Senior Operations Manager Full Time

McCann Manchester Limited

Reporting to our Head of Operations, The Senior Operations Manager will play a critical role in managing and optimising agency resources, focusing on contractor talent sourcing and management, overseeing purchase of external creative services, and a range of technology platform management. They will support the Project Leadership, Creative, and Strategy teams to ensure the delivery of high-quality services at FutureBrand London and assist in the development of wider group operations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Resource Management:
• Oversee the allocation and scheduling of resources across various projects, ensuring optimal utilisation and balancing project demands with available capacity.
• Contractor Talent Sourcing and Management:
• Identify talent requirements for projects, including strategy, creative and production talent across identity, brand, packaging, digital and experience practices. Maintain and extend a comprehensive talent database, liaise with recruitment agencies where necessary, and manage the onboarding and performance of freelancers and contractors.
• External Project Services:
• Manage the vendor selection and quotation process for copywriting, proofreading, typography, photography, illustration, video and similar outsourced deliverables, oversee purchasing, and ensure negotiation and compliance with intellectual property rights in all creative outputs.
• Manage the selection, implementation, and management of technology solutions to enhance operational efficiency and creative output.
• Continuously monitor and report on resource utilisation against targets, ensuring efficient deployment of agency resources aligned with complementary considerations of quality, development, responsiveness and continuity.
• Process Development:
• Review and refine operational processes to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of outputs. Implement new systems or tools as required and ensure process adherence.
• Global Operations:
• Support and advise the Head of Operations to achieve greater group integration, efficiency and effectiveness.
• Line Management to our Operations Coordinator
• Oversee, direct and develop the Operations Coordinator in the execution of their duties and growth in their role.

Key Operational Objectives:

• Develop and implement strategies for efficient resource management and contractor talent sourcing, effective contractor onboarding and on-time collection of accurate contractor timesheet data.
• Streamline Creative Services processes for quotations, purchasing, and IP rights management, improving quality and cost of external services.
• Enhance technology management practices to support agency operations.
• Maintain high levels of utilisation, identifying areas for improvement.
• Innovate and develop operational processes for greater efficiency and effectiveness.

General:

• Foster a culture that values efficiency, creativity, and quality in all operations.
• Collaborate with HR and other departments to align operational strategies with the agency’s overall objectives and culture.
• Continually seek opportunities for process improvement and operational excellence.

The ideal Candidatewill have the following key skills and Experience:

• Proven experience in project management, programme direction, studio management, resource management, or traffic management, ideally within a digital creative agency setting. A background in a similar creative environment is otherwise essential.
• Resource Management: Demonstrated ability to effectively allocate and schedule resources across various projects, balancing demands and capacity, and managing internal stakeholders.
• Talent Sourcing and Management: Expertise in identifying and evaluating strategy, creative and digital talent, maintaining a talent database, and managing the performance of freelancers and contractors.
• Vendor and External Project Management: Experience in managing external service providers, including vendor selection, negotiation, and compliance with IP rights.
• Technology Proficiency: Familiarity with selecting and managing technology solutions to support agency operations.
• Process and Efficiency Improvement: Proven track record in developing and implementing operational processes to enhance efficiency and quality, particularly with respect to digital workflows.
• Utilisation Monitoring: Ability to monitor and report on resource utilisation, identifying areas for operational improvement.
• Global Operations Support: Capacity to support global operational activities and promote group integration and efficiency.

Key Personal Attributes

• A Strategic Thinker: Ability to quickly grasp concepts and develop strategies for efficient resource management and process innovation.
• Problem Solver: Skilled in identifying challenges and implementing effective solutions.
• Leadership Skills: Capable of leading and developing team members, such as an Operations Coordinator, and fostering a collaborative working environment.
• Interpersonal Skills: Consultative and consensus-building, showing strong negotiation abilities to involve and align internal stakeholders.
• Adaptability: Flexibility to adapt to changing environments and challenges, maintaining a focus on agency objectives.
• High Standards: Strong focus on thoroughness, speed, precision and quality in all aspects of work. A tenacious finisher of assigned projects.

Education and Qualifications

• Educated to a degree level in a design related field is preferred, but not essential.
• Any relevant certifications in project management or operations management would be advantageous.

FutureBrand and McCann Worldgroup are an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. We embrace diversity in all its form. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information. If you have a disability, please let us know what adjustments you may need to the recruitment processto perform your best.

FutureBrand is a brand-led business transformation company. We believe that brand is behaviour. For too long, brand has been thought of as intangible when in fact, it is a highly pragmatic business tool that ensures products, services, environments, and employees show up in the world in ways that are consistent with their organisation’s purpose and ambition. We exist to make brand tangible for our clients by connecting brand to experience and design creativity that in turn connects to marketing and business outcomes. This ensures that our work stands out and endures over time.