Propelis

Associate Operations Manager

Chicago, IL (Hybrid)

Marks, part of the Propelis Group, Marks is a consumer experience agency creating engaging moments across the entire brand spectrum—from brand design and packaging, to content and consumer connections. We are a collaborative global network of 1,900+ team members across 25+ studios and 20+ countries, partnering with some of the world’s most recognized brands to solve complex business challenges through design, strategy, and craft. Associate Manager, Agency Operations - Marks Chicago Location: Marks Chicago Employment type: FTE, Hybrid (3 days/week in-office) The Associate Operations Manager supports the operational oversight of the Marks offices and directly supporting the Global HQ in Chicago. This role partners closely with the Director of Agency Operations and cross-functional stakeholders to facilitate facility special projects, coordinate office consolidation endeavours, support capital initiates, and ensure smooth day-to-day facilities operations. The Associate Operations Manager serves as a key resource for office coordinators, providing guidance on escalated issues and major initiatives while helping maintain operational consistency, efficiency, and compliance across locations. This role requires both onsite management within our Chicago offices and ongoing support for other North American offices. It is essential to possess a professional, cheerful demeanour and service-oriented attitude that helps facilitate a highly functioning work environment. Key Responsibilities Facilities Oversight Assist with oversight and coordination of multiple office locations to ensure operational standards and policies are consistently applied. Ensure site compliance with internal policies, safety standards, and vendor agreements. Partner with facility office coordinators to address complex issues or large-scale initiatives beyond routine operations. Support office coordinators with shipping, helping to share out rollouts of global policies, ensure compliance, and coordinate back-ups for coordinator outages. Support the Director of Operations in monitoring office performance, space utilization, and facility needs. Serve as a point of contact for escalated operational or facilities-related issues. Provide guidance, tools, and process support to help office coordinators. Manage ongoing tracking of site fixed asset lists, coordinating with finance and site coordinators to provide accurate tracking. Collaborate with corporate teams such as Finance, HR, IT, Health & Safety, and Real Estate to support integrated operations. Chicago Sites Manager Senior site manager for Chicago HQ office and Walnut Photo Studio. Point-of-contact with building support including security, maintenance, janitorial work, etc. Back up to oversee maintenance, special deliveries, or emergency service calls. Manage facility requests from onsite executives for the HQ. Admin for Chicago keycard access through security system. Help HQ office coordinator for coordinating large-scale events, meetings, and in-house workshops. Sit on core team of Chicago Culture Club to help plan social employee events. Strategic Projects & Capital Initiatives Support Director of Operations to manage, plan, coordinate, and execute Ops projects. Assist in management of capital projects and office consolidation efforts, including gathering quotes, budget tracking, logistics coordination, and communication with internal stakeholders and vendors. Track progress and support reporting on capital expenditures and project milestones. Contribute to continuous improvement of operations projects, processes, documentation, and controls Financial & Administrative Support Create purchase orders and invoices within delegated authority and ensure alignment with budget and policy guidelines. Liaise with North American IT on hardware requests for Marks business. Support analysis of facility management vendors and contracts, looking for alignment and cost saving opportunities. Support invoice review, expense tracking, and operational reporting. Required Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Facilities Management, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. 3-5 years of experience in operations, facilities, or office management in a multi-location environment. Strong organizational and project coordination skills. Experience managing against budgets Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills. Computer literacy required, including competency with MS Office suite Preferred Qualifications Experience supporting capital projects, office moves, or consolidation initiatives. Familiarity with facilities management, vendor coordination, or real estate operations. Skills & Competencies Project coordination and multitasking Problem-solving and issue escalation management Financial and budget awareness Strong attention to detail Ability to work independently and collaboratively Proficiency with common office, project management, and financial systems About Propelis: Propelis is a portfolio of global marketing services and technology companies with a combined legacy of 150+ years, 2,000+ clients, 9,000 employees, and operations across 30 countries. Propelis provides the scale and support of a global organization while preserving the unique culture and identity of each company in its portfolio. For more information visit: www.MakeMarks.com EEO Statement: We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need. We offer equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetic information, age, disability or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled. We strive to make our employment website and application process accessible to all users and applicants. In doing so, we provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you have a disability and require a reasonable accommodation or assistance completing the application process, please contact a member of our Human Resource Team. Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The U.S. pay range for this position is $45,292 - $56,615 USD annually. Ultimately, in determining pay, we will consider the successful candidate’s location, experience, and other job-related factors. Group benefits currently include a selection of health care plans with prescription drug coverage, dental plan, vision plan, basic and supplemental life insurance, a flexible spending account for medical and dependent care expenses or a health savings account based on plan selection, short/long term disability and 401(k) Savings Plan. Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.