Agency Production / Traffic Manager

Role Overview

The Production / Traffic Manager is responsible for the efficient planning, scheduling, and delivery of all agency projects. Acting as the central hub between account/project management, creative, and digital teams, this role ensures work flows smoothly through the agency, deadlines are met, budgets are managed effectively, and resources are optimally allocated.

This is a highly organised and proactive role that balances operational oversight with hands-on coordination to maintain quality, profitability, and team wellbeing.

Key Responsibilities

1. Resource & Capacity Management

• Own and manage agency-wide resource planning across all teams using scheduling/workflow management and collaboration tools (currently Float and Monday.com, with a longer-term move towards centralised planning within Monday.com)
• Manage and allocate tasks via Monday.com, ensuring briefs, timelines, priorities and dependencies are clearly communicated to delivery teams
• Allocate work based on team capability, availability, project priority and budget requirements
• Identify workflow pinch points, resource gaps and future capacity challenges, proactively recommending solutions
• Manage freelance onboarding, scheduling and task allocation when additional capacity or specialist support is required
• Support recruitment and freelance planning through resource forecasting and utilisation insights

2. Project Scheduling, Workflow & Delivery Management

• Build and maintain accurate project schedules and delivery plans
• Ensure work is appropriately prioritised and progresses smoothly across concurrent projects and teams
• Monitor project progress daily and adjust schedules or priorities where necessary to maintain delivery timelines
• Act as the key operational link between Account/Project Managers, Creative Team, Digital Team, and external suppliers
• Communicate project status, timelines, risks and dependencies clearly to internal stakeholders throughout the task/project lifecycle
• Liaise with external suppliers and production partners where required to coordinate timings and delivery requirements
• Identify and resolve bottlenecks before they impact project quality, budget or deadlines

3. Traffic, Budget & Production Oversight

• Act as the central point of oversight for all live projects across the agency
• Lead regular traffic/production meetings to review workloads, priorities, delivery schedules and risks
• Ensure deadlines are realistic, agreed and consistently met
• Monitor allocated project budgets alongside resourcing and timelines to ensure work remains commercially viable
• Obtain production costs and quotations from external suppliers and communicate estimates back to stakeholders for client approval and estimate creation
• Support Account Managers and Project Managers by providing realistic time estimates for tasks in collaboration with creative and digital teams
• Flag risks relating to overspend, scope creep, scheduling conflicts or delivery challenges at an early stage

4. Quality Assurance & Approval Process

• Play a key role in the checking and approval process for all deliverables prior to client submission
• Review content, artwork and production files for accuracy and brief alignment before final approval by Account Management or Project Management
• Coordinate proof checking, artwork supply, amends and delivery logistics with both internal teams and external suppliers
• Ensure all deliverables are client-ready, accurate and delivered to agreed specifications and deadlines

5. Supplier & Production Coordination

• Liaise with external suppliers, printers, developers, production partners and freelancers to coordinate schedules, outputs and delivery requirements
• Manage the supply of artwork and production files to suppliers, ensuring technical specifications are accurate and complete
• Coordinate proofing, approvals and final production sign-off processes
• Oversee delivery schedules to ensure all production outputs are delivered on time and to specification

6. Process & Operations Improvement

• Support the refinement of agency workflows, operational processes, briefing procedures, scheduling and QA standards in collaboration with the Operations Director and Account Director – Client Operations
• Support the ongoing development and optimisation of Monday.com as the agency’s primary workflow and resource management platform
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, visibility, collaboration and consistency across teams
• Support the implementation of improved processes, systems and ways of working to enhance overall agency performance

7. Stakeholder Collaboration

• Act as the primary operational contact between delivery/production teams and Account Managers/Project Managers
• Work closely with Account and Project stakeholders to align on scope, priorities, budgets and delivery expectations
• Build strong working relationships across internal teams and external supplier networks
• Ensure clear, proactive communication throughout all stages of task/project delivery and production execution

Skills & Experience

• Proven experience in a Production Manager, Traffic Manager or similar operational role within a creative, branding, digital or integrated agency
• Strong understanding of creative, digital and production workflows
• Experience managing project schedules, budgets, resource allocation and production coordination simultaneously
• Experience using workflow and resource planning platforms such as Monday.com, Float, Resource Guru, Asana or similar
• Strong QA mindset with excellent attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple deadlines and competing priorities within a busy agency environment
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management and problem-solving skills
• Commercial awareness and confidence managing budgets, timelines and delivery expectations
• Experience working with external suppliers, printers, developers or production partners

Key Attributes

• Highly organised and process-driven
• Calm and solutions-focused under pressure
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality
• Collaborative and team-oriented
• Proactive and forward-thinking
• Commercially aware with a delivery-focused mindset
• Confident communicator with strong relationship management skills

Assessment of Performance

• Performance in this role will be assessed against the following key areas:
• All creative requests are scheduled accurately and managed correctly within Monday.com and Float, with changes and updates clearly communicated to relevant stakeholders
• Resources are managed effectively to ensure maximum efficiency across both internal teams and external freelancers/suppliers
• All creative and digital production requests are managed proactively from initial booking through to final completion and delivery
• Deadlines are consistently managed and achieved, with requests handled in a timely and organised manner
• Professional, clear and proactive communication is maintained with internal stakeholders, clients and external suppliers
• High levels of accuracy and attention to detail are demonstrated, with minimal errors identified during checking and QA processes
• Strong visibility and coordination are maintained across live projects, priorities and workloads
• Deliverables are completed to agreed quality standards, within scope and within allocated budgets
• Workflow bottlenecks, resource challenges and delivery risks are identified and managed proactively
• Positive collaboration is maintained across delivery, account management and delivery teams

Salary & benefits

• FTE salary of £55k
• Pension enrolment
• 25 days annual leave
• Birthday day off
• Critical Illness Insurance and Wellbeing Rewards
• Car salary sacrifice scheme
• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay 

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