Creative Resource Manager (Chicago)

Resource Manager / Creative Resource Manager / Traffic Manager / Operations Resource Lead

Are you a master of orchestration—someone who thrives on balancing people, priorities, and possibilities to help creative teams do their best work? At Tonic3, we’re looking for a Resource Manager to join our growing agency team supporting a leading Fortune 500 brand in the financial space. In this role, you’ll play a key part in aligning talent with business needs—ensuring projects are staffed with the right people, at the right time, for the right work. If you’re energized by team dynamics, operational clarity, and driving impact behind the scenes, this role is made for you.

Position Overview: As a Resource Manager, you’ll be the central connector across creative, project management, and operations teams—overseeing capacity planning, forecasting, and resource allocation across a portfolio of marketing channels. You’ll assess workloads, assign roles thoughtfully based on skills and availability, anticipate staffing bottlenecks, and optimize capacity to meet business priorities. Your work ensures our creative engine runs efficiently and effectively—empowering teams to deliver exceptional results.

Salary: $80,000 - $100,000 per year.

Location:

• Schaumburg, IL (3 days per week in the office, 2 days remote).

What You’ll Do:

• Manage creative resourcing across assigned marketing channels, aligning project needs with team capacity.
• Oversee the intake of resource requests and support assigning designers, writers, motion artists, strategists, and other specialists based on availability, workload, and skills.
• Monitor team utilization and proactively identify gaps, overload risks, and bottlenecks.
• Forecast future resource needs based on pipeline work, project plans, and business priorities.
• Collaborate closely with project managers and creative leads to reprioritize assignments as timelines shift.
• Facilitate communications to review workloads, dependencies, and blockers.
• Create visibility into resourcing plans and maintain accurate capacity dashboards and reports.
• Leverage resource management tools to support scheduling, allocation, and workforce planning.
• Recommend hiring or upskilling strategies to address skill gaps or evolving needs.
• Escalate and resolve capacity risks before they affect delivery.
• Support high-priority projects by coordinating resourcing plans and timelines.
• Participate in kickoff and review meetings to ensure team alignment and staffing readiness.
• Champion workload balance and team wellbeing across creative teams.
• Advocate for thoughtful staffing decisions that support quality, efficiency, and growth.

Who You Are:

• 5+ years of experience in resource management, project management, or traffic management roles.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Communications/Advertising, or a related field.
• Agency experience required.
• Strong understanding of creative workflows and marketing production processes.
• Experience with resource planning, capacity forecasting, and talent allocation.
• Proficiency in resource management tools and project software.
• PMP, PgMP, or similar certification is a plus.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills—you’re trusted by teams.
• Strategic thinker who can see the big picture and still execute details.
• Comfortable navigating fast-paced environments with shifting priorities.
• Ability to drive decision-making and lead conversations with cross-functional partners.
• Experience developing timelines, scopes, or project plans is a plus.
• Organized, proactive, and able to manage both urgency and calm.
• Resilient problem-solver who adapts quickly and sees possibilities—not roadblocks.

Feeling a little unsure if you ticked all the boxes? No worries, my friend! Your unique skills and experiences are truly valuable. So why not take the leap and apply anyway if this opportunity excites you? We are rooting for you!

Why Join Us?

• ⚕️ Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision Coverage
• 401(k)
• Generous Paid Time Off - Vacation, Sick Days & Holidays
• 16 Hours of Volunteer Time Off (VTO) to Give Back to Your Community
• All the Equipment You Need to Do Your Best Work
• Ongoing Learning & Development with a Dedicated Training Budget