Creative Services Manager

Colenso BBDO; Auckland; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Colenso BBDO in Auckland is seeking a Creative Services Manager to shape workflow into the creative and design teams, enabling ideas to flourish. You’ll partner with Creative Leadership, translating priorities into action.

You’ll coordinate projects, balance briefs, manage timelines, and safeguard resources. You’ll oversee awards submissions and help move work from concept to world stage.

Qualifications

• 4+ years in an agency environment or similar role.
• Experience with award submissions is a bonus.
• Familiarity with the creatives process and resourcing briefs.
• Self-starter who can work with limited supervision.
• Proven ability to build trusted partnerships.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and solution-focused.
• Passion for creativity, culture and elevating work.
• Collaborative team player with mentoring ability.

Responsibilities

• Manage casting of briefs within the department.
• Oversee current and incoming briefs, prioritise and allocate resources.
• Help manage the GCD diaries and schedules.
• Oversee financial aspects of work.
• Collaborate with Account Management and Production to identify bottlenecks.
• Advocate for the creatives and the department.

Skills

Agency experience

Award submissions

Creative process

Self-starter

Partnership building

Ambiguity handling

Mentorship

Culture & creativity

Job description

Don’t take too much notice of the job description.

Making good shit happen is highly unpredictable.

(But for legal reasons, see the JD below.)

Colenso.

We are one of the most awarded agencies for creativity and effectiveness, making unconventional ideas for brands across Asia-Pacific, America, and beyond. A constant annoying itch for the global creative establishment.

We exist to destroy the indifference between good brands and culture. We don’t believe in selling ads. Our focus is using creativity to solve brands’ most challenging problems. By playing at the creative end of business, we make ideas that fundamentally change brands, companies, and categories.

The Role & Responsibilities

As the Creative Services Manager at Colenso, you’ll manage workflow into the creative and design departments, creating the conditions for creativity to thrive. You’ll be dialed into the priorities of our Creative Leadership team, acting as their ears and eyes and supporting them daily.

You’ll be a connector of projects and teams, the ‘ringmaster ‘of the agency, looking after the creatives and designers to help ensure everything is churning well. Our creatives are an eclectic bunch and building rapport with each of them is key, you’ll be the person they look to for support.

A large part of this role is overseeing the Awards process, getting our work to the world stage is fuel for our creatives. You’ll look after the submission of all work into local and global award shows.

Responsibilities:

• Manage the casting of briefs within the department
• Manage all current and incoming briefs, how the timings and size of briefs impact workflow – making decisions on priority and resource.
• Help manage the GCD diaries
• Take an active interest in the financial side of work
• Work closely with Account Management and Production to identify and communicate bottlenecks across briefs
• Be the advocate, voice and guardian of the creatives, and the department

Who you are:

• You’ll have at least 4+ years’ experience working in an agency environment in a similar role. We’re open to applicants with experience in account management or production that are looking for a change.
• Experience with award submissions is a bonus!
• You are familiar with the creatives process and resourcing creative briefs
• You’ll be a self-starter who doesn’t need direct supervision to motivate you
• You have experience building trusted partnerships
• You are comfortable working in ambiguity and are solution focused.
• Passionate about creativity, culture and pushing work to the next level
• A collaborative team player who enjoys mentoring and inspiring others