Creative Ops Specialist

Express•Columbus, OH

10d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Specialist, Marketing Operations & Creative Production is responsible for leading the planning, coordination, and execution of campaign photo and video shoot production for the Express brand. This role plays a critical part in bringing brand campaigns to life, managing production timelines, key milestones, asset workflows, and cross-functional coordination from pre-production through final delivery. This role oversees day-to-day photo shoot production across campaign and marketing content, partnering closely with internal Creative, Brand Marketing, Styling, Merchandising, and post-production teams, as well as external creative agencies, production partners, and talent representatives. The Senior Specialist serves as a key operational lead throughout the production process, ensuring all shoots are executed efficiently, aligned to creative objectives, and delivered on time and within budget. In addition to production execution, this role supports budget oversight for photo shoot production, including tracking estimates, managing invoices, monitoring usage terms, and helping ensure projects remain within approved budget parameters. This is a highly collaborative role that requires strong project management, excellent communication, operational rigor, and the ability to manage multiple moving parts in a fast-paced creative environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Production, Operations, Traffic, Creative, Marketing, or a related field
3-5 years of experience in creative production, campaign production, creative operations, or marketing project management
Experience supporting or leading photo and video shoot production in a brand, retail, fashion, or agency environment
Strong understanding of creative marketing workflows, production timelines, and asset delivery processes
Experience managing multiple projects simultaneously in a deadline-driven environment
Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and project tracking tools
Strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across multiple cross-functional teams
Ability to adapt quickly, problem-solve proactively, and maintain momentum in a fast-paced environment
Ability to manage sensitive details, timelines, and approvals with accuracy and professionalism

Nice To Haves

Experience in fashion, retail, e-commerce, or campaign production environments
Familiarity with production budgets, invoice tracking, and usage rights management
Experience working with external production agencies, photographers, talent teams, or creative vendors
Experience supporting post-production workflows, including retouching, editing, and final asset delivery
Knowledge of asset management and file organization best practices

Responsibilities

Lead project timelines, calendars, and key milestones related to campaign photo and video shoots across Express marketing channels
Serve as a primary point of contact for photo shoot production planning, ensuring timelines, deliverables, dependencies, and approvals are clearly communicated and managed from kickoff through final asset delivery
Coordinate all phases of production, including pre-production, shoot execution, and post-production follow-through
Partner with internal creative leaders and cross-functional stakeholders to align on production needs, timing, deliverables, and execution plans
Coordinate with external creative agencies, production partners, and talent representatives to support smooth planning and execution of shoots
Build and maintain detailed production timelines that account for concepting, casting, sample management, logistics, shoot dates, retouching, editing, asset delivery, and channel-specific deadlines
Manage project tickets, asset requests, approvals, and delivery deadlines to ensure all required deliverables are completed accurately and on time
Schedule and lead Creative Operations and production status meetings to review milestones, identify risks, and keep work moving across teams
Facilitate asset review and approval meetings with internal and external stakeholders
Partner with cross-functional teams to flag upcoming deadlines, risks, and dependencies, and proactively recommend solutions to maintain momentum
Support sample ordering, packing, shipping, and tracking for shoots, ensuring product readiness and timely arrival for production needs
Organize and maintain production documentation, including deal memos, contracts, talent agreements, music licensing, usage rights, and related approvals
Track asset usage by channel and monitor compliance with signed contracts and usage agreements
Assist in the coordination of shoot logistics, including schedules, call sheets, vendor communications, and on-set support as needed
Partner with post-production teams to ensure photo retouching, video editing, selects, and final asset routing are completed according to deadlines and brand standards
Route final assets to internal and external partners and help ensure proper organization, naming, and storage of deliverables
Support budget oversight for photo shoot production, including estimate tracking, invoice management, and monitoring spend against approved budgets
Partner with team leadership and Finance as needed to ensure production costs are aligned to budget parameters and properly reconciled
Maintain organized records and filing systems for production materials, contracts, approvals, and asset usage documentation
Contribute to process improvement efforts that enhance production efficiency, visibility, and communication across teams
Support additional production and operational needs as assigned