Studio Manager - Manila Design Studio

About the role

The Studio Manager leads the Manila design studio as the senior operational leader for the site, with full-time presence from the Manila office. The role covers day-to-day operations, financial and capacity management, client and stakeholder relations, and people leadership, including the roadmap to move the studio from a 16x5 to 24x5 and eventually 24x7 operation.

Key responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day studio operations, decision-making, issue resolution, escalation management and operational continuity, and build a clear operating structure across managers, team leaders, workflow coordinators, quality reviewers and production teams.
• Ensure consistent service levels, turnaround times, quality standards and client commitments, and oversee workflow, staffing, capacity planning and delivery performance.
• Strengthen quality-control and global-check processes, and lead the resolution of client escalations and recurring service issues.
• Monitor staffing costs, utilization, productivity and overtime; partner with leadership and Finance on budget tracking and margin improvement, and develop business cases for capacity expansion and new services.
• Plan the transition to 24x5 and 24x7 operations, designing shift structures, coverage, escalation mechanisms and quality controls without compromising quality or employee sustainability.
• Act as a senior escalation point for key clients and internal stakeholders, and develop managers and team leaders into stronger client-facing operators.
• Identify process and quality improvements, partner with Creative, Technology, Sales, Marketing and Operations on new capabilities, and evaluate emerging technologies, automation and AI-enabled workflows.
• Lead workforce planning, hiring, succession planning, performance management and leadership development, and create a stable work environment for extended-hours operations.