative / Production)


• Superb organization and time management skills


• Proactive and confident in prioritizing competing demands in a fast-paced environment


• Business acumen to understand how creative workflow and process management affects the bottom line


• Firm grasp of agency environment / processes and a love of creating order in the chaos


• Excellent interpersonal communication skills with the ability to motivate and influence across all levels of seniority

Key Skills:

• Working knowledge of a creative studio in an agency (or in-house) setting


• 5+ years of resource management / creative operations experience in the advertising/marketing industry 


• Strong knowledge of integrated creative resource skill sets


• Proven expertise and ability to drive accurate resource planning, utilization & forecasting


• Ability to build strong, strategic partnerships - preferably up to leadership level

Proficient in using resource planning and project management tools (familiarity with Tempo for Jira is a plus), MS Office

The base salary for this position at the time of this posting may range from CA$45,000 to CA$95,000. Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications.

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