Freelance Senior Director, Creative Production

ABOUT UStms unites technology, marketing, and sourcing to drive transformational change for the world’s leading brands. With more than 1,400 employees across 28 countries., we offer an impressive range of solutions – from inspiration and innovation to category management and delivery.Operating as a creative agency, a strategic consultancy, a sourcing business, and a technology provider, we engage with over 110 million customers every single day for our clients, including McDonald’s, T-Mobile, O2, Starbucks, and adidas.Most importantly, we're a place where you can achieve great things, and be recognized as the best.WHAT MATTERS THE MOSTBreakthrough, business-driving ideas come from extraordinary people with the freedom to be their most authentic selves at work. Authenticity and diversity are critical elements of our business. They can only be realized when we create access and equity for all. We foster a culture of inclusion and belonging and aspire to be ever-evolving.tms is a place where brilliant people are better together. If you want your ideas to be heard and to contribute to a culture of inclusion and authenticity, bring us your voice! Visit us at tmsw.com.WHY WE THINK YOU WILL LOVE THIS ROLE As Senior Director, Creative Production, you’ll lead the client’s end-to-end creative production function—shaping how the brand shows up across a digital- and social-first ecosystem. You’ll set the production vision and operating model that enables always-on content, creator-led storytelling, and agile testing/learning—while still delivering flagship campaigns with polish and consistency. This role brings strategic leadership, mentorship, and operational oversight across studio, design, and production partners, and is accountable for delivering work on time, on budget, and at the highest creative and technical standard. Experience supporting beauty, personal care, kitchen appliances, or other consumer brands is a strong plus.WHAT YOU WILL BRING TO THE ORGANIZATION Studio, Creative Design & Production LeadershipLead the client’s Creative Production organization, providing strategic direction and day-to-day executive oversight across the Studio and Creative Design department (design, motion / editing, retouching, studio services)Set clear operating principles, decision rights, and governance for how work is briefed, produced, reviewed, approved, and delivered across teams and stakeholdersBuild, coach, and retain high-performing teams—developing org structure, role clarity, hiring plans, freelance rosters, and vendor partnerships to meet business demandChampion creative and production excellence by elevating craft standards, instituting quality control, and enabling efficient, repeatable workflowsPortfolio Planning, Resourcing & DeliveryOwn delivery of the creative production portfolio—balancing always-on digital/social content, e-commerce needs, and campaign work to ensure quality, speed, and brand consistencyOversee intake, scoping, estimating, and prioritization—partnering with marketing, brand, e-commerce, and cross-functional teams to translate goals into executable plansDrive capacity planning and resourcing across staff, freelancers, and vendors; forecast demand and adjust staffing models to deliver against seasonal peaks and campaign momentsProactively identify risks, dependencies, and scope changes; remove blockers, make tradeoffs, and implement mitigation plans to keep work on trackVendor & Partner ManagementBuild and manage an ecosystem of partners (studios, photographers, directors, editors, motion teams, retouchers, post houses, sound, and creator/influencer production resources) aligned to digital and social best practicesOwn partner selection, SOWs, rate negotiations, and budget controls; ensure schedules, deliverables, and quality expectations are metPartner with legal/brand teams to ensure usage rights, licensing, talent/union considerations, and release documentation are secured and compliantProcess, Quality & Best PracticesDefine and continuously improve production workflows, standards, and templates that scale—especially for high-volume digital and social content (versioning, localization, aspect ratios, specs, and accessibility)Oversee creative and technical QA across deliverables to ensure platform readiness (e.g., social placements, e-commerce PDP requirements, and retailer standards) and brand consistencyDrive asset governance across DAM/PIM/PXM ecosystems—ensuring metadata hygiene, usage rights tracking, file structure, archival, and efficient retrievalStay current on evolving production technology and AI-enabled workflows; assess new tools and implement improvements that increase speed, quality, and cost efficiencyClient & Cross-Functional CollaborationPartner with brand, marketing, social, e-commerce, product, legal, and retail teams to align on priorities, timelines, and channel requirementsServe as a senior production leader in stakeholder and leadership discussions, advising on feasibility, budgets, production approaches, and tradeoffs to achieve business goalsCreate an inclusive, solutions-oriented environment that enables teams to move quickly, collaborate effectively, and deliver great work under pressureSKILLS AND EXPERIENCE WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO HAVE Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Communications, Production, Design, or a related field12+ years leading integrated creative production across digital, social, e-commerce, photo, and motion, including high-volume and high-visibility programs7+ years building and managing teams (studio, design, motion, post, producers) with demonstrated success developing leaders and elevating craftDeep understanding of digital- and social-first production best practices (platform-native formats, iteration cycles, creator content, versioning, localization, accessibility, and performance-informed optimization)Expertise in budgeting, forecasting, and cost controls; strong command of scoping, estimating, and production planning at scaleProven operating-model ownership: intake/briefing, prioritization, capacity planning, workflow design, and quality assurance across a studio environmentExperience partnering with retail and e-commerce ecosystems (e.g., Amazon PDPs and key retailers), including content standards, image requirements, and complianceStrong knowledge of rights management, licensing, talent releases, and vendor/agency contracting; comfort partnering with Legal and ProcurementFluency with modern production and collaboration tooling (DAM/PIM/PXM, project management, review/approval tools) and an improvement mindset for process and technologyExceptional executive communication skills; able to align diverse stakeholders, influence outcomes, and make clear recommendations under ambiguityAnd we’d love you to… Be an operator and a partner: bring structure to ambiguous asks, create repeatable templates/processes, and help the team move faster without sacrificing quality.Lead with clarity and calm: proactively flag risks, align stakeholders quickly, and coach teams through tight timelines, high volume, and shifting priorities.Any of the following would be a plus Hands-on experience with Amazon PDPs and retail/e-commerce ecosystems (e.g., Amazon, Ulta, Target), including content standards, image requirements, and performance levers.Experience partnering with or operating within PXM/PIM/DAM environments (e.g., Salsify and/or DAM governance), and comfort coordinating asset metadata, usage rights, QA, and publishing workflows.Starting hourly between $110-$120EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYERWe are an equal opportunity employer, and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.RECRUITING AGENCIEStms does not accept agency resumes submitted by third-party vendors unless a valid agreement has been signed and the tms Talent Acquisition Team has granted authorization for submissions for a specified position. Please do not submit or forward resumes to our site, tms employees, or any other company location. tms is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.