Studio Traffic Manager

Mustard Seed Relationship Marketing; Stellenbosch; Hybrid; ZAR 420,000 - 720,000; Full time

Job summary

Mustard Seed Relationship Marketing in Stellenbosch is seeking a seasoned creative studio traffic manager to bring structure and proactive leadership to a fast-paced ad agency environment.

You will own the workflow from brief to production, lead the studio team, assess briefs and capacity, allocate freelancers, and ensure on-time delivery while maintaining high quality and alignment with the company’s values.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years ad agency experience.
• Excellent computer skills including Outlook, Excel, Teams, Chase, SharePoint and PowerPoint.
• Fully functional home office for limited remote working.
• Alternatively, head office is open to employees not 100% set up to work remotely.

Responsibilities

• Own the workflow from brief through to studio and production output.
• Lead and manage the entire creative operations division, including the studio coordinator.
• Assess briefs, deadlines and capacity, and schedule work according to tiers of priority.
• Reprioritise quickly when urgent briefs or unforeseen changes arise.
• Maintain a holistic view of studio workload, capacity and competing priorities.
• Source, manage and allocate freelancers within budget, including invoicing and monthly budget reporting.
• Monitor workflow and delivery daily, identifying and resolving bottlenecks before they become issues.
• Understand what goes into each deliverable and translate it into realistic creative and production timelines.
• Work confidently within a fast-paced advertising agency environment.
• Champion the company’s values, systems and ways of working.

Skills

Leadership

Organization

Communication

Attention to detail

Multitasking

Empathy

Stakeholder management

Tools

Chase

Monday

ClickUp

Basecamp

Office365

Job description

Mustard Seed Relationship Marketing is a looking to employ a seasoned creative studio traffic manager

About the company:

We are a retail marketing agency based in Stellenbosch, in the heart of the Cape Winelands. With over 23 years' experience, we specialise in shopping centre marketing, while building a growing portfolio of commercial and consumer brands. The scale of our retail portfolio and expanding brand client base means a fast-paced ad agency environment with tight deadlines.

About the ideal candidate:

This is not a passive coordination role. It is a high-ownership position for a true leader. Candidates need to be level-headed, highly organised and focused. You'll need to bring structure to our studio, keep teams aligned and perform at their best, while ensuring execution stays on track without letting details slip through the cracks.

In short, a systematic, optimistic, goal-driven team leader with a heart of gold.

Responsibilities

• Own the workflow from brief through to studio and production output.
• Lead and manage the entire creative operations division, including the studio coordinator.
• Assess briefs, deadlines and capacity, and schedule work according to tiers of priority.
• Reprioritise quickly when urgent briefs or unforeseen changes arise.
• Maintain a holistic view of studio workload, capacity and competing priorities.
• Source, manage and allocate freelancers within budget, including invoicing and monthly budget reporting.
• Monitor workflow and delivery daily, identifying and resolving bottlenecks before they become issues.
• Understand what goes into each deliverable and translate it into realistic creative and production timelines.
• Work confidently within a fast-paced advertising agency environment.
• Champion the company’s values, systems and ways of working.

Nice-to-haves:

• Technology: You think in systems. If you know your way around Monday, Click Up, or Basecamp, you already know how this goes - setting up a workspace, guiding the creative team through the pipeline, and keeping work moving so we deliver high-quality end-products.
• (We use Chase for traffic.)AI-savvy: You already use AI tools day-to-day and stay naturally curious about practical ways to streamline creative work.
• Design: You speak design. But also, procurement. You have a deep understanding of different print techniques, technologies and processes that work together to deliver top-tier output.
• Good vibes: You bring a calm head, real empathy, and a genuinely good vibe to the studio every day.

Requirements:

• Minimum 7 years ad agency experienceExcellent computer skills including Office365: Outlook (advanced usage), Excel (mid-level), Teams, Chase, SharePoint and PowerPoint.
• Fully functional home office for limited remote working.
• Alternatively, our head office is always open to employees who are not 100% set up to work remotely.

Additional skills:

• Outstanding multitasking abilities
• The ability to lead by example
• Exceptional diligence and attention to detail
• Resourceful, practical, and quick-thinking in a demanding environment
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills to ensure marketing has full trust in the studio and its creative process.
• Leading/guiding/supporting individuals with empathy, but also firm, fair and diplomatic.
• Optimistic and able to have fun, while embracing an energetic agency environment.