Creative Studio Manager in London

The Creative Services Manager leads the Creative Studio - the internal production function at the heart of our marketing team. You are the single front door for all creative and artwork production across two supplement brands Bio-Kult and Protexin, a growing DTC business and a global eCommerce operation. You manage a small team of coordinators, run the studio brief process, govern brand guidelines across every asset that leaves the studio and manage the external agency and print supplier relationship that sit alongside the in-house capability. This is not a purely executional role - it requires operational rigour, regulatory awareness, confident stakeholder management and the ability to hold the line on brief quality and timelines when senior stakeholders push back. This role is working on a hybrid working schedule of 3 days a week in the office, 2 from home, and can be based in London or Somerset.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creative studio day to day - brief intake, sprint planning, capacity management, quality control and SLA delivery across all production work.
• Chair the weekly brief prioritisation meeting alongside the Sr. Digital Marketing Manager. Resolve capacity conflicts. Escalate unresolvable conflicts to line manager.
• Enforce the brief template standard. Return incomplete briefs to the requester with clear guidance on what is missing. Do not start work on an incomplete brief.
• Maintain the studio virtual sprint board. Ensure all brief-owning teams have real-time visibility of brief status, timelines and risks.
• Build the studio capability over time - identify skill gaps, develop coordinator talent, and contribute to insourcing decisions with evidence from production experience.
• Own end-to-end artwork production for packaging across both B2C Brands Protexin and Bio-Kult - amends, claims updates, regulatory copy changes, new format builds and print-ready file preparation.
• Produce and adapt digital assets for media, DTC (Shopify product pages, email templates landing pages), Amazon A+ content, retailer digital shelf and brand campaigns - a focus on production.
• Maintain and apply brand guidelines consistently across all output for both the Animal and Human brands. Be the Guardian of visual brand standards in production.
• Manage the artwork approval workflow - one named approver per brief, consolidated feedback, maximum two amend rounds. Flag when bypassed.
• Oversee packaging artwork from brief through to print-ready file, working closely with the NPD Project Managers on both brands and the Packaging Manager in CD&D.
• Ensure compliance with GS1 standards & 2D technology for product barcodes and pharmacodes.
• Ensure all artwork produced by the studio - and reviewed from agencies - is compliant with relevant regulatory requirements before going to print or live.
• Work closely with the Senior Marketing Managers and Project Managers to confirm claims sign-off is in place before artwork production begins.
• Maintain an artwork compliance checklist used on every packaging file before it leaves the studio. Escalate any claims or regulatory uncertainty to the Sr Marketing Managers or Digital Marketing Manager immediately.
• For export and international packaging, work with the Brand Manager & Project Managers to ensure local regulatory requirements are met. Do not approve artwork without market-specific sign off.
• Manage the packaging design agencies as needed and print supplier relationship within the agency framework - working closely with Packaging Manager in CD&D.
• Apply the in-house versus agency routing rules for every piece of work. Route to agency only where the four routing criteria are met. Identify and action insourcing opportunities as studio capability develops.
• Brief and manage external photography, structural packaging and die line agencies for one-off specialist projects. Own the brief quality and commercial relationship.
• Contribute to the monthly internal agency review - present quality scorecard, flag any relationship issues and identify work types ready to bring in-house.

Qualifications

• Degree in Graphic Design, or similar preferred.
• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite - specifically InDesign and Illustrator to professional production standard. Photoshop and After Effects desirable. Motion production desirable.
• Experience working and implementing procedures within an ERP system.
• High level experience working with linear and 2D barcodes.
• Experience working within a QMS raising and recording CA/PA linked to print/packaging quality issues.

Education & Experience

• Minimum 5 years in creative production, artwork or studio management role in an agency or brand side with experience in CPG, FMCG, food, supplement, animal health, pharmacy or health and wellness brands.
• Demonstrated experience managing a studio or internal creative production team - including brief intake, capacity planning and SLA management.
• Packaging artwork production experience - specifically working with print-ready files, managing print suppliers and understanding pre-press requirements.
• Experience managing external agency relationships - briefing, amends management, quality review & commercial governance.
• Direct line management experience - at least one direct report manage through a formal review cycle.
• Working knowledge or regulatory and claims compliance requirements for product artwork. Supplement, food or pharmaceutical category experience strongly preferred.
• Experience producing digital content for eCommerce or DTC channels - Amazon content, email templates, social assets or Shopify product page imagery.
• Highly proficient with using Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop.
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of digital and conventional printing processes.
• Comprehensive experience working with suppliers, developing new formats and cutter guides for label and carton packaging.