Xpod Studio Director

HelloFresh•New York, NY

14h•$140,700 - $170,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The XPod is the video content engine of HelloFresh's brand. As Studio Director, you will lead the in-house Studio team, owning the quality, consistency, and operational discipline of our production output across the HelloFresh Group. This is a Director-level role sitting at the intersection of creative leadership, people development, and strategic operations. HelloFresh is at a pivotal moment of transformation and XPod is at the forefront of that journey, our fast reactive and experimental content engine. With a primary focus on Paid Social assets and channel specific content we need a Director who will inspire and unite teams. Join us as we work towards a responsive global content system, integrating AI-assisted workflows, and evolving our digital strategy to support local market empowerment alongside centralised brand standards. We won't just focus on Paid but Organic Social and select Photo and Video projects. The Studio Director is essential to delivering this ambition: ensuring the Xpod Studio operates as a high-value, cost-efficient asset that meets growing content volume and speed demands without compromising brand integrity. You will partner closely with Growth and Brand teams, and internally the team is split into Creative Strategy and Production. Your operational rigour will give the creative vision the structural foundations it needs to succeed. Xpod is the performance engine of our Content Marketing team and you must be as comfortable discussing channel metrics as you are creative output and social trends.

Requirements

Significant experience leading an in-house Creative Studio or high-volume social production environment.
A strong track record of Creative Strategy or Growth/Performance in Paid and Organic social environments.
Proven experience managing multi-brand, multi-market content production at scale, and translating creative vision into operational reality in close partnership with Snr leadership.
Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to influence and build trust at VP level across both creative and commercial stakeholders.
A decisive, calm, and empathetic leadership style capable of navigating competing demands, making clear calls under pressure, and maintaining team morale through periods of change.

Responsibilities

Lead, inspire, and develop the in-house Xpod Studio team of operations/production and content strategy whilst directly managing relationships with the Growth team.
Set clear performance expectations, develop individual growth plans, and maintain a strong performance culture through regular 1:1s, honest feedback, and proactive management of performance.
Lead by example: motivated, well-led teams consistently deliver better content at scale.
Ensure every asset produced from the Xpod Studio across all channels meets the highest standard and reflects the evolving HelloFresh brands visual identities.
Deliver Paid Social content that performs, that delivers to brief and is prioritised by Channel Managers.
Build a fast and efficient lean Creative Strategy team focused on Growth and Brand recognition.
Manage end-to-end production projects across brands and markets from creative briefing through to casting, production directing, and final delivery.
Establish and improve production workflows, post-shoot assessment processes, and briefing standards to ensure operational learning is embedded over time.
Lead weekly Studio meetings to align on priorities, surface and resolve issues, and maintain clear communication of expectations around schedules, resourcing, and budgets.
Attend weekly Growth meetings to align on performance localisation, trends and channel spend.
Own the Studio budget end-to-end: forecast monthly, and quarterly project costs; allocate budget prudently and transparently; and re-forecast regularly to reflect reality.
Champion and embed AI-assisted workflows into Xpod production processes to amplify output and stay competitive.
Ensure that video (and statics) content delivery is treated as one vital component of a modular library.
Batching and version control, localisation and serving local market content as part of a Global pillar - a key goal for always on messaging and content flow. This will involve creating multiple content outputs from single shoots.
Innovative approach to content iteration across Brand, Creative and Growth for all HF brands.
Build growth opportunities for Organic Social content.
Act as an ambassador for Xpod, building trusted relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, namely Growth and Brand to build its reputation and performance engine.