Creative Operations Manager

Description The Creative Operations Manager is responsible for ensuring that Creative Services operates efficiently, consistently, and at scale. This role serves as the operational backbone of the department by managing intake workflows, project visibility, capacity reporting, contractor coordination, and process improvement initiatives.

The Creative Operations Manager creates and maintains the systems that enable Creative Services to successfully deliver work across CSD's divisions, programs, and brand initiatives. This role does not directly supervise staff but partners closely with creative, content, design, video, and strategy team members to ensure projects move smoothly from intake through completion.

Success in this role requires strong organizational, communication, process management, and problem-solving skills, along with the ability to build systems that support departmental growth, transparency, and accountability.

Creative Operations & Systems (40%)

• Regularly evaluate Creative Services processes, tools, and workflows and recommend improvements that increase efficiency, visibility, collaboration, and scalability.
• Own service request governance, intake workflows, and request-routing processes.
• Develop, maintain, and improve systems that support project visibility, reporting, and operational accountability.
• Design, implement, and maintain workflow automations that reduce manual work and improve team efficiency.
• Develop capacity, utilization, workload, and demand reporting that supports leadership planning and decision-making.
• Monitor operational health and identify opportunities to improve processes, communication, and service delivery.

Project Visibility & Accountability (30%)

• Maintain visibility into active and upcoming projects.
• Track timelines, dependencies, risks, blockers, and ownership to ensure work progresses.
• Facilitate status reviews and proactively escalate unresolved issues or capacity concerns.
• Ensure ownership and next steps are documented.

Stakeholder & Vendor Coordination (20%)

• Coordinate communication among Creative Services, stakeholders, contractors, and vendors.
• Support project intake by gathering requirements, timelines, deliverables, and dependencies.
• Manage contractor and vendor onboarding, deliverables, contracts, invoices, and related logistics.
• Coordinate ordering, shipping, fulfillment, and distribution needs related to campaigns, events, and creative projects.
• Ensure work transitions smoothly between strategy, content, design, video, and stakeholder review.

Knowledge & Continuous Improvement (10%)

• Develop and maintain Creative Services documentation, standards, templates, and playbooks.
• Gather stakeholder feedback and use insights to improve processes, workflows, and overall service delivery.
• Capture lessons learned from major projects and initiatives to improve future work.
• Reduce dependency on institutional knowledge by ensuring key processes and decisions are documented and accessible.

Requirements

• Experience with FreshService or comparable request-management platforms.
• Experience supporting marketing, communications, or creative teams.
• Experience with workflow automation and systems administration.
• Experience coordinating contractors, vendors, and external partners.
• Familiarity with nonprofit organizations and mission-driven work.
• Occasional creator of unnecessarily fun Slack polls.
• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business Administration, Project Management, or related field, or equivalent work experience. (required)
• 4+ years of experience in project management, operations, marketing operations, creative operations, or related fields. (required)
• Experience managing multiple projects and competing priorities simultaneously. (required)
• Strong organizational, communication, and stakeholder management skills. (required)
• Experience with project management and workflow systems. (required)
• Ability to analyze information, identify risks, and recommend solutions. (required)
• Demonstrated ability to build and improve operational processes. (required)