Creative Traffic and Studio Manager

SUMMARY:
Creative Traffic and Studio Manager

POSITION INFO:

We seek an organised, proactive and solutions-driven Creative Traffic & Studio Manager to join Creative Studio team.

This role is responsible for managing the day-to-day flow of creative work through the studio, coordinating people, priorities and resources, and ensuring projects are delivered accurately, efficiently and on time.

Work closely with the Creative Director to help manage the operational side of the Creative Studio. Act as an extension of the Creative Director, helping to manage meetings, priorities, deadlines, stakeholder communication and team workflow, allowing the Creative Director to focus on creative direction, strategy and leadership.

The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of creative and design processes, combined with excellent traffic management, project management and people coordination skills.

Creative Studio Traffic & Workflow

Manage the day-to-day workflow of all creative projects from briefing through to final delivery.

Review incoming briefs to ensure they are clear, complete and contain all required information, assets and deadlines.

Allocate work across designers and creative resources based on priorities, capacity, skill sets and deadlines.

Maintain accurate project timelines, production schedules and workload trackers.

Monitor all studio jobs and proactively identify delays, bottlenecks, resource constraints and conflicting priorities.

Assess urgent requests and determine the appropriate priority without compromising existing commitments.

Ensure projects move efficiently through briefing, design, feedback, approval and final delivery.

Understand creative and design processes well enough to identify potential issues before they impact delivery.

Creative Director Support

Act as a key support function to the Creative Director in managing the day-to-day operation of the Creative Studio.

Assist with managing meetings, agendas, priorities and follow-ups.

Attend relevant meetings on behalf of, or alongside, the Creative Director where required.

Ensure actions, decisions and deadlines from meetings are captured and followed through.

Help manage the Creative Director''''s priorities and ensure important projects and deadlines remain on track.

Escalate critical issues, resource constraints and risks to the Creative Director early.

Take ownership of operational challenges and propose practical solutions rather than simply escalating problems.

Stakeholder & Team Coordination

Act as a central point of contact between the Creative Studio, Marketing, Digital, properties and other internal stakeholders.

Manage communication between stakeholders and the creative team to ensure projects remain on track.

Follow up on briefs, content, feedback, approvals and outstanding actions.

Consolidate stakeholder feedback and ensure it is clearly communicated to the relevant creative team members.

Manage stakeholder expectations and negotiate realistic timelines where required.

Encourage accountability across the creative workflow.

Build strong relationships with internal teams and external suppliers.

Studio Capacity & Performance

Monitor team workload, capacity and resource allocation.

Identify potential resource conflicts and recommend solutions.

Help balance workloads across the creative team.

Track turnaround times and identify opportunities to improve studio efficiency.

Develop and implement processes that improve workflow, communication and delivery.

Maintain accurate job records and project management systems.

Compile regular reports on studio workload, project status, deadlines, capacity and outstanding work.

Coordinate external suppliers and production partners where required.

 Essential pre-requisites:

Matric (NQF 4)

Relevant qualification in Graphic Design, Marketing, Communications, Project Management, Business Management or a related field.

Minimum 3 years'''' experience in creative traffic management, studio coordination, project management, account management or a similar role.

Previous experience working within an agency, in-house creative studio, marketing department or fast-paced creative environment.

Strong understanding of graphic design, creative production and the creative development process.

Excellent organisational and time-management skills, strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Confidence to manage stakeholders, challenge unrealistic deadlines and negotiate priorities.

Ability to remain calm and solutions-focused under pressure.

Experience with project management, workflow or task-management platforms will be advantageous.