SVP, Operations at Creative Ad Agency

• Work from anywhere in the US! Home, WeWork, your mom’s house, you choose! Our team is 100% remote-first, with hubs in LA and NYC.
• All employees can have an All-Access WeWork Pass to collaborate with teammates in your area or to simply change up your working environment. 
• Strong & tight-knit culture important to you? Us too! We’ve always been remote-first, and we’ve built a thriving culture. From zoom coffees to in-person hangouts, we thrive as a connected team. Most positions require some travel or time on site because of the needs of the role. For example: team meetings, client meetings, on-site production. Talk to your recruiter for more info!

Please note that while the position is listed under multiple titles, there is only one opening available. We welcome applicants at different experience levels and will evaluate candidates holistically to determine the best fit for our organization. We encourage you to apply to the title that best aligns with your background and expertise.

THE ROLE

We’re looking for your leadership in rapid growth

As we embark on our metamorphosis to the next levels of scale and impact, we’re looking for an operational leader to translate the founders’ vision into reality -- making the plans & priorities, and bringing them to life. And, being a crucial foil to big dreamers, guiding and redirecting us to achieve the traction we all want.

The M+S rocketship continues to fly higher, ascending to bigger, more strategic client engagements, requiring us to refine and at times reinvent our delivery models to push the frontiers of social. With the ambition to double and triple in size in the coming years, we will continue to reinvent ourselves.

You’ll be partnering closely with our two co-founders and our Managing Director as we continue to disrupt the industry, and disrupt ourselves. You’ll also be deep with the team and the work, guiding and training our people, building forecasts and staff plans, and supporting day-to-day excellence.

The ideal candidate loves working in a founder-driven sized agency, AND thrives navigating the complexities and opportunities of a (challenger) holding company. You enjoy taming the chaos, and then creating new chaos by pushing our company up to the next level. Let’s go! 🚀

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES

Your job is to partner closely with the founders and top leaders: operationalize the disruptive vision, and, crucially, push back and redirect to set us up for success. You’ll lead transformation & growth -- both through your own team and cross-functionally for the entire agency. This is the first time we’ve sought an operational leader of this caliber, and the job function and role will depend somewhat on the specific candidate. 

DIRECT LEADERSHIP

This role oversees operations & PMO, as well as (depending on your experience) finance, HR, IT, and legal. 

• Identify and strategically pursue opportunities to improve performance operationally, creatively, and financially. 
• Manage the Project Management team and function, setting the standard for excellence and coaching our team to deliver.
• Oversee senior leaders in HR and Finance, establishing an operational leadership team to drive smart growth.
• Manage pricing and staffing strategy for pitches and existing business.
• Supervise and refine process around legal, business affairs, and IT.

AGENCY LEADERSHIP

• Work with the founders and executive team to plan, prioritize, and implement transformation and growth. Help create a healthy tension among the top leadership between big dreams & disruption, with operational best practice & practicality.
• Partner with the Managing Director to ensure client delight and growth, and develop a healthy center of tension between client delivery and operational success.
• Partner with CCO and ECD to boost the quality of the creative output by improving team models and delivery processes. 

• Work with the CEO and finance lead on P&L planning and strategic decision-making. Help us balance margin and growth. Guide the agency in tracking to our financial targets, and adjusting course as needed.
• Guide the agency in achieving operational KPIs like margin & billability.

• Design and stand up teams to service large AOR wins.
• Nurture a culture of excellence across the agency, alongside a sense of joy and belief in possibility.
• Build strong relationships across Stagwell (our parent company), including Stagwell leadership and sister agencies.

QUALIFICATIONS

We are open to hiring this role at various senior leadership levels (COO, EVP, SVP), depending on the candidate’s experience. 

• Optimistic, nurturing, collaborative and decisive leader.
• 20+ years of experience in marketing agencies, including creative and/or social agencies. Client-side experience is a plus.
• Experience at rapidly growing agencies, in the 50-200 person range. 
• Experience partnering with founders.
• Expert in project management, staff planning, resource management, and pricing.
• Skilled in financial planning & analysis.
• Experienced in legal issues and best practices for a creative agency.
• Spreads joy! ✨

Please note that while the position is listed under multiple titles, there is only one opening available. We welcome applicants at different experience levels and will evaluate candidates holistically to determine the best fit for our organization. We encourage you to apply to the title that best aligns with your background and expertise.

Our estimated base salary  SVP, Operations role is 250,000-300,000*

Our estimated range for the COO role is 275,000-325,000* 

*Don’t let this range drive your decision to apply. Actual compensation packages will include a bonus structure and are based on the level of skill and experience each candidate brings to their role. Similarly, there might also be a more senior or junior position available, that would be a better fit with your expertise. For example, a person may apply for a Senior Creative Producer role, and we may assess that their skills are at the Creative Producer level. Each level has its own compensation range.

At Movers+Shakers, we pride ourselves on competitive salaries, and we work hard to ensure there is pay equity across the company. We welcome open and honest conversations about compensation in all of our initial calls. We look forward to meeting you!