Manager, Partner Operations , Solve Studio

USA SOLVENTUM US LLC; Minnesota; Hybrid; USD 96,000 - 132,000; Full time

Job summary

Solventum is seeking a Manager, Partner Operations for Solve Studio to act as the operational hub connecting agency partners, project teams and internal stakeholders.

You will drive governance, resource planning and delivery optimization, shaping scalable staffing models and proactively addressing capacity risks to align with Solve Studio's business priorities. This role supports a remote-working environment with occasional travel.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher and 7+ years in agency operations or related field.
• Experience managing resource allocation, capacity planning and staffing across multiple projects.
• Experience with agency partners, freelance talent, production partners or external marketing suppliers.
• Ability to evaluate work requirements and select internal teams, agency partners or blended delivery models.
• Skilled at balancing competing priorities and shifting demands in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Oversee agency partner governance and serve as the primary operational contact.
• Maintain capacity visibility, forecast demand and optimize staffing and delivery models.
• Lead resource allocation discussions across active and upcoming work.
• Coordinate partner onboarding, scopes of work, estimates, retainers and performance reviews.
• Collaborate with Operations, Finance and Procurement to manage spend and governance.

Skills

Resource planning

Agency governance

Partner management

Forecasting

Stakeholder management

Communication

Vendor management

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher

Tools

Workfront

Enterprise tools

Job description

Job Description: Manager, Partner Operations , Solve Studio

At Solventum, we enable better, smarter, safer healthcare to improve lives. As a new company with a long legacy of creating breakthrough solutions for our customers' toughest challenges, we pioneer game‑changing innovations at the intersection of health, material and data science that change patients' lives for the better while enabling healthcare professionals to perform at their best. Because people, and their wellbeing, are at the heart of every scientific advancement we pursue. We partner closely with the brightest minds in healthcare to ensure that every solution we create melds the latest technology with compassion and empathy. Because at Solventum, we never stop solving for you.

The Impact You'll Make in this Role

The Manager, Partner Operations serves as the operational hub connecting Solve Studio, external agency partners and project teams. This role oversees agency partner governance, resource planning and work routing to ensure work is delivered through the most effective and efficient delivery model. By maintaining visibility across internal capacity, partner capabilities and business demand, this individual helps optimize delivery, improve utilization and ensure consistent execution across the marketing ecosystem. The Manager, Partner Operations plays a critical role in determining how work is staffed and delivered, balancing business priorities, resource availability, agency capabilities and operational efficiency to support Solve Studio's business objectives. This role helps shape the future operating model of Solve Studio by creating a scalable approach to resource planning, agency engagement and delivery optimization.

Key responsibilities

Agency Partner Operations and Governance

• Build trusted working relationships with approved agency partners and serve as the primary operational contact.
• Monitor partner performance, utilization and effectiveness to inform future staffing and investment decisions.
• Support agency selection and engagement recommendations based on capability, performance, capacity, and business needs.
• Drive consistency in how external partners are onboarded, engaged, and evaluated across Solve Studio.
• Support the transition to a centrally managed network of approved agency partners.
• Establish and maintain agency onboarding, operating standards, governance tools, documentation and escalation paths.
• Maintain a centralized roster of partner capabilities, geographic coverage, rates, contract status, contacts and engagement requirements.
• Serve as the central operational contact for approved partners, routing commercial, contractual and compliance matters through Solve Studio leadership and Procurement.
• Coordinate agency business reviews and maintain consistent scorecards, reporting and performance‑improvement actions.
• Maintain visibility to agency assignments, utilization, scopes, purchase orders, spend and retainers in partnership with Operations, Finance and Procurement.
• Support retainer and partner network recommendations based on performance, demand, capability, and value.

Work Routing & Resource Planning

Resource Planning & Delivery Optimization

• Maintain a holistic view of project demand, internal capacity, agency capacity and upcoming business needs.
• Recommend the optimal delivery model for incoming work, including internal staffing, agency engagement or blended teams.
• Match work to the appropriate resources based on capability, availability, complexity, continuity, and business priorities.
• Lead resource allocation discussions across active and upcoming work.
• Identify capacity risks, capability gaps and workload imbalances and proactively recommend solutions.
• Partner with Operations, Project Management and leadership teams to support forecasting and workforce planning.

