Content Operations & Innovation Lead

We're looking for someone who bridges creative execution and operational excellence. Someone who thinks like a strategist about systems, clients, and workflows, but isn’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and optimize day-to-day operations. You'll own an always-on content development, manage content creators, propose solutions to fit our budget constraints, and continuously evolve how we work using AI. If you're curious, adaptable, and driven by impact—not just tasks—this is for you.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Operations & System Design: Design and evolve end-to-end content production workflows that scale efficiently across multiple client brands. Build systems and processes that reduce friction, improve predictability, and enable flexibility when client needs shift. Define proposal assessment frameworks; partner with brand-management teams to scope projects accurately and allocate resources strategically. Continuously measure and improve KPIs around turnaround time, quality, cost per output and team utilisation.
• AI Integration & Innovation: Support the Head of Innovation in rolling out the agency’s AI strategy to identify where AI adds the most value. Partner with the AI product and innovation manager to build business cases and implement solutions for clients. Pioneer new ways of working that combine human creativity with AI capability. Lead AI-enabled content operations.
• Always-On Content Strategy & Execution: Design and own content workflows for multiple clients and accounts simultaneously. Propose and implement a content workflow that balances an always-on cadence. Anticipate risks early and proactively solve problems.
• Cross-Functional Influence & Finance Ownership: Work closely with cross-disciplinary teams to understand client needs and align operations accordingly. Design tiered service models and rate-cards towards an efficiency-based model. Partner with the leadership team on pricing strategy, client profitability analysis and growth opportunities in content and AI services.
• Team Leadership & Capability Building: Lead and develop a growing team of content specialists, shooters and editors. Set talent standards and build a culture of excellence and ownership. Mentor team members on operational thinking and AI integration; build capability for autonomous decision-making. Assess team capacity and growth needs that are aligned with the agency’s strategy. Define and maintain quality standards, delivery timelines and brand consistency across content output.

What Are We Looking For?

• Strategic operations leadership: you think in systems, data and financial impact. You can set strategy, build teams and execute with accountability.
• Financial acumen: you’re comfortable with numbers, pricing strategy, capacity planning and margin optimisation.
• Content production expertise: you have deep knowledge of content workflows, production management and quality standards.
• Team leadership: you’ve built and led teams; you know how to recruit, develop talent and create accountability.
• AI strategy & integration: you understand where AI drives value in content production; you can build a roadmap and lead implementation.
• Proposal & scoping mastery: you can assess complex client needs, recommend service models and allocate resources strategically.
• Cross-functional influence: you communicate clearly with creative, account and strategy teams; you can influence without authority.

Success Measures

• Ability to build scalable systems under constraints.
• Team multiplier effect focused on quality and outcome of what the team produces.
• AI as operational leverage and adoption internally and externally.
• Financial accountability to drive measurable business impact.

Why This Role Matters

Content production is one of the key driving functions in modern agencies. You’ll be part of the team that builds and transforms it into a productive and innovative offering. And you’ll do so by re-imagining how AI and operations work together. This is a role for a strategic leader who wants to build something that compounds. Efficient systems, capable teams and a new way of working that shifts the entire agency forward.

Job Specifications

1. Knowledge and Experiences Required: 8–12 years of experience in an integrated agency, content operations or digital delivery environment. Proven experience leading high-volume, multi-stream content ecosystems across digital, social and BTL touchpoints. Strong understanding of end-to-end production processes across formats (video, static, web, experiential). Demonstrated ability to design and scale content workflows and operational systems across multiple accounts. Experience managing complex, always-on content programmes with multiple stakeholders and dependencies. Strong commercial acumen, including experience in scoping, pricing models, resource planning and profitability management. Familiarity with content platforms, automation tools and AI-driven workflows, with practical application in production or operations. Experience leading teams and developing capability within content or production functions.
2. Skills Required: Strong operational leadership with the ability to design, implement and optimise scalable workflows. Confident in driving delivery across multiple workstreams with high levels of complexity. Excellent stakeholder management, with the ability to influence senior clients and internal leads. Clear and structured communicator, able to articulate trade-offs, risks and recommendations effectively. Strong commercial and financial thinking, with the ability to balance quality, speed and cost. Ability to integrate AI and automation into workflow to improve efficiency and output. High level of problem-solving ability, with a focus on practical and scalable solutions.
3. Attributes: Strategic and systems-oriented thinker, with strong execution discipline. Calm and decisive under pressure, able to navigate ambiguity and competing priorities. High-ownership mindset, accountable for both delivery and outcomes. Collaborative leader who builds trust and drives alignment across teams. Detail-oriented with a strong focus on quality, consistency and operational rigour. Proactive and improvement-driven, constantly identifying opportunities to optimise ways of working. Committed to developing teams and building long-term capability within the agency.