Creative Operations Manager, Assistant Director

At EY, you’ll have the chance to build a career as unique as you are, with the global scale, support, inclusive culture and technology to become the best version of you. And we’re counting on your unique voice and perspective to help EY become even better, too. Join us and build an exceptional experience for yourself, and a better working world for all.

As a member of our US Creative Services team, you’ll be joining a high-performing in-house creative agency with a digital-first focus in a culture that is agile and inspires you to be your best self every day. On our highly collaborative team, you can combine your energy, vision, creative ideas and passion for continuous learning in a flexible, virtual, diverse work environment. You’ll manage day-to-day operations within your teams as they develop innovative solutions that help drive our clients’ business in a world that never stands still.

The opportunity

As a creative manager, you’ll lead a multi-disciplinary virtual team of 20-30 team members whose focus is to understand our internal clients’ business to develop innovative, insightful go to market materials that contribute to driving growth and revenue for the firm. You’ll leverage prior management experience, leadership insight and industry background to drive your success in this role.

You’ll be part of an expansive and talented management team working independently and collaboratively to develop and lead the implementation of strategic organizational plans. You’ll be empowered to contribute, learn from and grow with other creative managers. Your ideas will be valued and heard, and you’ll have opportunities to innovate and take part in efforts that help advance our creative team.

Your key responsibilities

You can expect to be accountable for people management processes that involve staffing, training, supervising, coaching, developing and performance management to achieve a high-performing team. You’ll be managing creative personnel; setting and driving team goals, identifying training opportunities, providing day-to-day direction and developing team members to reach their full potential in line with our strategy. You’ll be serving as a knowledge resource for direct reports regarding functional discipline, operational, procedural and administrative matters. You’ll be responsible for successfully managing key performance indicators (KPI’s) that support financial and operational performance for your team. Your ability to assess performance data through analyzing team metrics and dashboards will help you make sound business decisions.

You’ll collaborate with the account manager on developing the operational account strategy for internal clients while having a strong understanding of their business objectives, strategy and goals to provide exceptional service delivery. Your understanding of the team structure and skill set coupled with the firm's knowledge resource’s will empower you to develop staff and support various business units across the organization.

Skills and attributes for success

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to model by example
• Ability to build and leverage relationships and exercise influence with multiple internal groups across all levels of the organization
• Excellent communication skills, active listening and diplomacy when working with team members and business partners
• Ability to analyze data and KPI’s to make sound business decisions
• Proactive and independent thinker, strong ability to problem solve and consistently operates with a growth mindset
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in a high-performing culture

To qualify for the role, you must have

• Bachelor's degree in graphic design, digital media or a related discipline or equivalent training and work experience
• Eight-plus years of creative management experience in a related industry working in a fast-paced, matrixed agency or in-house team environment
• Five-plus years of supervisory experience leading and counseling a team of creatives
• Strong conflict resolution, negotiation, influencing and persuasion abilities
• Demonstrated business acumen and strategic thinking skills
• Experience and proficiency in Mac and PC environments, Microsoft Office, Teams, Outlook, Adobe Creative Cloud and Workfront or some type of project tracking tool
• Comprehensive knowledge in creative industry practices, digital trends, innovation and technology
• Experience working in a virtual environment with flexibility for a hybrid work arrangement - remotely and at local EY office as required by business needs

Ideally, you’ll also have

• Experience managing and leading people in a virtual environment
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and thrive in a time-sensitive environment
• Proven ability to problem solve and navigate a highly matrixed organization

What we look for

We look for engaging communicators with executive presence and the ability to boldly lead others through conflict and challenging situations. We welcome strategic, collaborative and consultative thinkers with a growth mindset and an aptitude for creative problem solving with the ability to quickly identify alternative solutions.