Senior Manager, Creative Operations

Sr. Manager, Creative Operations

Job Purpose 

At Panera we believe that good food can bring out the best in all of us—food served in a warm, welcoming environment, by people who care, through a frictionless customer experience. We are actively seeking a Sr. Manager, Creative Operations to join the Brand Marketing Team. This role will lead the tools, systems, processes, planning and prioritization that enable Panera Studio to deliver high-quality creative work efficiently. The Sr. Manager, Creative Operations will oversee creative intake, brief quality, capacity and resource planning, workflow, timelines and cross-functional coordination, while identifying opportunities to continuously improve how the Brand Studio operates. This individual will also work closely with the in-house print production and logistics team to create a seamless workflow and file transfer process to ensure we deliver all projects on time and accurately.  The best candidate is a strong leader and communicator, a dynamic problem solver with a relentless attention to detail and a collaborative cross-functional partner.   

Location: This position is based in Newton, MA and requires in-office presence three days per week, transitioning to four days per week, Monday through Thursday, in Weston, MA beginning in July 2027.  

Duties & Responsibilities 

The primary responsibilities of this job include, but are not limited to: 

Workflow Systems Administration: 

• Primary administrator for workflow systems, ensuring seamless processes across Brand Building and the larger support center organization.   

• Develop, implement and optimize workflow protocols to enhance operational efficiency across Brand Building and the larger organization. 

• Manage all relationships with vendors (Asana, Monotype) and partner to help negotiate contracts and perform periodic reviews of our process. 

• Ensure every project flows through systems to enable efficient project development, clear communication, feedback, tracking and on-time delivery of assets. 

• Explore new technology and functionality within existing tools to improve efficiency and workload planning. 

Campaign Management: 

• Manage the kickoff of a variety of complex campaigns for Panera Studio spanning various channels, ensuring alignment with brand guidelines and strategic objectives.  On average, the Panera Studio intakes and executions 30 campaigns/projects a month.  

• Partner with cross-functional teams to ensure briefs are clear, complete, decision-ready and include the inputs needed for successful creative development before work begins.  

• Partner with Studio leadership to prioritize incoming work based on business impact, strategic importance, timing and available creative resources. 

• Collaborate with outside creative agencies and vendors to define campaign goals, deliverables, and timelines.  Act as key point of contact with agencies related to asset management and file transfer timelines/requirements. 

• Strong cross-functional communication (internal partners, business partners & leadership) is essential to effective project outcomes, written and verbal.   

• Initiate and facilitate cross-functional status meetings, ensuring all stakeholders are informed and aligned. 

Digital Asset Management: 

• Work collaboratively with Photography Production Manager to ensure timely and accurate management of DAM and related tools. 

• Integrate content creation team into project planning and timelines to ensure asset readiness to hit production and go-live deadlines. 

Team Leadership: 

• Lead standing team meetings to successfully drive project updates, address challenges, and strategize solutions. Lead and facilitate standing creative reviews, ensuring the right stakeholders are involved, feedback is consolidated and actionable, and decisions are captured to keep work moving efficiently. 

• Own short- and long-term capacity planning across Panera Studio, identifying resource constraints and recommending staffing, freelance or agency support as needed. 

• Partner with creative leadership to allocate resources across projects, balancing workloads and aligning talent to business priorities and creative needs. 

• Foster a collaborative and innovative team culture.   

• SME on all things related to project management of creative campaigns. Go-to person across Brand Building and B&C teams. 

Timeline and Budget Management: 

• Establish all project timelines.  Ensure all campaigns adhere to set timelines and milestones, implementing strategies to keep projects on track. 

• Manage campaign budgets, process invoices, and provide regular budget updates to leadership. 

Qualifications (Education & Experience) 

Qualifications include: 

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in lieu of degree. 

• 5-7 years previous experience as a project manager or project lead is required (experience in a marketing or creative environment preferred).  

• Experience with project management tools and a desire to explore technology to support workflow and project deliverables. 

• Strong project management, organizational and planning skills.  

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment 

• Strong and effective written and verbal communication. 

• Vendor management experience 

• Budget-management skills and proficiency 

• Detail oriented and creative-minded. 

• Strong relationship building skills. 

Working Conditions 

• Required travel – minimal travel in the Boston area my be required.   

Physical Requirements 

• While performing this job, the incumbent is regularly required to stand, sit, talk, hear & use hands and fingers to operate keyboards 

Direct Reports 

Up to 1 direct report 

Equal Opportunity Employer: Disabled/Veterans

Competitive Pay $119,634 - $143,561 annually

The actual pay offered will be determined by multiple factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s relevant experience, job-related knowledge, skills, and geographical location. Individual compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.

Newton Support Center