Project / Studio Manager

Systems Studio is a creative agency based in Shoreditch, East London. We work across sectors and disciplines, from providing font designs for French fashion houses, to social media campaigns for Japanese technical clothing brands, and visual identities for Australian architectural practices. We are fast building a reputation for creative diversity, as well our strategic and design rigour.

We are looking for an exceptionally organised, pro-active Project/ Studio manager to join our growing team in a key management role. The successful candidate will oversee coordination of the studio, leading on project management and operations. On the side of project management, you will support our design directors, coordinating project work and as the point of contact with clients. On the side of operations, your duties will include finance, business development and HR, as well as ensuring the day-to-day smooth running of the studio.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Operations

• Support Directors to define project scope, budget and timelines.
• Take ownership of business operations and lead it with supervision from the Directors.
• Monitor and manage project scopes with design team and clients.
• Monitoring and coordinating new business inquiries.
• Handling studio supplies and equipment.
• Organising and booking team travel, transport and accommodation for business trips.
• Keeping our website up to date and coordinating the production of new case studies.
• Ensuring that the office is supplied with day-to-day essentials, rooms are prepared for client meetings, etc.

Project management

• Manage projects from briefing to delivery, updating and monitoring design tasks as needed.
• Creating and implementing project workflows – setting goals, expectations and deadlines, then adjusting accordingly to ensure a smooth process with on-time delivery.
• Owning budgets, timelines, and briefs to ensure that projects run smoothly.
• Conduct regular project status meetings with designers and project reviews.
• Monitor time resources, alerting design teams and clients as projects near time allocation.

Financial

• Prepare and negotiate estimates and contracts with clients and suppliers.
• Monitor and manage scope changes for projects.
• Track project expenditure to meet agreed budgets.
• Issue invoice and pay bills.
• Prepare monthly management accounts and cash-flow report (using Xero).
• Liaising with accountants on reconciliation, VAT return, payroll, etc. reporting to the Directors.

KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE

• Experience in a similar or comparable role, ideally a minimum of 5 years’ experience in studio management, administration, project management, account management or similar.
• Commercially astute with experience managing a business or people and negotiating contracts.
• Hands-on operational experience.
• Enjoy working collaboratively in a faced-pace studio.
• Super organised with ability to manage complex schedules and overlapping deadlines.
• Experience managing clients.
• Calm, flexible, driven, self-motivated, punctual.
• Strong presentation, written and verbal communication skills.
• Mac OS literate and high proficiency in MS Excel.

SALARY

Salary dependent upon experience.

This is a full-time studio based role (5 days a week. We work from 9.30am – 6.00pm with 1hr for lunch.)

BENEFITS

Our staff take every other Friday off to re-charge their creative batteries, and we have several other people-centric initiatives and benefits in place. We’re always working to improve ways of supporting our people.