Visual Studio Manager

Truth Collective • Rochester, NY

65d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Visual Studio Manager is a hands-on creative leader and senior visual designer responsible for supporting a dedicated creative and production model for a Fortune 50 client. This role blends high-level design execution with operational discipline, client-service judgment, and people-management skills to lead a dynamic design studio team. Serving as the primary client and studio contact during shifts, the manager oversees daily intake, prioritization, creative direction, work assignment, staffing, recruitment, task reporting, quality control, vendor coordination, client expectation management, and timely delivery of confidential creative and production requests. This is a working manager position, requiring the ability to produce high-quality work while leading designers, balancing workloads, coaching, managing handoffs, and keeping the client informed under tight deadlines. The role is part of a rotating studio coverage model supporting clients 365 days a year, offering designers more days off than a traditional schedule. The 3-days-on / 3-days-off rotation includes alternating Sunday coverage, typically providing 3 or 4 days off per week. This schedule results in approximately 78 fewer working days annually compared to a standard Monday-Friday schedule. Weekend and holiday coverage may be required, with assignments balanced between teams and compensation reflecting this. On coverage days, team members must be available and responsive throughout the coverage period (7:00 AM ET to 10:00 PM ET), with staggered shifts (early: 7:00 AM ET - 5:00 PM ET; midday/evening: 12:00 PM ET - 10:00 PM ET). Urgent client needs may occasionally arise outside these hours. This role is ideal for a calm, highly-organized creative leader who thrives in fast-paced environments and values the flexibility of a compressed schedule with extended time off.

Requirements

• Experience preparing files for print, coordinating with vendors, managing production details, and working directly with clients.
• Experience leading or functionally managing designers, production artists, freelancers, contractors, or a small creative studio team.
• Expert proficiency in Mac OS and Adobe Creative Cloud, including InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Acrobat.
• Working knowledge of Figma and other relevant digital design and collaboration tools.
• Deep print production expertise, including bleeds, crops, color profiles, resolution, linked assets, packaging, PDF settings, proofing, and vendor-ready file preparation.
• Proficiency with AI tools such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, Grok, and other emerging platforms.
• Strong project coordination, prioritization, organization, file management, and deadline-management skills.
• Sound judgment, problem-solving ability, and composure in urgent, ambiguous, confidential, or high-pressure situations.
• Ability to work both collaboratively and autonomously, take direction effectively, give clear direction to others, and make progress with limited oversight.
• Familiarity with Google Workspace, Microsoft Office Suite, and cloud-based storage platforms, including Box.
• Understanding of digital file optimization, accessibility considerations, and cross-platform design requirements.
• Ability to manage handoffs, document work status, and maintain continuity across a rolling or shift-based coverage model.
• Professional discretion when handling confidential client materials, communications, staffing details, and production information.
• Comfortable working non-traditional schedules, including weekend and holiday coverage.
• Proven and relevant experience in visual design, production design, creative operations, project coordination, studio management, or agency/client-service environments required.
• A PDF file (preferred format) or link to design samples is required to be considered for this position.

Nice To Haves

• Formal direct people-management experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience with shift-based coverage models, client-facing task reporting, intake systems, status trackers, workload balancing, recruiting, onboarding, and creative team operations is strongly preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in Design, Art, Marketing, Advertising, Communications, or a related field preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the design studio team, including visual designers, production designers, freelance support, contractors, and vendor partners.
• Create, adapt, version, and produce high-quality visual materials across digital, presentation, print, environmental, fabrication, installation, and production applications.
• Use AI tools to accelerate design exploration, image and video generation, versioning, content adaptation, production efficiency, and workflow support.
• Serve as the primary client point of contact and shift lead during assigned coverage windows, managing intake, clarification, prioritization, status updates, escalation, execution, and delivery of requests.
• Own shift management for the coverage model, including team scheduling, time-off coordination, holiday/weekend coverage, backup planning, handoff discipline, coverage gaps, and escalation paths.
• Assign incoming work to appropriate team members based on skill set, capacity, urgency, complexity, confidentiality, and client priority.
• Monitor studio capacity in real time, rebalance workloads, remove roadblocks, and make tradeoff recommendations when volume, timing, or complexity exceeds resources.
• Maintain client-facing task reporting, including request logs, priority queues, assignments, deadlines, open questions, blockers, approval status, delivery records, and daily/shift-based status summaries.
• Run daily shift check-ins, project reviews, end-of-shift handoffs, and team recap rituals to ensure continuity across the rolling coverage model.
• Recruit, interview, recommend, onboard, and train designers, production artists, freelancers, and contractors as the studio team scales or coverage needs change.
• Coach team members on creative execution, production accuracy, client service, responsiveness, file discipline, tool usage, and professional communication.
• Provide hands-on creative direction, design guidance, and quality control for visual materials.
• Ensure all work aligns with approved brand standards, client direction, quality expectations, and applicable protocols.
• Establish and maintain studio operating standards for intake, prioritization, file organization, handoffs, naming conventions, quality control, vendor handoff, documentation, and confidentiality.
• Prepare and/or review accurate, organized, production-ready files for vendor handoff.
• Coordinate with client stakeholders, leadership, teammates, external vendors, production partners, and internal team members to ensure efficient workflow.
• Identify risks, dependencies, resourcing needs, recurring workflow issues, and opportunities for improvement.
• Handle confidential client materials and communications with discretion, professionalism, and care.
• Contribute creative, operational, managerial, and cultural value to the organization and client relationship.

Benefits

• Flexible working practices: on location and where you want to be
• Competitive financial and wellness benefits
• Plenty of time off, for yourself, the people you love, and things you want to do
• Personal and professional development opportunities to keep you growing
• A place at the table with unique and amazingly talented team members who have each other’s backs

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager