Director of Creative Operations

Director Of Creative Operations & Production

My client is an AI-powered spend platform that helps companies spend with confidence through integrated corporate cards, banking, and global payments — along with intuitive software for travel and expenses. Tens of thousands of companies, from startups to enterprises, use the platform to proactively control spend, reduce costs, and increase efficiency at scale. Working here means pushing your limits, challenging the status quo, and collaborating with some of the brightest minds in the industry. My client is committed to building a diverse, inclusive culture where your potential is only limited by how big you can dream — supported by the tools, resources, and opportunities to grow your career.

They create experiences that make complex systems feel effortless through thoughtful, scalable design. Whether crafting interfaces, shaping product strategy, or leveraging AI to empower users, the team is deeply focused on quality and clarity. It's a place where creativity meets high craft — and where designers grow by building for ambitious customers.

What You'll Do

My client is seeking an experienced Director of Creative Operations & Production to own and evolve the creative production function within the brand organization. This is not a from-scratch build — there's already a team in place, foundational systems established, and meaningful work in motion. The opportunity is to shape, refine, and elevate how everything operates. Reporting to the Chief Design Officer, you'll work across brand, marketing, product design, engineering, and finance to raise the bar on how high-quality creative work gets made. You'll also serve as a close partner to the Executive Creative Director — translating creative vision into operational reality, anticipating team needs, and creating the conditions for the broader team to do their best work. This role is ideal for someone who can step into an existing foundation, quickly assess what's working, and apply strong judgment to make it significantly better.

Where You'll Work

This role is based in San Francisco in a hybrid environment, combining in-office collaboration with flexibility to work from home. The team is currently in-office three days per week (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday), with additional flexibility including up to four weeks per year of fully remote work.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Operational Excellence

Assess, refine, and evolve the operational infrastructure for brand creative — including intake systems, resourcing frameworks, sprint structures, review cadences, and cross-team communication. The foundation exists; your role is to bring clarity, rigor, and a strong point of view to how the function runs.

Production Of Brand Initiatives

Own end-to-end production of high-impact brand work — campaigns, product launches, OOH, photo and video, events, and experiential. You'll lead a small team of producers while staying close enough to the work to maintain quality and creative integrity.

Executive Creative Director Partnership

Act as a trusted operational partner to the ECD — helping bring creative vision to life, removing friction, and enabling focus on the highest-impact work. You're not just executing the vision; you're helping evolve it.

Team Development & Culture

Lead, mentor, and develop a small but high-performing production team. Foster strong collaboration, retention, and growth, while contributing to hiring strategy as the team scales.

Budget & Financial Management

Own brand creative budgets end-to-end — including forecasting, tracking, cost center management, and vendor optimization. Bring precision and transparency to how resources are allocated.

Stakeholder Alignment & Cross-Functional Partnership

Navigate a wide range of stakeholders — across brand, marketing, product design, people, finance, and recruiting — balancing creative ambition with operational realities.

Workflow & Tool Innovation

Continuously evaluate and improve tools and systems (project management, DAM, AI-enabled workflows). Bring a clear perspective on how technology can reduce friction without compromising craft.

Requirements

• 10+ years in production leadership across creative studios, production companies, or in-house brand teams
• Proven ability to inherit and significantly improve creative operations (not just maintain them)
• Strong experience across multiple production types: campaigns, product launches, film/photo, events, OOH, and digital
• Financial fluency, including budgeting, forecasting, and vendor management
• Exceptional cross-functional communication and stakeholder management skills
• Experience developing producers and building strong, scalable team culture
• Comfortable operating in fast-paced, evolving environments

Bonus Points

• Experience across both agency and in-house environments
• Background managing DAM platforms and tool migrations (e.g., Air, Bynder, Monday.com)
• Familiarity with product development workflows and design systems
• Experience integrating AI tools into production workflows
• Background in fintech, B2B tech, or other high-growth environments