Your Skills and Expertise

To set you up for success in this role from day one, Solventum requires (at a minimum) the following qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or higher AND 7 years of experience in agency operations, creative operations, resource management, studio management, marketing operations or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience managing resource allocation, capacity planning and staffing decisions across multiple concurrent projects, portfolios or business groups.
• Experience supporting or managing agency partners, freelance talent, production partners or external marketing suppliers within an agency, in‑house agency or consulting environment.
• Proven ability to evaluate work requirements and recommend the appropriate delivery model, including internal teams, agency partners, contractors or blended teams.
• Experience balancing competing priorities, shifting business demands and resource constraints in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong understanding of integrated marketing, creative, digital, content, production and campaign‑delivery workflows.
• Experience with agency onboarding, scopes of work, estimates, rate structures, retainers, performance reviews and partner governance.
• Experience maintaining visibility across project demand, resource capacity, utilization, pipeline forecasts and staffing requirements.
• Strong financial and analytical acumen, including interpreting estimates, staffing models, agency rates, utilization, retainers, project budgets and spend.
• Experience managing or supporting a centralized network of creative, digital, production, media or marketing agency partners.

Additional qualifications that could help you succeed even further in this role include:

• Proficiency with project, resource management and workflow platforms, including Workfront or similar enterprise tools.
• Experience leveraging reporting, AI‑enabled planning tools, dashboards and workflow automation to improve forecasting, resource planning and operational visibility.
• Excellent communication, facilitation and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence without direct authority.
• Experience supporting global or regional agency networks is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to identify capacity risks, capability gaps and operational constraints and recommend solutions to address them.
• Experience partnering with Procurement, Finance, Operations and project leadership teams to support supplier management and operational decision‑making.

Work Location:

Remote Travel :May include up to 10% domestic travel.

Relocation Assistance Not Authorized Must be legally authorized to work in the country of employment without sponsorship for employment visa status.

Supporting Your Well‑being

Solventum offers many programs to help you live your best life, both physically and financially. To ensure competitive pay and benefits, Solventum regularly benchmarks with other companies that are comparable in size and scope.

Applicable to US Applicants Only:

The expected compensation range for this position is $96,000 - $132,000, which includes base pay plus variable incentive pay, if eligible. This range represents a good faith estimate for this position. The specific compensation offered to a candidate may vary based on factors including, but not limited to, the candidate’s relevant knowledge, training, skills, work location, and/or experience.

In addition, this position may be eligible for a range of benefits (e.g., Medical, Dental & Vision, Health Savings Accounts, Health Care & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts, Disability Benefits, Life Insurance, Voluntary Benefits, Paid Absences and Retirement Benefits, etc.). Additional information is available at: https://www.solventum.com/en-us/home/our-company/careers/#Total-Rewards

Responsibilities of this position include that corporate policies, procedures and security standards are complied with while performing assigned duties.

Solventum is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and professionalism in our recruitment process.

Applicants must remain alert to fraudulent job postings and recruitment schemes that falsely claim to represent Solventum and seek to exploit job seekers.

Please note that all email communications from Solventum regarding job opportunities with the company will be from an email with a domain of @solventum.com.

Be wary of unsolicited emails or messages regarding Solventum job opportunities from emails with other email domains.

Please note, Solventum does not expect candidates in this position to perform work in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.

Solventum is an equal opportunity employer.

Solventum will not discriminate against any applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status.

Please note: your application may not be considered if you do not provide your education and work history, either by: 1) uploading a resume, or 2) entering the information into the application fields directly.

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A new healthcare company with a rich history.

With more than 70 years of delivering healthcare innovations, we continue to move the industry forward by helping to solve our customers’ biggest challenges.

20,000+ employees worldwide.

Solventum relies on the courage and the boundless insights of professionals worldwide to achieve exceptional results for our customers and those who rely on them.

Healthcare that leads with heart and humility starts with listening and never finishes, only evolves.

As long as healthcare challenges remain unsolved, we will be here, united by empathy and a relentless belief that countless lives are improved through our work.

Operations in 38 countries.

Driven by our dedication to improved outcomes for all we serve, we break through by making unprecedented connections that impact lives.

In more than 300 offices and facilities around the world, we work closely with customers and partners to create positive healthcare outcomes that transcend borders.

To realize our shared vision, we harness diverse talents and perspectives from every background to not only address our customers' most urgent priorities but anticipate the needs of the future