If you have an in-house creative agency with a team that develops breakthrough and distinctive creative ideas and design systems that drive business objectives and use creativity and design to win hearts, minds and wallets then you are uniquely positioned as the internal creative agency of record to be hyper-focused on the customer experience across all channels, categories, and campaigns. If you are ruthlessly focused on human truths, insight-driven creative strategies and integrated creative solutions that build the brand and grow the business – not just with ads but through brand acts and experiences. If you value talent, diversity, innovation, curiosity, collaboration, culture, insights, and results, and you are committed to helping people – all people – live better – then Erich Stauffer is the creative, ecommerce operations director for you.
Why Erich Stauffer as Creative eCommerce Operations Director
As the Director of Creative eCommerce Operations, I’ll drive and oversee creative operations for your creative studio by developing operational plans; communicating overall operational success; monitoring and analyzing benchmarks for efficiency and quality; forecasting and allocating resources to meet business demands; and providing expert advice and guidance in the application of information and best practices. I’ll leverage your strategic and resourceful capabilities to research, assess, and either develop or adapt solutions to solve dynamic problems.
In this role, I’ll manage individual contributors and managers, overseeing the following areas:
- Business Management (budget, contracts, agency, art buying, rights management)
- Creative Operations (workflow, process, best practices)
- Information/Archive Management (team documentation, creative library, archive, taxonomy, meta-tagging)
- Creative Technology Ecosystem & Innovations (tools, apps, plugins, scripting)
Example of Erich Stauffer’s duties:
- Drive creative studio financials by partnering with Finance to develop annual budgeting plans and negotiate budget modifications; supervising budget management (for example, hardware, software, training, labor); taking accountability for profit and loss (P&L) statements; ensuring work is delivered on budget; and invoicing clients according to terms of agreements.
- Track/monitor project spending and ensure projects are completed within budget; issue monthly/quarterly/annual reporting and forecasts to Finance
- Develop and implement vendor outsourcing strategies by building and maintaining relationships with current and potential vendors; vetting a comprehensive vendor portfolio; evaluating vendor performance; and holding vendors accountable for delivering on agreed contract terms.
- Drive continuous improvement of creative operations by identifying and pursuing opportunities for strategic enhancements to creative systems and processes; leveraging new technologies, current industry trends, and best practices to integrate and drive systemic efficiencies; approving requisition of department workflow tools; and overseeing and ensuring compliance with organizational processes, standards, and guidelines.
- Provide overall direction by analyzing business objectives and customer needs; developing, communicating, building support for, and implementing business strategies, plans, and practices; analyzing costs and forecasts and incorporating them into business plans; determining and supporting resource requirements; evaluating operational processes; measuring outcomes to ensure desired results; identifying and capitalizing on improvement opportunities; promoting a customer environment; and demonstrating adaptability and sponsoring continuous learning.
- Develop and implement strategies to attract and maintain a highly skilled and engaged workforce by diagnosing capability gaps; recruiting, selecting, and developing talent; supporting mentorship, workforce development, and succession planning; and leveraging the capabilities of new and existing talent.
- Cultivate an environment where associates respect and adhere to company standards of integrity and ethics by integrating these values into all programs and practices and supporting the Open Door Policy.
- Develop and leverage internal and external partnerships and networks to maximize the achievement of business goals by sponsoring and leading key community outreach and involvement initiatives; engaging key stakeholders in the development, execution, and evaluation of appropriate business plans and initiatives; and supporting associate efforts in these areas.
- Assess and negotiate all agency fees, usage and contracts and maintain monthly budget reporting.
- Publish annual creative studio team metrics
- Develop and drive creative agency, internal, and operational playbooks and guidelines/best practices
- Motivate, mentor and develop creative operations leads and support staff; create an inspiring environment which promotes productivity, trust, innovation and job satisfaction
- Partner with creative studio leadership team to develop and operationalize strategic growth roadmap
Erich Stauffer’s Qualifications
- Studied Business, Communications, Marketing, and Computer Science
- 15+ years of experience in project management and business operations
- 2 years of supervisory experience
- Excellent soft skills (influencing, persuasion, and communication) and proven relationship-building skills
- Excellent verbal and written skills
- Thrives, excels, and remains calm in an extremely fast-paced and high-volume production environment
- Experience managing third party vendors and contracts
- Experience leading Creative Operations with a strong strategic lens
- Experience balancing creative needs with business strategy and fiscal responsibility
- Ability to anticipate and respond to creative team requirements in a pro-active, timely, cooperative and thorough manner
- Ability to articulate clear vision and goals, and identify and implement strategies and initiatives to achieve those goals
- Possess excellent analytical skills and strong focus on business results and operational efficiency
- Experience using metrics to measure performance and identify areas for operational improvement
- Able to set both long term strategic and short-term tactical goals for the organization
- Able to honestly assess organization’s strengths and weaknesses on a regular basis, and develop strategies accordingly
- Experience fostering a best-in-class environment of continuous improvement and operational efficiencies
- Proven ability to operate within budgetary and schedule constraints
- Experience in digital creative operations or related field
- Experience managing vendor contracts and relationships
- Marketing/creative agency experience
- Broad understanding of agency and creative finances, budgeting, reporting, contracts, and negotiation
- Experience in an ecommerce environment