Design Operations Lead

Something Special Studios; New York (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Something Special Studios is seeking a Design Operations Manager to oversee day-to-day operational management of our Spatial Design and Visual Design teams in New York. You will partner with department heads and work closely with Creative Directors, Client Services, Production, Finance and Resourcing to ensure designers are effectively allocated, projects planned, and studio operations run smoothly.

In this role you will balance workload, improve processes, support project delivery, and help

Qualifications

• 5–8+ years of experience in design operations, creative operations, project management or studio management.

Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day resourcing across the Spatial and Graphic Design teams.
• Balance workloads, allocate designers, and identify future staffing needs.
• Partner with leadership on freelance support, hiring, and team capacity planning.
• Attend weekly resourcing and Operations meetings.
• Manage operational workflows across both design disciplines.
• Maintain visibility across active design work.
• Ensure project information, timelines and deliverables are clearly communicated.
• Identify delivery risks early and propose solutions.
• Coordinate internal reviews, milestones and approvals.
• Establish and continuously improve studio processes and ways of working.
• Partner with Client Services, Production, and Creative leadership to translate project scopes into resource plans and delivery timelines.
• Ensure strong communication across teams and support projects from kickoff through completion.
• Escalate resource, timeline, or operational challenges and help identify solutions.
• Support onboarding, training, and knowledge sharing across the design team.
• Monitor team utilization and operational performance, using insights to improve how the studio works.
• Foster an environment where designers can focus less on operations and more on producing exceptional creative work.

Skills

Resource planning

Project management

Scheduling

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Studio management

Job description

Something Special Studios is seeking a Design Operations Manager to oversee day-to-day operational management of our Spatial Design and Visual Design teams in New York. You will partner with department heads and work closely with Creative Directors, Client Services, Production, Finance and Resourcing to ensure designers are effectively allocated, projects planned, and studio operations run smoothly.

In this role you will balance workload, improve processes, support project delivery, and help