Team Lead, Creative Agency Operations

Success Academy Charter Schools; New York (NY); On-site; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational organization in New York City seeks a strategic Head of Operations to lead its creative team. This role involves overseeing systems, managing resources, and ensuring high-quality project execution. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in operations and project management, with a focus on driving results and efficiency.

Benefits

Full benefits program

Opportunities for professional growth

Qualifications

• 7–10 years in operations or project management.
• Proven experience driving complex projects.
• Strong financial management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead long-term planning and operational execution.
• Identify bottlenecks and improve processes.
• Manage staffing and resources effectively.

Skills

Operations

Project Management

Leadership

Communication

Problem Solving

Tools

Asana

Monday

Wrike

Job description

Thanks for your interest in Success Academy! Running the largest, fastest-growing, and highest-performing network of public charter schools in New York City takes a village - families, children, teachers, staff and faculty, advocates and supporters alike. We would love to welcome you to our community! We work tirelessly every day to ensure each child in NYC has access to a fun, rigorous, whole-child education regardless of zip code or economic status. When you join SA, you play a part in giving every student who walks through the doors of one of our 57 schools in NYC a fair shot at reaching his or her potential.

Job Description

We’re looking for a high-performing, strategic leader to lead the operations of our in-house creative team. As Head of Operations, you’ll be responsible for building and running the systems that keep the team moving fast and delivering high-impact work. You’ll own long-term planning, day-to-day execution, and everything in between. You must be able to anticipate challenges, solve problems quickly, and drive strong results across people, process, and priorities.

This is a role for someone who brings structure to chaos, thrives under pressure, and holds themselves and others to an extremely high bar. You’ll need to move quickly, communicate clearly, and push the team to outperform expectations every day.

Responsibilities

Drive Strategic and Operational Execution

Lead long-term planning across the Agency in alignment with organizational goals.

Build and refine systems, processes, and tools that enable speed, scale, and accountability.

Make sure the team stays focused on high-priority work—and has the support and clarity needed to deliver it.

Solve Problems Before They Start

Identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies early and eliminate them decisively.

Establish clear timelines, roles, and checkpoints to maintain strong momentum and output.

Own process improvement initiatives and track operational performance closely.

Manage People and Resources at Scale

Forecast staffing needs and proactively make hiring, vendor, and freelance resource decisions.

Lead and develop a strong operations and project management team that drives efficiency and quality.

Monitor team capacity and prioritize resourcing to maximize impact.

Own Cross-Functional Alignment

Serve as the key operational bridge between the creative team and departments like Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, and Technology.

Set clear processes for project intake, prioritization, feedback, and approvals to keep projects moving without delays.

Create transparency around ownership, timelines, and deliverables across all stakeholders.

Budget Ownership and Vendor Management

Own the operational budget, including freelance, production, and external agency investments.

Track and assess return on investment (ROI) to ensure resources are driving measurable value.

Maintain strong external relationships with clear scopes, expectations, and accountability.

Requirements

7–10 years in operations, project management, or production leadership within a high-performing creative or marketing environment.

Proven experience driving complex, fast-paced projects from start to finish with excellence.

Strong track record of building scalable systems, optimizing workflows, and leading high-output teams.

Deep understanding of creative production workflows across design, video, content, and digital.

Highly skilled with project management tools (Asana, Monday, Wrike, etc.) and asset management platforms.

Strong financial management skills, including budget oversight and vendor contract negotiation.

Direct, clear communicator with outstanding organizational and prioritization abilities.

What You Bring

Forward Thinker – You anticipate issues and plan multiple steps ahead.

Urgency and Focus – You move fast, cut through noise, and drive toward results.

High Standards – You expect excellence from yourself and everyone around you.

Builder and Simplifier – You create efficient systems that scale without adding unnecessary complexity.

Resilient Learner – You welcome feedback, adapt fast, and keep raising the bar.

Reporting

This role reports to the Executive of the Creative Agency and works closely with senior leadership and cross-functional partners.

