Senior Manager, Creative Operations, Beauty

Gap, Inc.

$120K — $145K *
Retail & Consumer Goods
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years of experience in creative operations, project management, or production management, ideally in beauty, fashion, retail, or lifestyle brands.
  • Proven success in managing creative workflows and cross-functional alignment in a fast-paced, multi-brand environment.
  • Strong understanding of marketing and creative development processes from brief to launch.
  • Proficiency with project management tools like Smartsheets, Airtable, Monday.com, or Wrike.
  • Excellent organizational, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
  • Experience managing budgets, vendors, and external agencies.
  • Collaborative mindset balancing creative excellence with operational discipline.

Responsibilities

  • Own the end-to-end workflow for all creative projects from brief intake to production and delivery.
  • Define and manage critical paths, timelines, and review milestones for various marketing assets.
  • Partner with the Ops Director for daily project tracking and tactical execution.
  • Serve as a liaison among Creative, Marketing, Product Development, and Merchandising to synchronize efforts with business priorities.
  • Manage resource allocation across teams, balancing in-house and external talent for creative work.
  • Oversee vendor relationships including contracting and performance management.
  • Design and implement creative operations systems to enhance collaboration and speed to market.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to lead creative operations for a major retail brand in the beauty sector.
  • Engagement in cross-functional collaboration with diverse teams.
  • Focus on process optimization contributing to greater creative efficiency.
  • Access to advanced project management and creative tools.
  • Chance to shape and influence creative processes and outcomes.
Full Job Description
About the Role
The Senior Manager of Creative Operations will drive process, planning, and executional excellence within the Creative function across all Beauty initiatives for Gap Inc. This leader will oversee creative project management, resource planning, and operational systems to ensure that every campaign, asset, and product-related deliverable is executed efficiently, on time, and to brand standards.

This role serves as the operational backbone of the Creative organization — ensuring the seamless intersection of creative vision, marketing strategy, and go-to-market execution. The ideal candidate combines a deep understanding of creative processes with strong operational discipline and communication skills.What You'll Do

1. Creative Process & Project Management

  • Own the end-to-end workflow for all creative projects — from brief intake through production and delivery — across both product and marketing touchpoints.

  • Define and manage critical paths, timelines, and review milestones for campaigns, photography, packaging, and digital content.

  • Partner with the Ops Director to manage day-to-day project tracking and tactical execution, ensuring accountability and visibility across teams.

  • Serve as the central hub between Creative, Marketing, Product Development, andMerchandising, ensuring all creative work aligns with launch calendars and business priorities.

2. Resource Planning & Vendor Management

  • Manage resource allocation across design, copywriting, and production, balancing in-house and external talent.

  • Oversee agency and vendor relationships, including contracting, onboarding, and performance management.

  • Anticipate resource needs for upcoming initiatives and proactively recommend scaling or support solutions.

3. Process Optimization & Systems

  • Design and implement creative operations systems and tools (e.g., project management, digital asset management, approval workflows) to improve collaboration and speed-to-market.

  • Document and maintainstandard operating procedures (SOPs) for creative processes, ensuring clarity and efficiency across teams.

  • Continuously evaluate and refine processes to reduce bottlenecks and improve creative throughput.

4. Budget & Performance Oversight

  • Partner with Finance and Marketing to track and manage creative production budgets, ensuring cost efficiency and accurate forecasting.

  • Maintain visibility into spend by campaign, vendor, and production type.

  • Identify opportunities for process or vendor optimization to maximize ROI.

5. Cross-Functional Alignment

  • Partner closely with Marketing, Merchandising, Product Development, and Strategy to ensure creative deliverables reflect business priorities and meet launch deadlines.

  • Lead creative planning meetings and calendar alignment sessions.

  • Act as the operational link between brand creative teams and central marketing functions, ensuring Beauty initiatives integrate seamlessly into overall brand campaigns.

Who You Are
  • 10+ years of experience in creative operations, project management, or production management, ideally within beauty, fashion, retail, or lifestyle brands.

  • Proven success implementing/managing creative workflows, and cross-functional alignment in a fast-paced, multi-brand environment.

  • Strong understanding of marketing and creative development processes — from brief to launch.

  • Proficiency in project management tools (e.g., Smartsheets, Airtable,Monday.com, Wrike) and digital asset management systems.

  • Excellent organizational, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

  • Experience managing budgets, vendors, and external agencies.

  • Highly collaborative mindset with the ability to balance creative excellence and operational discipline.

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