Creative Operations Director

Willis Towers Watson - Fort Lee, NJ

Full-time

Fort Lee, NJ

Insurance Carriers and Related Activities

About the position

The Creative Operations Director is a pivotal role within the organization, responsible for overseeing the development and management of all creative assets. This position plays a crucial role in facilitating the flow of information and assets between the creative team and various stakeholders, ensuring that all creative projects are prioritized effectively and adhere to established deadlines. The Creative Operations Director will work closely with Design and Content Directors to assess team bandwidth and allocate resources as necessary, thereby enhancing the overall efficiency of the creative process. In this role, the Creative Operations Director will be tasked with ensuring that effective processes are in place to deliver consistent experiences across all teams. Collaboration is key, as this position will involve working with various partners, including Paid Search, Paid Social, SEO, PR, Direct Mail, Member Experience, Product Owners, and Development, to develop and execute cross-functional initiatives. The ideal candidate will possess extensive project management expertise, a solid understanding of creative processes and production, and the ability to communicate effectively and efficiently with all stakeholders involved. The Creative Operations Director will also be responsible for managing the entire creative process and workflow, from the initial creative request to the final release of assets. This includes the intake, coordination, and project management of creative projects, ensuring that all work is on track and that materials are handed off to stakeholders in a timely manner. The role requires a proactive approach to identifying project requirements, facilitating collaboration among internal and external stakeholders, and maintaining clear communication regarding timelines, delivery, feedback, and improvement opportunities. Additionally, the Creative Operations Director will be expected to incorporate new processes and tools to enhance workflow efficiencies and monitor team bandwidth to balance workloads effectively.

Responsibilities

• Manage creative process and workflow from creative request to release of assets
• Responsible for intake, coordination and project management of creative projects and processes including design, production, copywriting and development to ensure projects are on-track and facilitating handoff of materials to stakeholders
• Responsible for identifying lift and requirements for all requests with input from Content and Design Directors; determine if kickoffs are needed and ensure scope documents are complete
• Facilitate collaboration between internal and external stakeholders
• Work with internal teams to establish priorities and ensure all Creative work in progress is in line with business priorities
• Create and manage timelines and deadlines for creative assets
• Manage project documentation, keeping it up-to-date and relevant for team members and stakeholders
• Develop and refine effective workflow processes, scheduling strategies, and communication models
• Communicate clearly and frequently to all stakeholders regarding timelines, delivery, feedback, obstacles and improvement opportunities
• Incorporate new processes, tools and workflow systems to improve efficiencies
• Maintain firm understanding of all aspects of creative production process
• Monitor team bandwidth, and work with team leads to load-balance for high-priority projects, escalating to director as necessary

Requirements

• BA or BS or comparable work experience
• 7+ years of experience in direct operational management with creative department or agency
• Experience in handling issues around supervision, resource management, technology and workflow processes
• Understanding of design and content production processes
• Proven track record of facilitating best in class creative
• Communicating and building strong connections with executive leadership
• Knowledge of implementation and utilization of technologies that support creative team (workflow/project management, digital asset management/DAM)
• Experience directing and managing growing team of resources
• Ability to build relationships across teams
• Ability to multi-task, set priorities, and be resourceful in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, interpersonal skills, organizational skills, and positive attitude
• Proven ability to create clarity in ambiguous circumstances, including at the onset of a new project, gathering requirements or managing through revisions