The Office of
Ordinary Things

We’re looking for a San Francisco-based (or anywhere in the Bay Area, as long as you can work in person at our Mission District office) ops specialist. We are slowly and carefully hiring for this position, waiting for the right person to come along :)

Our ideal person is passionate about design’s role in shaping a brighter, kinder future for people and the planet. We take our work very seriously, but the vibe in our office is light-hearted, fun, and collaborative.

TOOOT strives to be a values-centered workspace that facilitates personal and professional development and encourages a healthy work-life balance and creative fulfillment for our team. This is not the type of job where you are treated as just an “employee”—we care about our people deeply :’) ♡

1. 4-5+ years experience in a similar project management or operations role, ideally within a small to mid-size creative environment

2. Extraordinarily organized with a bonkers attention to detail (thrives on logistics)

3. Strong multitasker, self-motivated, and an independent thinker

4. Strong written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills

5. Must have expertise in budget, financial, and schedule management, and some experience in operational areas such as financial management (e.g., number-crunching and forecasting, understanding of P&Ls)

6. Must have strong interpersonal skills and some experience in managing people

7. Interested in, with ideally some experience in, building relationships with client prospects and clients (i.e., business development)

8. Must love collaborating with creatives and understand the creative mind (ideally, you have both left and right brain skill sets, but this position is not a visual design role)

9. Proven ability and history around embracing and resolving conflict

10. Graceful under pressure, yet comfortable with having tough conversations with clients, staff/direct reports, and vendors

11. Brings entrepreneurial drive and a willingness to work in an “all hands on deck” small creative team and wears many hats

12. Versatility, flexibility, and getting things done quickly and accurately are critical requirements

13. Experience or interest in business writing—particularly proposal writing—and in using Adobe InDesign (and ideally the full Adobe Creative Suite)

1. Direct project management of all engagements, including the development and management of schedules, budgets/estimates, team-wide resourcing, etc.

2. Research/identify and implement the best, simplest, and most appropriate processes, systems, and tools (e.g., project/task management, invoicing, Google Drive) that support the entire studio and our strategic partners

3. Train and manage the team (including new hires) on these processes, systems, and tools to ensure consistency of usage and in order to optimize efficiency

4. Develop, maintain, and supervise the creative team to ensure responsive internal and external communications as well as consistent use of project management processes and tools

5. Lead all-hands staff/planning meetings to keep tabs on the big-picture view of all projects, project prioritization, and resource planning

6. As needed, conduct one-on-one daily or weekly meetings with the team to help them prioritize their workload and mentor them in project, time, and client management areas

7. Negotiate fees with strategic partners/freelancers and manage their services/deliverables for each project/relationship

Management of client relationships to ensure client satisfaction from project initiation through to completion, including:

1. Developing and/or approving and managing client/project-related correspondence including, but not limited to: handoff of deliverables, schedules, change orders, status reports, and any other necessary documents required by the client

2. Obtaining any necessary deliverables (e.g., content, imagery, etc) and approvals from clients throughout the project and/or supervising the creative team to help support you in this area

3. Leading client meetings and calls to represent project-related topics such as schedule, budget, and vendor/resource management

4. Advising/giving input on the direction of a project and presentations from the client’s perspective

5. Leading any negotiations on any changes to schedules, budgets, or scope with all clients to advocate for the needs of TOOOT while still considering the needs of the client/project

6. Lead quarterly meetings and/or post-mortems with most clients to discuss the relationship and overall quality improvement opportunities and help guide/identify quarterly goals and needs

1. Lead and manage the financial analysis of job profitability and forecasting, as well as timely invoicing and collections

2. Work with and manage the accountant and bookkeeper and stay informed regarding TOOOT’s financials by providing any necessary assistance (e.g., establish and maintain financial goals, keep track of expenses and subscriptions)

3. Develop and utilize resource forecasting and allocation tools and strategies to provide a big-picture perspective on the team’s overall current and future workload

4. Develop, mentor, help train, and supervise TOOOT’s entire team on best practices and required protocols and expectations for project and client management, meetings, and presentations

5. Develop, manage, and negotiate contractor agreements with all external strategic partners (e.g., fabricators, manufacturers, printers, stock agencies, illustrators, photographers, freelancers, writers) and ensure they submit invoices accurately and on time

6. Manage and oversee all sick, late, and vacation days of the entire team and monitor adherence to policies and procedures manuals

7. Manage facilities-related needs (e.g., scheduling and managing IT consultant, liaising with the landlord as needed, ordering office supplies including all necessary hardware and software, etc.)

8. Work with principal to manage the studio’s social good initiatives (e.g. gathering/recommending ideas for 1% for the Planet donations)

9. Work with principal apply for BCorp status (one-time project) and work with attorney and bookkeeper to successfully navigate the application process and ongoing requirements

10. Maintain and periodically update TOOOT’s FAQ page

1. Manage and update TOOOT’s customer relationship and sales management (CRM) tool (i.e., contact list)

2. Be the first point of contact for all in-bound/referred business opportunities/calls/emails to pre-qualify and vet opportunities based on agreed-upon qualification criteria

3. In collaboration with principal, develop capability decks and proposals and advise on approach and pricing for all new business opportunities to ensure they reflect TOOOT’s process and approach

4. Develop and negotiate contracts for and close all new business opportunities

5. Nourish and expand select client relationships by staying in touch/contact periodically during and after the relationship (beyond post-mortems), helping identify new and/or existing opportunities for TOOOT that align with client needs/objectives

6. Research, identify, and reach out to—as well as follow through and stay in touch with—new prospects, strategic partners, and past clients through weekly and customized relationship-building emails

7. Informed by TOOOT’s positioning, support principal in coordinating and helping prepare for all new business meetings and presentations

8. Actively participate in and/or leading select new business meetings and presentations

1. Manage TOOOT’s promotional, marketing, and branding efforts (e.g., case studies, promotional tools, social media, website, etc.) to demonstrate TOOOT’s value to both existing and new clients

2. Manage TOOOT’s social media strategy and social media guidelines and support TOOOT’s position as an industry expert with our target prospects and within the creative industry

3. Proactively research, secure, and coordinate any thought-leadership and speaking opportunities