Studio Director

oliver· Production
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📍 Cape Town, South Africa

About this role

Established in 2004, OLIVER is the world’s first and only specialist in designing, building, and running bespoke in-house agencies and marketing ecosystems for brands. We partner with over 300 clients in 40+ countries and counting. Our unique model drives creativity and efficiency, allowing us to deliver tailored solutions that resonate deeply with audiences. 

As a part of The Brandtech Group, we're at the forefront of leveraging cutting-edge AI technology to revolutionise how we create and deliver work. Our AI solutions enhance efficiency, spark creativity, and drive insightful decision-making, empowering our teams to produce innovative and impactful results. 

Role: Studio Director

Location: Cape Town, South Africa (Hybrid, 3 days a week in studio)

About the role: 

The Studio Director is accountable for the operational health of OLIVER's Cape Town studio. You'll create the conditions for consistent, high-quality delivery by leading a team of project managers and creatives, maintaining a robust resourcing rhythm, and building the operational infrastructure the studio needs to scale. You'll act as the primary escalation point for production, workflow, and resource challenges and as the cultural anchor for a collaborative, high-performing team.

What you will be doing: 

Studio Operations and Leadership

  • Lead day-to-day studio operations, holding overall accountability for delivery standards, team performance, and operational health
  • Act as the primary escalation point for production, workflow, and resource challenges across the studio
  • Partner with Global Studio leadership to align local operations with wider business priorities and standards
  • Foster a collaborative, accountable, and solutions-focused culture that supports high performance and team wellbeing
  • Support the development and growth of team members through coaching, mentoring, and structured enablement

Resource and Capacity Planning

  • Design and maintain a robust resourcing rhythm, weekly planning, daily triage, utilisation tracking that ensures predictability and strong delivery outcomes
  • Conduct weekly resource reviews to identify gaps and ensure the team is fully utilised; proactively redeploy resource to support other regions or accounts where capacity allows
  • Work closely with Producers and Sales Market Leads on forecasting and capacity planning
  • Source, contract, and onboard freelance and ad hoc resource when demand requires

Production and Workflow Management

  • Serve as the escalation point for production queries from Regional Producers, IPMs, and Creative teams
  • Maintain working knowledge of all channel-specific workflows and production requirements
  • Proactively identify production risks and implement mitigation plans to protect quality and deadlines

Technical and Workflow Enablement

  • Act as the first point of contact for Cape Town teams on workflow, automation, and production tooling issues, triaging and coordinating resolution
  • Coordinate the implementation of global workflows, ensuring IPMs adhere to production and automation standards
  • Maintain workflow documentation and version control; provide structured feedback to the Global Ops team
  • Deliver practical training and enablement programmes, including buddy systems for new hires
  • Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on efficiency, quality, and scalability

Budget and Studio Management

  • Oversee studio-level production and resource budgets, including freelance spend and cost planning
  • Present budget performance to OLIVER stakeholders; flag risks early and drive corrective action where needed
  • Drive cost efficiencies across studio operations without compromising delivery quality or team capacity
  • Hold overall accountability for the financial health of the Cape Town studio 

What you need to be great in this role: 

  • Proven track record leading creative production, studio operations, or project management teams in a fast-paced environment
  • Strong resource planning and forecasting capabilities, with experience managing complex, multi-function workloads
  • Deep understanding of production workflows, channel-specific requirements, and operational improvement methodologies
  • Experience sourcing and managing freelance and contingent resource models
  • Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills and able to influence and partner at all levels
  • Confidence managing studio-level budgets, reporting on financial performance, and driving cost efficiency
  • Fluency with production terminology and methodology across multiple channels and formats
  • Familiarity with production tooling, workflow automation, and project management platforms
  • Strategic use of AI tools to enhance studio operations, team efficiency, and delivery quality
  • Experience setting AI governance and quality standards at team or studio level
  • Agentic leadership approach: systematic, goal-oriented problem-solving for complex operational and business challenges
  • Drive for AI innovation with an appetite to share best practice and build capability across the OLIVER network

Req ID: 18643

#LI-MR1 #LI-Director #Remote

Our values shape everything we do: 

Be Ambitious to succeed   

Be Imaginative to push the boundaries of what’s possible   

Be Inspirational to do groundbreaking work   

Be always learning and listening to understand   

Be Results-focused  to exceed expectations   

Be actively pro-inclusive and anti-racist across our community, clients and creations   

Our recruitment process does not employ artificial intelligence for selection. We use AI to support efficiency and consistency, not to replace human judgement. Candidate evaluation and selection are conducted without AI-supported screening or decision-making. We are committed to a fair, thoughtful, and equitable experience for every candidate.

OLIVER, a part of the Brandtech Group, is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive working environment where all employees are encouraged to reach their full potential, and individual differences are valued and respected. All applicants shall be considered for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, neurodivergence, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by local laws.   

 OLIVER has set ambitious environmental goals around sustainability, with science-based emissions reduction targets. Collectively, we work towards our mission, embedding sustainability into every department and through every stage of the project lifecycle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the salary disclosed for the Studio Director position at oliver?
The salary for this Studio Director role at oliver is not publicly listed. Click "Apply Now" to learn more about the compensation package on their official careers page.
Where is the Studio Director position at oliver located?
This Studio Director role at oliver is based in Cape Town, South Africa. The position is listed as on-site or hybrid. Check the full job description or apply directly to confirm the work arrangement.
Which team or department does the Studio Director at oliver belong to?
This Studio Director position is part of the Production department at oliver. See the full job description for more information about the team structure and responsibilities.
How do I apply for the Studio Director position at oliver?
Click the "Apply Now" button on this page. You will be redirected to oliver's official application portal hosted on greenhouse where you can submit your application directly.
When was the Studio Director job at oliver posted?
This Studio Director position at oliver was posted on Sep 8, 2026. Apply as soon as possible — early applications are often reviewed first.
Studio Director
oliver
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