Studio manager

Critical Playground LLC; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

East JR, a design, build and bespoke joinery studio in Bethnal Green, seeks a studio manager who will be the heart of operations. You’ll keep the studio running smoothly, coordinate enquiries, interpret drawings and manage schedules, while supporting the Founder and wider team.

This role suits a highly organised, proactive communicator who thrives in a fast-paced creative environment and is keen to learn the technical side of interiors and joinery. Full-time on-site position in London.

Qualifications

• Experience in studio management or operations in interiors/architecture/furniture/creative business.
• Excellent organisational skills with ability to manage multiple priorities and detail.
• Proactive, ownership driven and able to keep momentum.
• Strong written and verbal communication with clients and team.
• Interest in interiors and understanding of drawings and schedules.

Responsibilities

• Keep day-to-day studio running smoothly and be a central point of coordination.
• Coordinate incoming enquiries and gather information for each project.
• Understand drawings, specifications and joinery information; support mark-ups and schedules.
• Communicate confidently with clients, suppliers and external contacts.
• Work with Founder to organise priorities, meetings and follow-ups.
• Coordinate recruitment administration and interview scheduling.
• Keep strategic actions and deadlines moving across the team.
• Identify opportunities to simplify workflows as the company grows.
• Help resolve practical issues in a busy studio/workshop.

Skills

Studio management

Highly organised

Proactive

Strong communication

Interest in design/interiors

Learning mindset (technical)

Tools

Google Workspace

Slack

Monday

Job description

East JR is looking for a studio manager to join its team in London.

Location: Bethnal Green, East London

Role: full-time, permanent

Salary: competitive

About us

East JR is a design, build and bespoke joinery studio based in Bethnal Green, East London.

We bring concept design, technical development, construction and joinery together within one team. with our own studio and workshop, we take projects from the first idea through to making and installation, developing ambitious schemes with a clear understanding of cost, buildability and delivery from the outset.

We work across hospitality, commercial and residential interiors, with a team of designers, project managers and makers working closely together throughout the process.

East JR has grown significantly over the past three years, taking on larger and more ambitious projects while continuing to develop the way we work. we’re a close-knit, hands-on team, and our studio and workshop is at the centre of the business: a busy, collaborative place where projects are being designed, developed and made every day.

We’re now looking for a studio manager to become a central part of the team, helping us run the studio and supporting the next stage of East JR’s growth.

The role

This is a varied role for someone who likes being at the heart of things.

Working closely with our Founder and the wider team, you’ll help keep the studio running smoothly, priorities moving and people connected. you will be the person who brings structure to a fast-moving creative environment, making sure day-to-day studio operations run smoothly.

You’ll also be one of the first points of contact for new projects coming into East JR, helping to understand the brief, gather the right information and prepare enquiries before they’re passed on to the relevant sales lead. this will involve developing a practical understanding of interiors and joinery, including how to interpret drawings, schedules and other project information. you don’t need to have done all of this before, but you should be interested in interior design and how things are made, and keen to learn the technical side of the role.

We’re looking for someone warm, capable and highly organised who enjoys taking ownership, solving problems and making things happen.

Key responsibilities

• keep the day-to-day studio running smoothly and be a central point of coordination for the team
• coordinate incoming enquiries, gathering the information needed for each potential project and passing it along to the relevant team member
• developing understanding of drawings, specifications and joinery information, supporting simple mark-ups and schedules where appropriate
• communicating confidently with clients, suppliers, and other external contacts
• work closely with the Founder to organise priorities, meetings and follow-ups
• coordinating recruitment administration, from applications through to setting up interviews
• keeping strategic actions, responsibilities and deadlines moving across the team
• finding opportunities to make our systems and ways of working simpler and more efficient as the company grows
• helping to resolve practical things that come with running a busy studio and workshop

About you

• previous experience in studio management, operations, coordination or a similar role. experience within interiors, architecture, furniture, construction or another creative business would be useful
• highly organised, with the ability to manage multiple priorities without losing sight of the detail
• proactive, resourceful and comfortable taking ownership and making sure things get done
• strong written and verbal communication skills, with the confidence to communicate directly with clients, suppliers and the wider team
• comfortable following things up, chasing actions and keeping momentum when priorities compete
• good judgement and the confidence to work with people at all levels of the business
• an interest in design, interiors and the practical processes behind bringing spaces to life
• curious and willing to learn the more technical aspects of the role, including reading drawings and understanding project information
• happy working full‑time from our Bethnal Green studio
• experience working with project management and collaborative tools such as Monday, Google Workspace, Slack or CRM systems would be very valuable

Working at East JR

You’ll be joining a team of designers, project managers and makers working based in our studio and workshop in Bethnal Green, and working closely with our Founder.

Because our workshop is part of the studio, you’re close to the whole process: from the first conversation about a project through to drawings, prototypes, fabrication and installation. it’s an environment where you can learn a lot about how interiors are actually made.

The role comes with plenty of autonomy and the opportunity to genuinely influence how East JR works as we grow. we want someone who will bring their own ideas, improve things that aren’t working and become an important part of the studio.