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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and manage creative design operations, ensuring high-quality output and efficient workflows.
- Company: Join a dynamic team in a creative and supportive environment.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career development opportunities, and a passionate team.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by driving creativity and operational excellence.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in creative operations and strong leadership skills.
- Other info: Based in Bath, UK, with excellent growth potential.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
The Studio Director is responsible for providing strategic leadership and operational oversight to the creative design function, ensuring the effective planning, resourcing, workflow management, and delivery of all creative design output. The role exists to bring clarity, structure, and momentum to the studio, enabling consistently high-quality work to be delivered efficiently and to agreed standards.
Sitting at the centre of the creative design operation, the Studio Director ensures that design work is delivered by the right people, at the right time, and in line with business priorities. As a senior leader and line manager for the design team, the role balances creative ambition with operational discipline, working in close partnership with the Creative Director, Product Director, Editorial Director and Production Director to align studio output with strategic objectives. This role is pivotal in building scalable, effective studio systems and fostering an environment in which creative teams are supported, empowered, and able to perform at their best.
Main Duties
- Traffic, Planning & Resourcing
- Own end-to-end traffic and scheduling for the design team, working closely with Design Team Leads.
- Translate product and commercial priorities into clear, achievable creative plans.
- Build and maintain forward-looking capacity plans across permanent designers, freelancers and agencies.
- Balance workloads to avoid bottlenecks.
- Manage prioritisation, dependencies and sequencing across multiple product lines and seasons.
- Proactively identify resourcing risks and recommend solutions (re-prioritisation, freelance support, scope or timeline changes).
- Operations & Workflow
- Design and continuously improve creative design workflows from brief to final delivery and handover to production.
- Ensure briefs are well-formed, prioritised and actionable before work enters the system.
- Implement stage gates, review points and sign-off processes that protect quality and timelines.
- Own and evolve creative project management tools, templates and reporting.
- Drive consistency, transparency and accountability across all creative workstreams.
- Cross-Functional Leadership
- Act as the primary operational interface between Creative, Product and Production teams.
- Partner with Product to align creative output with product strategy, roadmap and commercial goals.
- Work with Production to ensure creative timelines support manufacturing, sourcing and retail deadlines.
- Support the Creative Director in maintaining creative standards while delivering against real-world constraints.
- Facilitate planning, prioritisation and trade-off conversations when demand exceeds capacity.
- Team Leadership & Enablement
- Lead and develop the Creative Design Operations / Traffic / Studio Management function.
- Line-manage and support the design team, fostering clarity and trust.
- Coach teams to work effectively within structured, scalable processes.
- Enable better planning, prioritisation and feedback conversations across creative leadership.
- Promote sustainable ways of working.
- Commercial & Strategic Impact
- Provide leadership with a clear, accurate view of creative capacity, timelines and delivery risks.
- Support decisions around investment in headcount, tools, freelancers and agencies.
- Ensure creative operations scale effectively as the business grows into new categories, markets and channels.
- Help balance innovation and speed-to-market with quality, cost and operational discipline.
- Governance, Reporting & Performance
- Define, track and report on key operational metrics for the design team.
- Ensure compliance with internal governance, brand standards and relevant external requirements.
- Support recruitment planning and hiring alongside the Creative Director and Studio Manager.
Skills and Experience
- Proven experience leading creative operations, studio management, traffic, or resource planning within a fast-paced creative environment.
- Highly organised and structured, with the ability to remain calm under pressure and bring clarity to complex workflows and competing priorities.
- Strong people leadership skills, with a demonstrated ability to support team wellbeing, performance, and professional development.
- Experience operating effectively within matrix organisations, partnering confidently with multiple senior stakeholders.
- Commercially astute, with a clear understanding of how creative delivery supports wider business objectives and outcomes.
- Comfortable challenging priorities, facilitating trade-offs, and making informed, pragmatic recommendations to enable effective decision-making.
What We Offer
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
- Opportunity to work in a creative and supportive environment with a passionate team.
- Career development opportunities and a chance to grow within the company.
Location
This role is based in our Bath office. Please be based in the UK and within commuting distance of Bath.
Studio Director in Taunton employer: Curious Universe
Contact Detail:
Curious Universe Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Studio Director in Taunton
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the creative industry and let them know you're on the lookout for opportunities. You never know who might have the inside scoop on a Studio Director role or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Showcase your leadership skills! When you get the chance to chat with potential employers, highlight your experience in managing teams and driving creative projects. Share specific examples of how you've balanced creativity with operational discipline.
✨Tip Number 3
Be proactive in your approach! If you see a company you admire, don’t wait for them to post a job. Reach out directly through our website and express your interest in contributing to their creative vision as a Studio Director.
✨Tip Number 4
Prepare for interviews by understanding the company's creative output and business goals. Tailor your responses to show how your strategic leadership can align with their objectives and enhance their design operations.
We think you need these skills to ace Studio Director in Taunton
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience in creative operations and studio management. We want to see how your skills align with the role of Studio Director, so don’t hold back on showcasing your relevant achievements!
Showcase Your Leadership Skills: As a senior leader, it’s crucial to demonstrate your people management abilities. Share examples of how you've supported team wellbeing and fostered a positive work environment. We love to see candidates who can inspire and empower their teams!
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it straightforward and to the point. We appreciate clarity, especially when it comes to complex workflows and priorities. Make it easy for us to see how you can bring structure and momentum to our studio!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re keen to join our team at StudySmarter!
How to prepare for a job interview at Curious Universe
✨Know Your Creative Operations
Make sure you understand the ins and outs of creative operations. Brush up on your knowledge about traffic management, resource planning, and how to balance workloads. Being able to discuss specific examples from your past experience will show that you’re ready to take on the Studio Director role.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Studio Director, you'll be leading a team, so it's crucial to demonstrate your people leadership skills. Prepare to share stories about how you've supported team wellbeing and performance in previous roles. Highlighting your ability to foster clarity and trust within a team will resonate well with interviewers.
✨Align with Business Objectives
Familiarise yourself with how creative delivery impacts wider business goals. Be ready to discuss how you've previously aligned creative output with product strategies or commercial objectives. This shows that you understand the bigger picture and can contribute strategically to the company.
✨Prepare for Cross-Functional Conversations
Since this role involves working closely with various departments, practice discussing how you've successfully collaborated with different teams in the past. Be prepared to talk about how you facilitated planning and prioritisation conversations when demand exceeded capacity. This will highlight your ability to navigate complex workflows.
