Studio Manager / Artworker - 6-month FTC

US & EMEA | Experiential & Brand Environments | 4–7+ years’ experience

We’re looking for a Studio Manager / Artworker to be the heartbeat of our global creative studio. This is a hands-on, hybrid role: part studio lead keeping the team running smoothly, part senior artworker producing print and production-ready files to the highest standard.

You’ll work closely with the Global Head of Creative as a trusted right-hand, owning the day-to-day running of the studio while still rolling your sleeves up on artwork. From scoping briefs and scheduling resource through to preparing final files for print, large-format, and on-site build, you’ll keep work moving and quality high across both US and EMEA.

This role suits someone meticulous, calm under pressure, and quietly authoritative. Someone who can switch between managing a studio of designers and 3D artists, and sitting at a Mac, perfecting an artwork pack for print.

A strong background in artworking is essential. You know your bleeds from your trims, your Pantones from your CMYK builds, and you understand how a creative idea becomes a printed graphic, a vinyl wrap, or a built environment.

Collaboration is everything here. You’ll work alongside creative, production, and account teams globally to keep things clear, efficient, and on-brand.

What you’ll do

Run the studio

• Own day-to-day studio operations across US and EMEA
• Maintain a clear, up-to-date view of all live projects and workstreams
• Schedule and prioritise studio work, balancing capacity against deadlines
• Coordinate handovers across time zones to keep work flowing 24/5
• Spot bottlenecks early and unblock the team before they become problems
• Build and maintain a strong freelance “black book” of artworkers, retouchers, and designers
• Source, brief, and onboard freelance support quickly when capacity demands it

Lead on artworking

• Produce, finish, and quality-check artwork across print, large-format, environmental graphics, and digital
• Prepare final, production-ready files to spec for print partners, fabricators, and build teams
• Set and uphold artworking standards, templates, and file structures across the studio
• Sense-check creative against print and build realities before files leave the studio
• Act as brand guardian — protecting consistency across typography, colour, and layout
• Pre-flight files, manage colour, and troubleshoot output issues with suppliers

Resource and plan

• Allocate work across 2D, 3D, and artworking teams based on skills and capacity
• Run regular resourcing sessions and keep planning tools (Float or similar) up to date
• Track team utilisation and flag pressure points to leadership early
• Support onboarding of new studio team members and external vendors

Support project delivery

• Work closely with project, production, and account teams to understand scope and timelines
• Translate briefs into clear, actionable studio tasks and artwork schedules
• Stay close to projects through key stages, including production, print, and on-site build
• Liaise with print and fabrication partners on specs, proofs, and deadlines
• Track progress and support the team to deliver work on time and on spec

Connect teams and communication

• Act as the key link between creative, production, account, and external suppliers
• Keep communication clear, consistent, and actionable across regions
• Align timelines, priorities, and expectations so nothing slips between teams

Asset and file management

• Maintain clean, logical project folders, asset libraries, and version control
• Gather, organise, and file working and final artwork files for every project
• Make sure the team can find what they need, when they need it

Provide visibility and updates

• Provide regular updates to the Global Head of Creative on workload, capacity, and risks
• Report on studio utilisation, throughput, and pinch points
• Keep information organised and accessible for the wider team
• Update the Group Resource Director as required for additional resources across the group, or when capacity becomes available, to ensure full utilisation. 

Protect studio time and quality

• Reduce unnecessary disruption so the team can focus on great work
• Champion smarter ways of working and continuous improvement
• Hold the line on quality, accuracy, and brand standards across every output

What you’ll bring

• 4–7+ years’ experience in a studio management, senior artworker, or production design role
• Experience within an experiential, events, or brand environments agency is a strong advantage
• Expert-level Adobe Creative Suite — InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop — working on Mac
• Deep artworking knowledge: bleeds, trims, repro, colour management, pre-flight, packaging artwork for print and large-format
• A sharp eye for typography, layout, and brand consistency
• Confident managing multiple projects, deadlines, and shifting priorities at once
• Calm, clear communicator able to work across creative, production, account, and supplier teams
• Comfortable working across regions and time zones
• Experience with resource planning tools such as Float, or similar
• Leadership instincts — you set the tone and standard for the studio without needing to shout

Technical and practical awareness

• Strong understanding of design, artwork, print, and production processes
• Awareness of build, install, and material realities within experiential environments
• Comfortable working with project timelines, scopes, specs, and deliverables
• Familiar with proofing, colour matching, and managing output across multiple suppliers

Why you’ll love it here

• You’ll set the standard for a global studio working on ambitious experiential briefs
• You’ll work closely with senior leadership with real visibility across projects
• You’ll be hands-on with the work — not just the schedule
• You’ll join a collaborative, no-ego team and have room to grow into a more senior studio leadership role as the team expands

If you love bringing structure and craft to a busy creative studio, take pride in artwork that’s pixel-perfect, and want a central role in shipping great work, we’d love to hear from you.

This role works closely with our Global Head of Creative, based in London, and supports teams across both US and EMEA markets.

Contract Type: 6-Month Fixed-Term Contract (FTC)

Salary: £45,000 per annum, pro rata for the duration of the contract.