Resource Operations Manager

Big Spaceship•New York, NY

10h•$80,000 - $90,000

About The Position

Big Spaceship is seeking a New York City-based Resource Operations Manager to oversee how freelance work is staffed, contracted, tracked, and paid. The role owns the freelance talent bench end to end, from initial freelancer outreach through engagement, invoicing, and offboarding, while working with internal teams and external partners. The position also supports broader agency operations, including resourcing, reporting, process improvement, and expense management.

Requirements

At least 5 years of experience in agency operations or resourcing; agency experience is required.
Sound judgment and diplomacy in negotiating rates and managing freelancer relationships.
Ability to carefully read contracts.
Comfort with numbers, including contract values, rate conversions, and working-day counts.
Experience with resource management and timesheet platforms, contractor-management platforms, and project tracking tools.
Strong Excel and Google Sheets skills.
Experience managing budgets and reconciling expenses with finance.
Clear, warm written communication.
Self-directed, able to work from a brief and see tasks through.
Discretion when handling confidential information such as rates and contracts.
Fluency with AI tools as a daily practice and curiosity about where they can improve the work.
Based in New York City.

Responsibilities

Source and recruit freelance talent across creative, production, design, studio, account, strategy, and program management, in partnership with the internal recruiter and external staffing agencies.
Conduct rapid freelancer outreach for projects and pitches, gathering availability, rates, and business status.
Negotiate freelancer rates using market benchmarks and past engagements.
Manage freelance intake and the pipeline from initial inquiry through engagement.
Work with project leads and finance to turn staffing requests into clear, supported approvals and ensure engagements are accurate and within budget.
Select the appropriate contracting path for each engagement.
Manage day-to-day relationships with contractor-of-record and vendor partners, including contract and SOW setup, amendments, timesheet approval, and offboarding.
Explain contracting arrangements, time logging, and payment processes to freelancers.
Maintain the freelancer agreement template, complete agreements accurately, and obtain signatures.
Keep the freelance tracker, resourcing system profiles, end-date reminders, and IT and operations handoffs current.
Support staff planning, timesheet workflows, and the transfer of project and employee data between systems.
Produce recurring reports on time off and freelance spending against contract values.
Document and improve operational processes, including building, maintaining, and teaching others to use AI-assisted workflows for repetitive tasks.
Administer the expense and production system; allocate billable and non-billable travel and entertainment budgets with project teams; and reconcile monthly expenses with finance and client project teams.