Creative Studio Manager (Maternity Cover)

Special Projects; London Borough of Richmond upon Thames; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 35,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Dog-friendly workplace

4-day workweek

Job summary

Special Projects, a design and invention studio in Richmond, London, is hiring an Operations & Growth Lead for a 12-month maternity cover starting February 15, 2027. The role focuses on greeting clients, maintaining an immaculate space, and managing the commercial pipeline from lead triage to proposals.

The position is 4 days per week: in-studio Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 10am-6pm; Wednesday is usually remote. UK right to work required; salary £32,000 per annum (based on £40,000 FTE).

Qualifications

• Strong organisational and space-management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• On-site in Richmond three days per week.

Responsibilities

• Manage Directors' diaries and triage non-urgent queries.
• Maintain studio hospitality and client welcoming spaces.
• Oversee studio environment, canteen, repairs, and stock.
• Maintain CRM, triage leads, and prepare quarterly reviews.
• Draft project proposals with budgets and timelines.
• Coordinate recruitment communications and onboarding.
• Lead B-Corp reporting and sustainability initiatives.

Skills

Gatekeeping

Studio hospitality

Operations management

CRM management

Proposal drafting

Client relationship

Team coordination

Tools

CRM software

Job description

About Special Projects

Special Projects is a design and invention studio in Richmond, London, founded by designer Clara Gaggero Westaway and magician Adrian Westaway. Our mission is to enhance the unquantifiable aspects of life (empathy, wellbeing and delight) through meaningful design and invention.

We're a small team of designers, researchers and inventors, guided by five values: relevance, empathy, clarity, magic and optimism. We're also a certified B Corp. We work with brave companies to bring clarity to complex problems and turn them into products and experiences people love. Our clients include the BBC, Braun, Google, Lego, Logitech, Samsung, Sonos and the University of Oxford. You can see more of our work at .

The Role

We are looking for an enthusiastic, hyper-organised Operations & Growth Lead to join Special Projects for a 12-month maternity cover starting February 15, 2027.

We are looking for someone who takes immense pride in maintaining an immaculate physical space, greeting clients with warmth, running smooth operational systems, and seamlessly managing our commercial pipeline from lead triage to project proposals.

This position is 4 days per week. In-studio Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 10am-6pm. Wednesday is usually remote.

UK right to work is required (we cannot provide sponsorship for this role).

Salary: £32,000 per annum (Based on £40,000 Full-Time Equivalent).

Requirements

Core Responsibilities

• The Right Hand: Act as a polite but firm gatekeeper for the Directors' diaries, intercepting non-urgent queries to protect their deep-work focus. Proactively unblock your own workflows by extracting the decisions and approvals you need from them.
• Studio Hospitality: Ensure the first point of contact with Special Projects is empathic, magical, and efficient. Create a welcoming space for clients, prepare meeting rooms, and organise refreshments.
• Immaculate Environment: Take absolute ownership of the studio's physical state. Manage the canteen, coordinate repairs, maintain plants, and ensure the space is exceptionally tidy and fully stocked at all times.

Growth & Commercial

• Pipeline & CRM Management: Meticulously maintain our CRM, triage inbound leads, execute outbound target outreach, and run relentless follow-ups so no prospect ever goes cold. Produce quarterly sales and pipeline reviews for the Directors.
• Proposals & Procurement: Work autonomously to draft project proposals (including project team, budget, and timeline) after an initial strategic briefing with the Directors.
• Client Nurture & Marketing: Project-manage the seasonal newsletter, organise quarterly check-ins with past clients, and act as the event producer for intimate networking dinners for our core advocates.

Operations, Cadence & B-Corp

• Studio Rhythm & Logistics: Own recurring internal meeting agendas and follow-ups (Ops, New Business Pulse, Strategy Reviews). Organise logistics for interviews, workshops, photoshoots, travel, and health & safety compliance.
• Project Close-Out & Frameworks: Monitor weekly time logging, compile post-project profitability data, run client satisfaction surveys, and oversee project archiving.
• Talent & Culture: Manage recruitment communications, schedule candidate interviews, onboard new staff on studio manuals**,**, and organise quarterly team-bonding initiatives.
• B-Corp Champion: Act as the studio's B-Corp lead, preparing the end-of-year impact report and taking full responsibility for the recertification process.

About You

• Studio Presence: As this role involves managing the day to day running of our studio, you will need to be on site in Richmond three days a week, with a reliable and manageable commute.
• Exceptionally Tidy & Proactive: You do not wait to be asked to clean a space, fix a broken process, or restock an item. You see what needs to be done and execute it with pride.
• Systemic Mind: You thrive on creating simple, efficient frameworks, handling multitasking effortlessly in a fast-paced creative studio environment.
• Communication: You possess excellent, confident communication skills and bring a positive, optimistic energy to the team and our clients every single day.

(Please note: Special Projects is a dog-friendly workplace, and we currently have a studio puppy who is in the office regularly!)

Special Projects is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive team and studio culture. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences.

We are particularly keen to hear from women, trans and gender-nonconforming people, candidates from Black, Asian, and minoritised ethnic backgrounds, disabled and neurodivergent individuals, and caregivers—groups currently underrepresented in the design and technology sectors.

If you need any reasonable adjustments during the application or interview process to help you show your best work, please let us know so we can discuss how best to support you. In line with our inclusive hiring practices, we do not request credit checks or criminal record disclosures during the application process; any necessary background screening would only occur upon extending a formal job offer.