Established in 2004, OLIVER is the world’s first and only specialist in designing, building, and running bespoke in-house agencies and marketing ecosystems for brands. We partner with over 300 clients in 40+ countries and counting. Our unique model drives creativity and efficiency, allowing us to deliver tailored solutions that resonate deeply with audiences. 

As a part of The Brandtech Group, we're at the forefront of leveraging cutting-edge AI technology to revolutionise how we create and deliver work. Our AI solutions enhance efficiency, spark creativity, and drive insightful decision-making, empowering our teams to produce innovative and impactful results. 

Role: Studio Manager

Location: Cape Town, South Africa

We are seeking a dynamic, seasoned Studio Manager to lead our team of project managers and creatives at our new Cape Town studio, coupled with remotely overseeing satellite studios in Mexico City and Kuala Lumpur. The ideal candidate will have 10+years of extensive experience in production processes and a comprehensive understanding of industry-standard tools and workflows. This role is onsite with a requirement of 4 days in the office.

• Team Leadership and Management: 
  • Lead a new studio of creatives and project managers in Cape Town, tracking shift rotas. 
  • Promote team culture and conduct daily standups with onsite PMs. 
  • Analyse onsite attendance and team productivity, tracking resource and utilization costs. 
• Project and Resource Management: 
  • Ensure PMs have accurately planned, forecast and resourced appropriately. 
  • Triage production issues, if necessary, escalating to global team. 
  • Facilitate ‘follow the sun’ briefing model to provide out of hours cover across global time zones. 
  • Develop and maintain a strong relationship with the account team and project managers 
  • Standardising brief requirements and mentoring PMs on brief interrogation 
  • Escalating delivery risks to relevant channel leads. 
• Collaboration and Relationship Building: 
  • Develop and maintain strong relationships with account teams. 
  • Work with channel leads to identify opportunities for automation and streamline processes. 
  • Drive team initiatives and promote a healthy on-site culture. 
• Process and Production: 
  • Manage and maintain OLIVER tools and internal production workflows  
  • Oversee the overall quality of deliverables 
  • Understand brand guidelines and be responsible for ensuring all work leaving the studios meets the brief and adheres to media spec/deadline 
  • Offer design support to the team when and if needed 
  • Assess skillsets amongst the team identifying where support training may be required 

• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to impact beyond individual assignments. 
• Strong experience in a print and moving image production environment, with a track record of working with global brands producing high-volume adaptation campaigns. 
• Proven ability to be a strong team player, promoting positive influence within the team. 
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written. 
• Background in art-working to brand guidelines 
• Deep understanding of OOH media specs and delivery PDF standards 
• Full comprehension of Pantone/Spot colour processes 
• Experience in Twist preflight workflows 
• Thorough understanding and experience with Adobe Creative Suite: InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat and ideally Premier 
• Knowledge of ICC profiles and GMG colour workflows
• Understanding of cutter guides for die-cut formats 

What Success Looks Like: 

• Efficient resource management with a view to enhance team productivity. 
• Strong relationships with account and channel teams. 
• A desire to assess processes and drive improvements, identifying automation opportunities. 
• A portfolio of experience across global brand accounts. 
• Technical understand of output files, media specs and delivery mechanisms 

Req ID:12617

Our values shape everything we do: 

Be Ambitious to succeed   

Be Imaginative to push the boundaries of what’s possible   

Be Inspirational to do groundbreaking work   

Be always learning and listening to understand   

Be Results-focused to exceed expectations   

Be actively pro-inclusive and anti-racist across our community, clients and creations    

OLIVER, a part of the Brandtech Group, is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive working environment where all employees are encouraged to reach their full potential, and individual differences are valued and respected. All applicants shall be considered for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, neurodivergence, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by local laws.   

 OLIVER has set ambitious environmental goals around sustainability, with science-based emissions reduction targets. Collectively, we work towards our mission, embedding sustainability into every department and through every stage of the project lifecycle.