Design Operations Manager Jobs

Overview
For over 25 years we’ve been helping our community with essential oil blends that actually work. These essential oil blends treat stress, pain, gut, balance, and support in relaxation prior to sleep, and for symptoms of coughs and colds. We know that a life committed to wellness is greater than one focused on illness, and believe that reaching for natural can enhance your long-term health and wellness, every day.
We have been ranked by Canadian Business and PROFIT as one of Canada’s fastest growing companies. To support us on our journey, we are seeking diverse, purpose-lead people to join our team.
Get ready to celebrate global wellness with us.
Opportunity
Reporting to the Creative Director, the Design Operations Manager will have a significant impact on the success of our packaging and marketing initiatives.
The ideal candidate will have a blend of design understanding, product lifecycle comprehension, leadership, and operational expertise, which will ensure optimal efficiency within our design team.
We are looking for someone highly organized and detail oriented.
Our ideal candidate will have experience in project management tools such as Asana, Monday or Basecamp and knows how to connect one team to another, keep stakeholders informed on delivery dates and are confident when communicating with Executives and Board of Directors.
Managing contractors, agency relationships and showing up in cross functional meetings to outline potential backlogs coming in our pipeline is crucial. The Design Operations Manager is key to building everlasting relationships with our agencies by setting seamless processes. This role will also work closely with our marketing team to ensure clarity in briefs and deliverables, as well as operational and capacity overview as a manager.
All Saje Team Members are responsible for contributing to Saje’s culture and maintaining a positive environment for themselves and their peers.
Responsibilities

• Is up-to-date and knowledgeable on package design, marketing design, and photography process options, systems identifying gaps and opportunities for efficiency.
• Owns departmental budget and invoice reconciliation.
• Owns successful vetting, business case development and integration of new systems.
• Drives workload and capacity within the cross-functional design department.
• Leads with a bird’s eye + 360 view of all design operations.
• Ideally oversees CF operations team members and has a dotted line from other department's operations team managers.
• Manages onboarding and offboarding of internal Team Members & external agency partners in partnership with IT, People and other internal functions.
• Contributes to a team environment where all Team Members consistently experience a sense of belonging and inclusion.
• Drives cross-departmental advice on design timeline feasibility and hurdles.
• Leads contract details and accuracy, a partner to the People Team.
• Enforces departmental timelines set by Traffic Manager.
• Problem-solves design barriers at director + level.

Applicant Requirements

• Rooted in the business of design: cost and time analysis in this arena.
• Excellent communication skills - demonstrated ability to read a room, pace-set in meetings and capture incoming information clearly.
• Exceptional organizational and multitasking abilities with a keen eye for detail.
• Positive attitude and a proactive approach to problem-solving.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, capable of collaborating with cross-functional teams, known for bringing ease and perspective to stressful planning problems.
• Familiar with common workflows between brands and agencies.
• Project Management platform experience. (Monday, asana, basecamp)
• Proven experience as a Design Manager, Studio Lead, Traffic Manager, or similar role in a design, agency and/or creative environment.
• Proficiency in using Sharepoint, Digital Asset Management systems, Microsoft Office.
• Come with recommendations and specific examples of success in this field.
• A passion for design operations and a keen interest in staying updated with industry trends and best practices.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field (project management, communications, design management) or equivalent work experience. (7+ years).
• Proven experience managing multiple external agencies & partners.
• Familiarity with project management methodologies and tools.
• Background in running studio operations, design desks or similar.
• Exposure to ET and Board of Director level communications.
• Ability to work well under pressure. Demonstrated background in keeping an eye on the playing field as well as the players.

Key Relationships
Reporting to the Creative Director