Associate Manager,Creative Operations

SC Johnson•Racine, WI

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

Bring your passion for design, storytelling, and seamless execution to a role where your impact is visible on every shelf. As the Associate Manager, Creative Operations, you will own the end-to-end creative workflow for packaging and brand graphics across a dynamic consumer products portfolio. You’ll be the connector who keeps everything moving—partnering with design, marketing, legal, and production to turn bold ideas into beautifully executed realities. In this role, you won’t just manage projects—you’ll shape how creativity happens. You’ll streamline processes, champion design systems, and build scalable workflows that empower teams to do their best work. Your ability to balance creative excellence with speed, accuracy, and efficiency will ensure every project lands on time, on budget, and at the highest standard—driving both brand impact and business results.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in graphic design, design management, marketing, or related field
5+ years of experience in creative operations, production design, or project/studio management within consumer products or similar industry
Qualified candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship

Nice To Haves

Strong knowledge of packaging design, pre-press, artwork development, and print production processes
Demonstrated experience working with creative agencies, pre-media vendors, and cross-functional teams
Skilled in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign), prepress/print tools, project management systems (Workfront, Asana, etc.), and DAM platforms.
Excellent at identifying design discrepancies, enforcing brand consistency, and maintaining design integrity across packaging formats.
Capable of managing multiple complex projects with competing deadlines.
Effective communicator among creative and business stakeholders; skilled at translating creative terminology into actionable tasks.
Knowledgeable about print technologies (flexo, gravure, litho) and substrates (paperboard, flexible film, rigid plastics, etc.).
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities for identifying inefficiencies and implementing process improvements.

Responsibilities

Lead planning and execution of creative workflows from concept through production for packaging and brand design projects.
Create design timelines, track milestones, and ensure seamless handoffs between creative and production teams.
Serve as a strategic partner and liaison between Design, Graphics (GRSS), Marketing, Legal, R&D, and external vendors.
Facilitate clear communication, manage feedback loops, and ensure creative objectives are aligned with business goals.
Collaborate closely with Pre-Media, Artwork, and Design Teams to translate creative intent into production-ready assets, ensuring high fidelity to brand standards and feasibility across substrates and formats.
Build, refine, and document best practices, SOPs, and toolkits to increase efficiency and scalability.
Establish KPIs and lead post-mortem reviews to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
Manage external agency and vendor relationships, including briefing, deliverables, timing, and budget oversight.
Monitor resource allocation and escalate capacity needs.
Conduct technical quality reviews of design files to validate accuracy in dieline layouts, brand color application, typography, legal, and print specs.
Flag and resolve potential issues early in the workflow.
Ensure design files are consistently organized, version-controlled, archived, and compliant with internal DAM protocols and brand governance.