Design Studio Manager

This is a Design Studio Director role inside the in-house creative agency of a 60-year-old, family-owned manufacturer – the company that effectively invented the lighting-control industry and still leads the global market.

The NYC studio went from 2 people to 18 in 14 months, and this is a foundational hire. You’ll be the person who gives that growth an operational backbone.

You report to the Creative Director and act as their operational right hand, turning brand vision into plans a 40-person internal agency can actually execute.

Day-to-day, you’ll manage the communications team of 18, spanning six disciplines: 2D design, 3D rendering, photo and video, packaging and displays, copywriting, and social. You own workflow, capacity planning, and team development, and you coordinate brand consistency and resource sharing with the design hub.

The scope extends upward. You lead annual headcount and budget planning, advocate for design at the executive level, and support strategic work.

• $145,000 – $200,000
• Five days in the office
• 40 flexible work-from-home days per year
• 401(k) match, health, dental, and life insurance
• Paid vacation, flexible spending accounts & tuition reimbursement

You’ve spent between 8 – 12 years in creative operations, project management, or creative team leadership, with at least 5 years leading teams, and your background is in-house, not agency.

With experience building and running multidisciplinary teams across 2D, 3D, photo/video, packaging, copy, and social, and you’re used to translating a Creative Director’s vision into timelines, budgets, and resource plans across offices. Your category sits in the built environment, FF&E, automotive, or technology – likely a premium or B2B brand.