Creative Production Manager in London

At Warner Music Group, we’re a global collective of music makers and music lovers, tech innovators and inspired entrepreneurs, game-changing creatives and passionate team members. Here, we turn dreams into stardom and audiences into fans. We are guided by three core values that underpin everything we do across all our diverse businesses:

• Curiosity: We do our best work when we’re immersing ourselves in culture and breaking through barriers. Curiosity is the driving force behind creativity and ingenuity. It fuels innovation, and innovation is the key to our future.
• Collaboration: Making music and bringing it to the world is all about the power of originality amplified by teamwork. A great idea, like a great song, travels globally. We ignite passions and build connections across our diverse community of artists, songwriters, partners, and fans.
• Commitment: We pursue excellence for our team and our talent. Everything in music starts with a leap into the unknown, and we’re committed to keeping the faith, acting with integrity, and delivering on our promises.

WMG is home to a wide range of artists, musicians, and songwriters that fuel our success. That is why we are committed to creating a work environment that actively values, appreciates, and respects everyone. We encourage applications from people with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences.

A little bit about our team: The Creative Production team plays a key role within Warner Music UK’s physical and digital supply chain. We are the central cog that keeps things ticking. Uniquely, we work closely with almost all departments within the company, such as A&R, Marketing, Commercial, Finance, Business Affairs, Production, Digital Operations, Press & Promotions as well as designers, artists and their management.

Your role: Working on the Frontline side of the business you will get to work on the company’s newest music from legendary record labels; Atlantic, Parlophone and Warner Records. We love making tangible music products for fans that reflect our music and artist’s intentions, but we are also at the forefront of how music companies are navigating the ever-changing digital landscape.

It’s our job to ensure all our physical and digital releases come out on time, securely, looking and sounding the best they possibly can be, priced appropriately and with sustainability in mind. Here you’ll get to:

• You’ll be responsible for originating all physical and digital formats for your own roster of key artists across all three Frontline labels, including boxsets, vinyl records, CD/DVD/Blu-Ray and digital releases.
• This will include researching previous sales history and competitor analysis to help decide potential product line up, under consultation with the Label/Artist/Management/Commercial and designers, sourcing music and label copy from A&R, mastering and cutting studios, coordinating the design, repro, final approval and the delivery of production parts by the relevant deadline.
• In particular you’ll likely project-manage high profile, high specification campaigns. This will involve coordinating the development of complex products from inception, by working closely with designers, artist management, print specialists, and WMIS’ Product prep team.
• Refine product mock-ups and proofs where needed, and ensure highest level of QC across print & production processes.
• Define and communicate critical paths for key releases across multiple formats, including D2C releases and ensure they are met.
• Circulate regular project updates to stakeholders; address and resolve physical or digital format issues/concerns.
• Working closely with Digital Operations & PDM, coordinate timely origination and ingest of all standard/high-resolution/Immersive digital formats, in line with latest industry standards and future developments.
• QC of digital audio files to validate integrity; 16bit/24bit HD WAVs and a range of sample rates etc.
• Obtain product costs across all releases, working closely with Finance, Commercial and Marketing to bring packaging specs within agreed guidelines. Coordinating cost approval from WMUK Finance ahead of parts delivery.
• Ensure Confidential and Security releases follow relevant procedures at all times, coordinating global security plans and best practices. Liaising with international affiliates, the IFPI amongst other advisory bodies where necessary.
• Securely sending some of the company’s pre-release music out to internal/external contacts around the world such as Spotify, Apple, high-profile journalists, radio producers etc. to help attain promotion/reviews, whilst also preventing leaks.
• Directly contributing to developments and new features of the promo system and iOS/Android apps.

About you: You have first class project management skills, with the ability to coordinate and execute campaigns with external partners. A versatile attitude and ability to prioritise workload effectively. You are highly organised and efficient with the ability to meet deadlines in an often pressurised environment. Experience of design packages such as Photoshop and InDesign and a keen eye for design and detail. Knowledge of the print process, materials, finishes etc. Experience in vinyl production. You have an excellent understanding of digital files and music technology with experience using a wide variety of IT systems on a day-to-day basis. Collaborative, team player, ability to form good relationships with colleagues (internally & externally). Pro-active & forward thinking. Shows an interest in current trends and regularly researches the industry for new packaging ideas and processes. You will ideally have previous experience in a similar role within a record label or similar environment, for a minimum of 3 years.

We’d love it if you also had: An interest in sustainability, particularly as it relates to music formats and packaging. Experience in project managing the development of IT systems; ability to consider implications of GUI changes, testing in UAT environments and roll out of new developments, including subsequent training.

This position requires a minimum of 4 days per week in the office. We value in-office collaboration, which is essential for talent development and strong working relationships. WMG is committed to inclusion and diversity in all aspects of our business. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and will evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, religion or belief, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, disability, pregnancy, childbirth or any other characteristic protected by law.