Managing Director, Creative Business Operations

standtogether· Creative Operations
Apply Now ↗
📍 Arlington, VirginiaFull time💰 USD 185K–225K

About this role

Stand Together is a philanthropic community that helps America’s boldest changemakers tackle the root causes of our country’s biggest problems, from education to the economy, broken communities, and toxic division, among dozens of other pressing issues. We provide our partners with access to resources including funding, thought leadership, a network of peers, and a playbook for applying proven principles to transform lives and society. 

The Managing Director, Creative Business Operations serves as the senior executive responsible for the operating system of the Creative team. This role ensures the team has the financial discipline, resourcing, workflows, documentation, reporting, vendor management, and organizational relationships required to operate as a high-performing creative center of excellence. 

Reporting to the Senior Vice President of Content & Creative, this role functions as a strategic operator that bridges our Creative Services, Brand Publishing and Media Partnerships teams with our partners in Marketing Strategy, Events, Communications, Finance, and other enterprise functions. The Creative Business Operations leader drives clarity and accountability across these teams, always looking for the next-best opportunity for value creation and how they can drive on it. 

This leader will oversee the day-to-day business operations of the Creative team at an executive level, including vendor contracts, vendor partnerships, budget pacing, productivity reporting, operational planning, team workflows, and cross-functional coordination. 

The ideal candidate is someone who can move seamlessly from strategy to execution. They must exercise sound business judgment, lead through influence, manage ambiguity, and foster a culture of collaboration, while providing executive-level visibility into the Creative team’s function. 

This role requires someone who understands how creative teams operate, how to thrive within a matrixed organization, and how to build the infrastructure that enables creative talent to do their best work.

How You Will Contribute

  • Serve as the senior business operations leader for the Creative team, owning the systems, workflows, and relationships that enable the department to function efficiently and effectively, both internally and across the organization. 
  • Partner with leadership to operationalize creative plans, manage follow-through, and ensure resources are allocated in line with priorities. 
  • Develop reports on resource allocation and capacity planning, giving leadership clear visibility into the Creative team’s priorities, how resources are being used, and where capacity is constrained. Audit the systems in which these data are tracked, ensuring their accuracy and utility. 
  • Support insource/outsource decisions by assessing workload, opportunity cost, and long-term strategic value. 
  • Oversee creative contracts and vendor engagements. Manage vendor relationships, ensuring clear accountability, clarity on spending and pacing, and alignment with strategic priorities (in coordination with Finance, Vendor Management, and Vendor Strategy). 
  • Build reports that show where Creative dollars are being spent, what value is being created, where tradeoffs exist, and where leadership decisions are needed. 
  • Prepare formal recommendations and decision-making frameworks for creative investments in partnership with team leadership. 
  • Identify learning opportunities by driving on after-actions and soliciting stakeholder feedback. Ensure insights carry through across projects and workstreams. Similarly, identify process gaps, unclear ownership, and other constraints; working across the whole Marketing & Communications team to identify and implement solutions. 
  • Maintain essential documentation, including workflows, decision records, vendor information, reporting, and financial tracking.  
  • Leverage AI and other tools to create efficiencies without sacrificing quality. 

What You Will Bring

  •  Executive-level experience in creative operations. Marketing operations, chief of staff, or similar operational leadership roles are a plus.
  • Strong understanding of how creative, content, production, design, marketing, or agency teams operate. 
  • Demonstrated ability to build operating systems, processes, and reports that drive executive level decision-making.
  • Experience managing or overseeing large vendor relationships, complex contracts, budgets, and financial planning processes.
  • Proven ability to lead through influence, drive accountability, resolve conflict, and build trust across teams with different priorities and working styles.
  • Superior writing skills and an ability to write a logically sound business case.
  • Strong analytical judgment and systems thinking.
  • Strong executive presence, judgment, and communication skills. An ability to distill the essential from the complex while advising senior leaders.
  • Practical knowledge of emerging  AI capabilities.
  • Enthusiasm to contribute to Stand Together's vision and principled approach to solving problems, and a commitment to stewarding our culture, which champions values including transformation and innovation, entrepreneurialism, humility, and respect. 

What We Offer

  • Competitive benefits: Enjoy a 6% 401(k) match with immediate vesting, flexible time off, comprehensive health and dental plans, plus wellness and mental health support through Peloton and Talkspace.
  • A meaningful career: Join a passionate community of over 1,300 employees dedicated to improving lives and driving innovative solutions to complex social challenges.
  • Commitment to growth: Thrive in a non-hierarchical environment that empowers employees to discover, develop and apply their unique talents.
  • Competitive compensation: Our approach rewards the value you create through competitive salaries and bonus opportunities, allowing you to share in the success you help drive. 
Our Values: Working for an organization within the Stand Together philanthropic community is different from many other places. The culture is deeply rooted in Principle Based Management® (PBM®), a framework guided by the principles that drive human progress, such as dignity, openness, and bottom-up empowerment. PBM® empowers employees to be entrepreneurial, to innovate, and to continually drive transformation.   
 
We believe diversity fuels creativity, broadens knowledge, and helps drive success.  That is why we’re proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and strive to treat all employees and applicants with honesty, dignity, and respect.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the salary for the Managing Director, Creative Business Operations role at standtogether?
The listed salary for this Managing Director, Creative Business Operations position at standtogether is USD 185K–225K. This is an Full time role.
Where is the Managing Director, Creative Business Operations position at standtogether located?
This Managing Director, Creative Business Operations role at standtogether is based in Arlington, Virginia. The position is listed as on-site or hybrid. Check the full job description or apply directly to confirm the work arrangement.
Is the Managing Director, Creative Business Operations role at standtogether full-time or part-time?
This is listed as a Full time position. It is posted as a Managing Director, Creative Business Operations role in the Creative Operations department at standtogether.
Which team or department does the Managing Director, Creative Business Operations at standtogether belong to?
This Managing Director, Creative Business Operations position is part of the Creative Operations department at standtogether. See the full job description for more information about the team structure and responsibilities.
How do I apply for the Managing Director, Creative Business Operations position at standtogether?
Click the "Apply Now" button on this page. You will be redirected to standtogether's official application portal hosted on lever where you can submit your application directly.
When was the Managing Director, Creative Business Operations job at standtogether posted?
This Managing Director, Creative Business Operations position at standtogether was posted on Jun 30, 2026. Apply as soon as possible — early applications are often reviewed first.
Managing Director, Creative Business Operations
standtogether · 💰 USD 185K–225K
Apply for this role ↗

You'll be redirected to standtogether's official application page on Lever.