Creative Project Manager & Design Operations Specialist

Role overview: You are the operational backbone of a small creative studio. You own client communication, project flow, and quality control, and you execute design work directly when the primary designer is unavailable. The founder’s name is on every deliverable. Your job is to make sure nothing leaves the studio that the founder would not proudly sign. Client Communication & Proactive Reporting • Acknowledge every client request quickly with a clear, realistic timeline • Send status updates on a set cadence (Mon/Wed/Fri minimum) without being asked • When a client sends assets, materials, or information, notify the founder same day with what arrived, what it is for, and the deadline • Update clients proactively when timelines shift, manage urgency without letting everything become urgent Project Management • Translate requests into fully scoped ClickUp tasks: complete instructions, correct files and Drive links, client history, due dates matching commitments • Route work to the primary designer first, take on execution when they are at capacity • Schedule against real capacity, flag conflicts early with proposed solutions Design QA (Non-Negotiable) • Every deliverable is verified before it ships: kerning, spacing, alignment, weight consistency, resolution, export quality, copy accuracy • When modifying existing brand assets, work from and verify against the source file. Never repurpose an old asset as new work • A 5-minute edit gets the same precision as a full project Direct Design Execution • The primary designer works async off-hours. When time-sensitive requests land, you execute them yourself to full professional standard: logo lockups, typography adjustments, layout corrections, production edits • If a request exceeds your skill level, say so immediately and set expectations. Never attempt-and-ship Admin & Organization • Draft scopes of work from provided formulas, track approvals, send W-9s and documents • Maintain clean Drive structure and naming conventions Tools: ClickUp, Google Drive, Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Canva, ---------- . Working familiarity with Shopify, Webflow, WordPress, Squarespace, Wix. Required skills • Proven production design ability with a portfolio showing typography and logo lockup work • Trained design eye, spots kerning and weight issues without being told • Track record managing clients and projects for a small team or agency • Proactive reporting habits, demonstrated, not claimed • Honest self-assessment of skill limits Nice-to-have: packaging or print design, experience supporting a creative founder or studio, retainer vs project familiarity