Compensation Range

: $130,000.00 - $150,000.00

Thanks for your interest in Success Academy! Running the largest, fastest-growing, and highest-performing network of public charter schools in New York City takes a village - families, children, teachers, staff and faculty, advocates and supporters alike. We would love to welcome you to our community! We work tirelessly every day to ensure each child in NYC has access to a fun, rigorous, whole-child education regardless of zip code or economic status. When you join SA, you play a part in giving every student who walks through the doors of one of our 57 schools in NYC a fair shot at reaching his or her potential.

Job Description

We’re looking for a high-performing, strategic leader to lead the operations of our in-house creative team. As Head of Operations, you’ll be responsible for building and running the systems that keep the team moving fast and delivering high-impact work. You’ll own long-term planning, day-to-day execution, and everything in between. You must be able to anticipate challenges, solve problems quickly, and drive strong results across people, process, and priorities.

This is a role for someone who brings structure to chaos, thrives under pressure, and holds themselves and others to an extremely high bar. You’ll need to move quickly, communicate clearly, and push the team to outperform expectations every day.

Responsibilities

Drive Strategic and Operational Execution

• Lead long-term planning across the Agency in alignment with organizational goals.

• Build and refine systems, processes, and tools that enable speed, scale, and accountability.

• Make sure the team stays focused on high-priority work—and has the support and clarity needed to deliver it.
  

Solve Problems Before They Start

• Identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies early and eliminate them decisively.

• Establish clear timelines, roles, and checkpoints to maintain strong momentum and output.

• Own process improvement initiatives and track operational performance closely.
  

Manage People and Resources at Scale

• Forecast staffing needs and proactively make hiring, vendor, and freelance resource decisions.

• Lead and develop a strong operations and project management team that drives efficiency and quality.

• Monitor team capacity and prioritize resourcing to maximize impact.
  

Own Cross-Functional Alignment

• Serve as the key operational bridge between the creative team and departments like Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, and Technology.

• Set clear processes for project intake, prioritization, feedback, and approvals to keep projects moving without delays.

• Create transparency around ownership, timelines, and deliverables across all stakeholders.
  

Budget Ownership and Vendor Management

• Own the operational budget, including freelance, production, and external agency investments.

• Track and assess return on investment (ROI) to ensure resources are driving measurable value.

• Maintain strong external relationships with clear scopes, expectations, and accountability.
  

Requirements

• 7–10 years in operations, project management, or production leadership within a high-performing creative or marketing environment.

• Proven experience driving complex, fast-paced projects from start to finish with excellence.

• Strong track record of building scalable systems, optimizing workflows, and leading high-output teams.

• Deep understanding of creative production workflows across design, video, content, and digital.

• Highly skilled with project management tools (Asana, Monday, Wrike, etc.) and asset management platforms.

• Strong financial management skills, including budget oversight and vendor contract negotiation.

• Direct, clear communicator with outstanding organizational and prioritization abilities.
  

What You Bring

• Forward Thinker – You anticipate issues and plan multiple steps ahead.

• Urgency and Focus – You move fast, cut through noise, and drive toward results.

• High Standards – You expect excellence from yourself and everyone around you.

• Builder and Simplifier – You create efficient systems that scale without adding unnecessary complexity.

• Resilient Learner – You welcome feedback, adapt fast, and keep raising the bar.
  

Reporting

This role reports to the Executive of the Creative Agency and works closely with senior leadership and cross-functional partners.

Compensation Range

: $130,000.00 - $150,000.00

Exact compensation may vary based on skills and experience.

Already an employee of Success Academies? Please go to your Okta Dashboard> Workday> Applications> Career to apply via our Internal Careers page.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our organization. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We actively seek applications from people of all backgrounds to strengthen our community and the perspectives needed to flourish in a multicultural world. Success Academy offers a full benefits program and opportunities for professional growth. Learn more about our philosophy, benefits, and team at https://jobs.successacademies.org/working-here/ .

Success Academy Charter Schools does not offer employment-based immigration sponsorship.

About the company

Success Academy Charter Schools, originally Harlem Success Academy, is a charter school operator in New York City.