Studio Manager

Studio Manager

Location: Stellenbosch

Job level: Senior

Type: Permanent

Reference: #Studio Manager

Company: Mustard Seed Relationship Marketing

Remuneration: Market related

Province: Western Cape

City: Stellenbosch

Education level: Degree/diploma

Work model: Hybrid

Mustard Seed Relationship Marketing is a looking to employ a seasoned creative studio traffic manager

About the company

We are a retail marketing agency based in Stellenbosch, in the heart of the Cape Winelands. With over 23 years’ experience, we specialise in shopping centre marketing, while building a growing portfolio of commercial and consumer brands. The scale of our retail portfolio and expanding brand client base means a fast-paced ad agency environment with tight deadlines.

About the ideal candidate

This is not a passive coordination role. It is a high-ownership position for a true leader. Candidates need to be level-headed, highly organised and focused. You'll need to bring structure to our studio, keep teams aligned and perform at their best, while ensuring execution stays on track without letting details slip through the cracks.

In short, a systematic, optimistic, goal-driven team leader with a heart of gold.

Responsibilities

● Own the workflow from brief through to studio and production output.

● Lead and manage the entire creative operations division, including the studio coordinator.

● Assess briefs, deadlines and capacity, and schedule work according to tiers of priority.

● Reprioritise quickly when urgent briefs or unforeseen changes arise.

● Maintain a holistic view of studio workload, capacity and competing priorities.

● Source, manage and allocate freelancers within budget, including invoicing and monthly budget reporting.

● Monitor workflow and delivery daily, identifying and resolving bottlenecks before they become issues.

● Understand what goes into each deliverable and translate it into realistic creative and production timelines.

● Work confidently within a fast-paced advertising agency environment.

● Champion the company’s values, systems and ways of working.

Nice-to-haves:

Technology: You think in systems. If you know your way around Monday, Click Up, or Basecamp, you already know how this goes — setting up a workspace, guiding the creative team through the pipeline, and keeping work moving so we deliver high-quality end-products. (We use Chase for traffic.)

AI-savvy: You already use AI tools day-to-day and stay naturally curious about practical ways to streamline creative work.

Design: You speak design. But also, procurement. You have a deep understanding of different print techniques, technologies and processes that work together to deliver top-tier output.

Good vibes: You bring a calm head, real empathy, and a genuinely good vibe to the studio every day.

Requirements:

● Minimum 7 years ad agency experience

● Excellent computer skills including Office365: Outlook (advanced usage), Excel (mid-level), Teams, Chase, SharePoint and PowerPoint.

● Fully functional home office for limited remote working. Alternatively, our head office is always open to employees who are not 100% set up to work remotely.

Additional skills:

● Outstanding multitasking abilities

● The ability to lead by example

● Exceptional diligence and attention to detail

● Resourceful, practical, and quick-thinking in a demanding environment

● Strong communication and relationship-building skills to ensure marketing has full trust in the studio and its creative process.

● Leading/guiding/supporting individuals with empathy, but also firm, fair and diplomatic.

● Optimistic and able to have fun, while embracing an energetic agency environment.

If this sounds like you, send your CV to Hilda-Mari van Vuren at careers@mseed.co.za. Please include your salary expectations in your cover letter. Should you not receive a response within 14 days, please consider your application unsuccessful.

Pay: R250 000,00 - R500 000,00 per year

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Stellenbosch, Western Cape (Stellenbosch)