Agency Operations Manager

Position overview: 

We’re looking for an Agency Operations Manager to help keep StudioNorth running smoothly, with a primary focus on agency operations and resource management.  Reporting to our Senior Director of Operations, you’ll manage the processes, data, and follow-through that give our teams and leaders visibility into capacity, utilization, staffing, account health, and operational priorities.  Because this role works across agency operations, resourcing, financial performance, and People Ops, you’ll have a unique view of the health of the business. A key part of your role will be connecting those dots, identifying trends and risks, and turning operational data into insights and recommendations that help leadership make better decisions and move the business forward.  You’ll also oversee the day-to-day mechanics that connect agency systems, operational and financial administration, and People Ops. You don’t need to be an HR, accounting, or IT expert. You do need to understand how these functions connect and know how to keep work moving with the right internal and external partners. 

We’re looking for someone who sees what needs to happen, creates clarity, and drives it to completion. 

What you’ll do:

Agency operations + resource management 

• Manage day-to-day resource planning across employees and freelancers, maintaining visibility into capacity, utilization, and upcoming demand. 
• Partner with Pod Leaders and department leaders to anticipate staffing needs, identify capacity constraints, and recommend solutions. 
• Translate forecasts, pipeline, and active work into forward-looking staffing and capacity plans. 
• Maintain accurate resource, utilization, and project data in Workamajig and drive consistent use of established processes that continually maintain data quality. 
• Turn agency data into actionable operating insights, identifying trends and bringing recommendations to leadership. 
• Build and improve workflows, SOPs, dashboards, and systems that create consistency, accountability, and visibility. 
• Identify operational bottlenecks and proactively drive solutions. 
• Own follow-through on agency priorities, ensuring owners are clear, deadlines are met, and risks are surfaced early. 

Business + People Operations 

• Manage the operational mechanics of recruiting, onboarding, offboarding, employee records, benefits, and other People Ops processes. 
• Maintain clear, consistent processes and ensure required actions and documentation are completed on time. 
• Manage software access, licensing, and employee systems administration in coordination with our external IT partners. 
• Work with external HR, benefits, payroll, legal, and other specialists when deeper expertise is needed. 

Financial + agency administration 

• Maintain strong agency financial and operational discipline within Workamajig. 
• Partner with Accounting on month-end close, client reconciliations, and forecasting. 
• Connect financial performance, forecasts, staffing needs, capacity, and account health to identify trends, risks, and opportunities across the business. 
• Turn operational and financial data into actionable insights and recommendations that help leadership make informed decisions and move the business forward. 
• Maintain effective operational processes for freelancers, contractors, vendors, and other agency administration. 

How we work: 

This is a hybrid role based in our North Chicago office, with an expectation of working onsite every week. Because this role works closely with employees and leaders across the agency, candidates should live within reasonable commuting distance. 

What you bring 

• 5+ years of experience in agency operations, resource management, business operations, project operations, or a related discipline, with demonstrated exposure to financial and People Ops. 
• Agency or professional-services experience strongly preferred. 
• Strong understanding of agency resource management, utilization, capacity planning, staffing, and agency financial operations. 
• Experience translating pipeline, forecasts, and active work into staffing and capacity decisions. 
• Strong systems orientation and the ability to turn inconsistent or complex processes into clear, repeatable workflows. 
• Comfort working with operational and financial data and turning it into useful insights and recommendations. 
• Excellent organizational and project management skills with strong attention to detail and follow-through. 
• Strong communication skills and the ability to create accountability across teams and roles. 
• Confidence identifying problems, recommending solutions, and driving work forward without waiting for every next step to be assigned. 
• Ability to balance big-picture thinking with hands-on execution in a fast-moving environment. 
• Sound judgment and discretion when working with confidential employee and financial information. 
• Workamajig experience strongly preferred. 
• Strong technology aptitude and curiosity about AI, automation, and smarter ways of working.