Creative Services Manager

Simon and Schuster Books; Toronto; On-site; CAD 95,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Simon & Schuster Canada is seeking an experienced Creative Services Manager to lead the team responsible for book covers, marketing materials, digital assets, and related projects. The role emphasizes strategic leadership, cross‑functional collaboration, and cost‑effective delivery across publishing programs.

The ideal candidate combines strong creative vision with operational excellence, guiding editorial, marketing, publicity, and production colleagues to achieve brand consistency and

Qualifications

• 5+ years of publishing, creative, design, or marketing experience.
• Experience leading creative teams and managing complex operations.
• Strong understanding of publishing workflows, book design, marketing creative, and production processes.
• Ability to balance creative excellence with operational execution.
• Exceptional communication, project management, and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Creative Services team.
• Oversee the creation and delivery of book covers, marketing materials, digital assets, sales materials, and other creative projects.
• Commission and art direct illustrators, photographers, and freelance designers while maintaining hands‑on involvement in the design process.
• Establish creative priorities, allocate resources, and manage department workflows.
• Partner with Editorial, Marketing, Publicity, Sales, and Production teams to ensure creative work supports publishing objectives.
• Manage creative project timelines, budgets, and external creative resources.
• Ensure consistent creative standards and brand excellence across all channels.
• Evaluate and improve creative processes, systems, and ways of working to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
• Monitor publishing, design, consumer, and marketplace trends to inform creative strategy.
• Present creative recommendations and strategic direction to senior leadership.
• Foster a culture of creativity, collaboration, innovation, and accountability.

Skills

Leadership

Creative direction

Project management

Stakeholder management

Communication

Tools

Adobe Creative Cloud

HTML

Java/Flash

Job description

Simon & Schuster Canada is seeking an experienced, organized, and strategic Creative Services Manager to lead the creative work across the company. This role is responsible for overseeing the organization, development, execution, and delivery of high-quality creative work that supports Simon & Schuster Canada’s publishing program, authors, brands, and business objectives.

The Creative Services Manager will lead a small design team, while managing creative workflows, resource allocation, budget, and cross-functional collaboration. Working closely with the Publisher and President, and the VP Marketing and Communications as well as the Editorial, Marketing, Publicity, Sales, Production, and senior leadership teams, this role ensures creative output is visually compelling, commercially and cost effective, and aligned with Simon & Schuster Canada’s strategic goals.

The ideal candidate is a strong creative leader who combines exceptional visual judgement with operational excellence, team leadership, and a deep understanding of the publishing industry.

Salary Range: $95,000-105,000

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Creative Services team
• Oversee the creation and delivery of book covers, marketing materials, digital assets, sales materials, and other creative projects
• Commission and art direct illustrators, photographers, and freelance designers when appropriate, while maintaining hands‑on involvement in the design process.
• Establish creative priorities, allocate resources, and manage department workflows
• Partner with Editorial, Marketing, Publicity, Sales, and Production teams to ensure creative work supports publishing objectives
• Manage creative project timelines, budgets, and external creative resources
• Ensure consistent creative standards and brand excellence across all channels
• Evaluate and improve creative processes, systems, and ways of working to increase efficiency and effectiveness
• Monitor publishing, design, consumer, and marketplace trends to inform creative strategy
• Present creative recommendations and strategic direction to senior leadership
• Foster a culture of creativity, collaboration, innovation, and accountability

Qualifications

• 5+ years of publishing, creative, design, or marketing experience
• Previous experience leading creative teams and managing complex creative operations
• Strong understanding of publishing workflows, book design, marketing creative, and production processes
• Proven ability to balance creative excellence with operational execution
• Exceptional communication, project management, and stakeholder management skills
• Experience managing budgets, vendors, freelancers, and external creative partners
• Strong strategic thinking and business acumen
• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, InDesign), familiarity with HTML and Java/Flash and creative production workflows

Preferred Attributes

• Deep understanding of the Canadian and international publishing landscape
• Strong leadership presence and ability to influence across functions
• Passion for books, storytelling, and audience engagement
• Collaborative, solutions-oriented, and highly organized
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment