Job Description

Creative Operations Manager (Remote)

Eastern Canada (Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic Canada)

Darkroast is a fully remote creative organization built to support consumer brands as their long-term, integrated creative partner.

On paper, we're an agency. In practice, we're the creative production engine behind hundreds of growing consumer brands across North America -- providing always-on, senior-level design support that scales as our clients grow. We embed deeply into our clients' workflows, acting as a true extension of their internal teams.

In this role, you'll lead an elite team of Canada's top graphic designers, delivering high-impact creative across the full brand lifecycle -- from packaging and retail to digital campaigns and ongoing production.

As the creative industry evolves, Darkroast is evolving with it. We invest heavily in AI, automation, and modern design systems to increase creative leverage and unlock new ways of working. We believe AI is a transformative creative tool -- one that gives designers more leverage, amplifies their impact, and allows them to focus on higher-value creative work.

We're looking for a leader who's excited to help guide and steward a world-class design team into this next era of creative production -- balancing innovation with craft, experimentation with stability, and ensuring our designers and clients continue to thrive in a rapidly changing industry.

The Role

We're looking for a Creative Operations Manager to lead and support a team of fully remote designers based in Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada.

This role sits at the intersection of people leadership, creative excellence, operational execution, and design innovation. You'll be responsible for the health of the creative organization -- ensuring designers are supported, workflows are balanced, creative standards remain high, and the team continues to evolve alongside new tools and technologies.

You'll act as both a strategic leader and a hands-on partner: coaching designers, safeguarding quality, managing capacity, and helping steward the team into the future of creative work.

What You'll Do:

Team Leadership & Coaching

Lead and support a dedicated team of designers as their primary manager, mentor, and advocate. Conduct regular 1-on-1s to assess client health, review creative performance, and guide long-term career development. Identify skill gaps and provide proactive coaching to elevate technical execution, communication, and strategic thinking. Foster a culture of accountability, curiosity, and continuous improvement.

Creative Direction & Quality Control

Review design work as needed to ensure alignment with brand standards and client expectations. Serve as Creative Director during new client trials and select high-impact projects to ensure strong early client outcomes. Perform creative audits to ensure deliverables align with broader brand ecosystems and exceed expectations.

Project & Workflow Management

Monitor team capacity and actively manage load balancing to prevent bottlenecks and ensure deadlines are met. Step into production during high-friction moments to unblock designers and mitigate project risk. Coordinate with Specialist designers (motion, 3D, email implementation) when projects require additional support. Work closely with the Studio Director to align client expectations with production capacity, particularly during New Client Trials and onboarding. Operate independently with designers outside of trial periods to support ongoing client work.

Design Innovation, AI & Automation

Play a key role in introducing, adopting, and operationalizing AI-assisted design tools and automation across the team. Help designers integrate new tools and workflows in ways that improve quality, efficiency, and sustainability. Partner with leadership to identify opportunities where automation can reduce repetitive work and increase creative leverage. Support training and knowledge-sharing initiatives to keep the team ahead of industry shifts.

Hiring & Team Growth

Play an active role in recruiting, vetting, interviewing, and hiring new designers. Help maintain a high talent bar while building a team equipped for the future of design.

What We're Looking For

5+ years of experience in a Creative Operations Manager, Design Manager, Art Director, Creative Director, or Lead Designer role with people management responsibility. Experience managing multiple designers and projects in a fast-paced environment. Experience working with consumer brands; CPG experience is a strong asset. Strong working knowledge of print, digital, motion design, AI-assisted workflows, and familiarity with 3D design. Advanced skills in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) and Figma. Highly organized, detail-oriented, and process-driven. Excellent communication skills and confidence working directly with clients. Self-starter who thrives in a remote, collaborative environment. Strong sense of ownership, urgency, and long-term thinking.

Why Darkroast

Remote work: Work from home full-time. Full-time employment: Stable, full-time salaried position. Salary: $80,000-$100,000 CAD, based on experience. Comprehensive benefits: Dental, vision, chiropractic, and additional health benefits. Elite creative environment: Lead and collaborate with a team of 30+ world-class designers.Exciting brands: Work with fun, innovative consumer brands, including category-leading food & beverage companies. Client curation: We're highly selective about who we partner with, prioritizing design-forward brands with strong retail and omnichannel distribution. Modern creative culture: Be part of a creative, fast-growing company that's actively reshaping how design services are delivered. Work-life balance: No late nights or weekends -- unless you choose to. Real impact: A leadership role with meaningful influence over people, systems, and the future of creative work.
Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $80,000.00-$100,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Dental care Extended health care Paid time off Vision care
Application question(s):

Do you have experience managing a team of Graphic Designers?
Work Location: Remote