Creative Services Manager

Creative Services Manager

The Role, in brief:

The Creative Services Manager understands the work and team members in detail, with the ability to match the two effectively. Part operations master and part empath, this individual manages the people, processes, and technology needed to bring the Creative department to bear on any client project asked of them.

You are obsessed with getting things done the right way with the right people. You are always on the hunt for new techniques, mediums, and tools, and you believe that if you’re standing still.

You have a small ego but a huge heart and passion for the work. You are relentless but compassionate. You are equally comfortable facilitating common ground as you are defending ideas and timelines. When faced with a barrier, you fearlessly find another way forward.

• Manage the Creative staffing process, serving as the liaison between the Creative team and other teams across the agency, including Insights & Strategy, Integrated Media & Data, and Account Service.
• Work directly with the Creative team and agency operations teams to appropriately staff each project with the right talent.
• Manage expectations across teams and ensure staffing decisions, approvals, changes, and resource needs are communicated effectively.
• Maintain a detailed understanding of Creative team members, their skill sets, workloads, and availability to effectively match talent with agency needs.
• Balance immediate project needs with overall department capacity and priorities.

• Maintain a high-level view of projects, priorities, staffing needs, and activity across the Creative department.
• Lead and participate in status meetings to ensure teams are aligned on priorities, schedules, and resource needs.
• Develop and manage timing, schedules, and timelines to help move creative work efficiently through the agency.
• Identify potential staffing or scheduling conflicts and work with teams to develop solutions.
• Help ensure Creative workflows support agency deadlines and client expectations.

• Recruit and manage freelance creative talent as needs arise within the department.
• Identify freelance resources based on project needs, required skill sets, schedules, and available resources.
• Negotiate freelance pay rates and project terms within established agency parameters.
• Manage freelance relationships throughout assignments, including onboarding, scheduling, communication, and terminations when necessary.
• Maintain awareness of available freelance talent and Creative resource needs.

• Monitor utilization and billability across the Creative team.
• Appropriately staff Creative resources for client work, pitches, and agency initiatives.
• Monitor workloads and capacity to identify potential resource constraints or periods of downtime.
• Work with agency leadership and Creative team members to effectively manage available capacity.

• Support the Creative team throughout the performance review process by providing input and coordinating logistics.
• Help facilitate communication and coordination across the Creative department.
• Partner with Creative leadership to support team needs and department operations.
• Manage the agency award-entry process in partnership with the Executive Creative Director.

• Continuously look for new techniques, mediums, tools, and processes that can improve how the Creative department operates.
• Maintain awareness of industry trends, recent awards, emerging creative work, and relevant competition.
• Identify opportunities to improve Creative workflows, staffing processes, resource management, and…