Production Director

Location: York - hybrid or fully remote for the right candidate

Salary: £60k-£75k depending on experience with bonus tied to commercial performance, plus group benefits across the superassembly group.

verse. is at an inflection point we've been working toward for some time. We’re moving from a committed-resource agency into something materially bigger - a senior-led, AI-augmented production powerhouse with a wide client book, a sharper proposition and the operational muscle to scale. Over the next 24 months we're aiming to roughly double the business and we're doing it inside the superassembly group, alongside sister agencies that bring complementary capabilities - including human.plus, our group's AI specialism, working with us as a fractional Head of AI to embed real automation into how we deliver.

We're not chasing scale for its own sake. We're building a senior-heavy team that does brilliant work for clients who genuinely value craft - and that does it with operational rigour and AI leverage rather than by throwing more bodies at the problem. The next two years are about proving that model and growing into it.

How we work

We're a senior-heavy team that takes craft seriously and protects the headspace to do brilliant work. We don't dress up bureaucracy as process and we don't dress up ambiguity as autonomy. We make calls clearly, share context generously and expect each other to push back on thinking when it needs pushing back. Clear briefs, time to think, peers who have your back and a leadership team that takes ownership rather than diluting it. We're remote-first with a York hub for those who want it, we operate on outcome accountability rather than hours-watching and we invest in our people's development as a deliberate part of how we run. Inside the superassembly group you'll work alongside senior peers across adjacent disciplines, broader learning, more cross-pollination and a wider professional network than a single agency of our size could offer alone.

Role overview

We are looking for an experienced, commercially astute Production Director to lead production and delivery across verse. This is a senior leadership role, responsible for shaping how we deliver world-class work across our key existing accounts and the new clients we will win as we evolve our offer. As Production Director, you will own the operating model that powers our squads - the systems, methodology and resourcing that ensure the right people are doing the right work at the right level of quality and pace. You will lead our production capability across all accounts, hold direct accountability for output, schedules and workflows on our most significant client relationship and play a defining role in shaping how verse evolves operationally as we transition to a new commercial model and bring our offer to market. This is a hands‑on leadership role that combines strategic ownership of delivery with day‑to‑day production rigour. You will manage the project management team, work closely with Producers, Content and Creative and partner with the Managing Director on the commercial trajectory of our accounts. You will be a visible representative of verse in pitches and client engagements, demonstrating how our delivery model and production craft are themselves a differentiator in the market.

Why this role is important

This isn't a maintain-and-run seat. The Production Director landing now will design and operate the model that carries verse through its next chapter - the transition to hour‑billed delivery, the absorption of new client wins, the integration of AI into the production stack and the standards and rituals that let a senior squad‑based agency work at scale. Five years from now, when verse is materially bigger and operates differently from how it does today, the operating model and the delivery culture will trace back to decisions you make in your first 12 months. We're looking for someone who's excited by that - by the chance to put their fingerprints on how an agency is built, not just inherit how one runs.

First year expectations

• Designed and rolled out the operating model that powers verse’s transition to hour‑billed delivery, with squads running predictably against utilisation and quality targets.
• Built a resourcing model that lets us deliver brilliantly for our committed client and absorb new wins without compromise.
• Mentored Squad Leads into genuinely owning their accounts - measurable on quality, client NPS and commercial performance.
• Worked alongside human.plus to embed real AI capability into the production stack, raising efficiency by a measurable margin (we’ll set the target together).
• Become a confident external face of verse in pitches and client conversations, with our delivery model and operating rigour proven as a win factor.

Key responsibilities

• Delivery leadership & operating model
• Own and evolve the squad‑based operating model across verse, setting the standards, rituals and governance for how multi‑disciplinary teams deliver client work.
• Lead the transition into hour‑billed delivery as our commercial agreements and client base develop.
• Act as the senior delivery escalation point for clients and squads, with overall accountability for delivery quality and client satisfaction.
• Mentor Squad Leads and ensure consistent quality, reporting and operating standards as we scale to new accounts.
• Chair squad health reviews, retrospectives and capacity planning forums to keep delivery healthy and predictable.
• Own production output, schedules, resourcing and workflows across all client work.
• Lead efficient, documented and consistent production methodology and standards across squads.
• Work with Subject Matter Experts to build technical considerations into production planning.
• Maintain high quality standards across all production deliverables.
• Lead amends reporting for our key client account and equivalent reporting as new accounts onboard.
• Own production processes and tooling, ensuring they are efficient, documented and consistently applied.
• Partner with the Head of AI to embed automation and AI into production workflows, improving efficiency and ways of working.
• Identify and implement workflow, process and quality improvements that drive measurable gains.
• Champion ISO 27001, security and compliance standards across delivery and production.

• Capacity, commercial & resourcing
• Own utilisation targets, capacity planning and resourcing decisions across the team.
• Set and report on billable hours, revenue recovery and commercial performance against client agreements.
• Make squad allocation decisions, balancing account needs, utilisation, new business pitches and growth opportunities.
• Partner with the Managing Director on account trajectory, including commercial risks, opportunities and resourcing strategy.
• Line manage the production team, providing day‑to‑day leadership, mentorship and 1‑to‑1s.
• Foster a positive, high-performance and collaborative culture across squads, supporting wellbeing and development.
• Support formal HR processes, including absence management, probation reviews and performance conversations, while shaping training plans within your area of expertise.
• Collaborate closely with delivery, technical, authoring, content, design and account teams to ensure seamless production execution.
• Sit on the verse leadership team, contributing to agency direction, new business pitches and proposals, particularly around delivery, resourcing and production.

• Performance & reporting
• Lead reporting on delivery, production output, capacity, utilisation and commercial performance.
• Monitor performance trends and take action to address issues.
• Surface risks, opportunities and improvement areas to the Managing Director and broader leadership team.

Qualifications & experience

• Senior agency experience in production, delivery or operations leadership - typically gained over a long career, but more important is the level of work you've owned: leading multi-disciplinary teams, designing operating models and carrying commercial accountability for delivery.
• Proven track record of leading multi-disciplinary teams in a squad or matrix structure, delivering through influence, technical expertise and operational rigour as well as formal authority.
• Strong commercial acumen, including utilisation, capacity planning and reporting against commercial agreements.
• Experience of hour‑billed or time‑and‑materials models is a strong plus.
• Demonstrable experience of designing and evolving operating models, not just running an existing one.
• Curiosity and fluency around AI and automation in delivery contexts and the ability to operationalise these into the production stack.
• Strong communicator, collaborator and people leader, with the ability to bring clarity to ambiguity for the team.
• Organised, detail‑focused and a proactive problem‑solver, calm under pressure.
• Comfortable working in a remote/hybrid environment.

Information security

Keeping our clients' and employees' data safe is a top priority. As part of our commitment to ISO 27001, we expect every team member to:

• Follow our security policies and best practices.
• Spot and report potential security risks.
• Play an active role in raising awareness of data protection and cybersecurity.

By embedding security into everything we do, we maintain high standards of trust, compliance and operational excellence.

Equal opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Recruitment process

• 60‑minute panel with verse’s senior team
• A working session on a real operating‑model challenge we’re facing
• Offer decision within two weeks of the working session

Questions before you apply? Contact Sophie with any questions you have!