Creative Operations Specialist

ESC has an exciting opportunity for a Creative Operations Specialist to support a fast-paced Marketing team within a dynamic corporate environment in Bolingbrook, IL. This hybrid 6-month contract role is ideal for a highly organized, detail-oriented professional who thrives in a collaborative, deadline-driven setting and enjoys bringing structure and efficiency to creative workflows. The Creative Operations Specialist will play a key role in supporting the day-to-day execution of media creative projects, partnering closely with cross-functional teams to ensure projects are properly scoped, tracked, and delivered on time. This individual will act as a central point of coordination between Creative, Production, Sales, and external partners, helping drive operational excellence and enabling the delivery of high-quality, performance-driven creative assets.

Job Description:

Creative Operations & Project Execution

• Support end-to-end creative operations across media creative projects, including intake, briefing, timeline development, and delivery tracking

• Assist in the creative intake and briefing process by gathering requirements, reviewing submissions, and identifying gaps or risks

• Build, maintain, and update detailed project timelines, trackers, and status reports to ensure deadlines and milestones are met

• Coordinate day-to-day project activities, ensuring tasks progress efficiently through each stage of the creative lifecycle

Workflow, Communication & Coordination

• Serve as a liaison between Creative, Production, Strategy, Sales, and external partners to ensure seamless communication and execution

• Organize and support status meetings, standups, and creative reviews, including documentation of notes and action items

• Communicate creative requirements, timelines, and best practices to stakeholders to ensure alignment and consistency

• Proactively identify and escalate risks, timeline conflicts, or resource constraints

Tools, Systems & Reporting

• Maintain accurate project tracking within creative operations and project management tools (e.g., Workfront, Monday.com, Microsoft Office)

• Support continuous improvement of workflows, templates, and standard operating procedures

• Assist in organizing and maintaining creative documentation, resources, and partner-facing materials

Collaboration & Team Support

• Partner closely with Creative, Design, and Production teams to ensure projects are properly scoped and supported

• Collaborate with Strategy, Sales, and Account Management teams to support brand partnerships and campaign execution

• Contribute to a collaborative, solution-oriented team environment focused on operational excellence

Must Have Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Design, Project Management, Business, or a related field, or equivalent experience

• 2–4 years of experience in creative operations, project management, trafficking, or creative services

• Experience working with creative, design, or marketing teams; agency or retail media experience is a plus

• Familiarity with digital creative development across channels such as social, video, onsite, and offsite media

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a collaborative mindset

• Proficiency in project management and collaboration tools (e.g., Workfront, Monday.com, Figma, Microsoft Office, PowerPoint)

• Detail-oriented with strong problem-solving skills in a fast-paced environment

• Ability to work in a hybrid environment with periodic onsite presence in Bolingbrook, IL

Nice to Have Qualifications:

• Experience supporting media creative or marketing campaign execution

• Familiarity with retail media or performance marketing environments

• Exposure to process improvement, workflow optimization, or SOP development

• Experience coordinating across cross-functional and external partner teams

• Understanding of creative production processes and asset delivery timelines