First, a bit about THEY SAY
They say creative and digital don’t mix. That you have to choose between the beautiful idea or the commercial one. We never bought that.
THEY SAY is a global creative + digital studio where both brains sit at the same table. We decode culture through data, create ideas with meaning and amplify them across digital and physical ecosystems. Female-led, proudly independent and deeply collaborative, we build bespoke superteams of Collaborators™ across continents to shape brands that move both people and performance.
We are not an agency. We are a world. A curated community of digital natives and stellar creatives, working across beauty, hospitality, lifestyle, wellness and luxury, treating creative and digital like best friends, as they should be.
We are in our scale-up era. Revenue is growing fast, our client list is global, and we are building the leadership spine and systems that make that growth intentional, sustainable and joyful.
How we work
We work as Collaborators™, not freelancers. As a Collaborator™ with THEY SAY, you are part of something bigger. Your perspective matters as much as your output, and you are here to create impact, not just deliverables.
Some things we never compromise on:
* Emotional intelligence. You read the room, understand what a brand really needs, and know when to challenge and when to support. Solutions over drama, always.
* Transparency and mutual respect. We assume positive intent, talk honestly about what is and isn’t working, and treat clients and Collaborator™ like adults.
* Never negotiating on quality. The work is a reflection of you and of THEY SAY. We keep standards high and keep levelling up.
* Joy is essential. We built this studio so incredible people can live life on their terms, work on projects they genuinely care about, and learn from equally brilliant humans. Please, love what you do.
* Our Collaborator™ live by a few simple principles: be fanatically transparent, treat clients as your own, seek critical feedback, protect your peace, and respect everyone equally.
* Our clients range from founders and CEOs of scaling brands, to commercially minded directors, to creatively led CMOs and CCOs. You will need to be comfortable with all three.
The role
We’re looking for an Operations Manager to help run the operational engine of THEY SAY.
This role sits at the centre of the studio - bringing structure, commercial clarity and operational discipline to a fast-moving creative environment.
As we scale, our work is becoming bigger, our Collaborator™ network deeper, and our client relationships longer-term. What we now need is someone who ensures the business runs as well as the work does.
You will work closely with the founders and SLT to ensure projects are:
* commercially healthy
* properly scoped
* resourced intelligently
* operationally smooth
* invoiced on time
This is not an administrative studio role. It is a commercial operations role for someone who understands how agencies actually run.
You will help protect margins, keep scope under control, maintain financial discipline and bring calm structure to a studio that moves very fast.
What you’ll be responsible for
Project profitability & commercial health
You will oversee the financial health of projects across the studio.
This includes:
* Tracking project profitability and margins
* Monitoring project burn rates and Collaborator™ costs
* Ensuring projects remain commercially healthy from scope through delivery
* Flagging margin risks early and working with the founders to resolve them
* Supporting pricing conversations and project cost modelling
You will act as a commercial safeguard for the studio’s work, ensuring great ideas also make good business sense.
Collaborator™ resourcing & cost management
THEY SAY operates with a global network of specialist Collaborators™. You will help ensure projects are resourced intelligently and sustainably.
This includes:
* Tracking Collaborator™ day rates and project allocation
* Supporting resourcing and key selection decisions across projects
* Ensuring Collaborator™ costs remain aligned with project budgets
* Maintaining visibility across the Collaborator™ network
* Flagging when resourcing decisions risk eroding margins
* Scope management & project governance
Scope creep is one of the biggest risks to creative businesses. You will help bring clarity and discipline to how scope is tracked and managed.
This includes:
* Monitoring project scope across active work
* Flagging scope changes early
* Supporting the team to capture and price additional work appropriately
* Helping ensure projects remain aligned with agreed deliverables and timelines
* Invoicing discipline & financial visibility
* Healthy studios invoice clearly and consistently.
You will ensure financial processes support the studio’s growth.
This includes:
* Ensuring invoices are issued on time and aligned to project milestones
* Supporting with key monthly processes such as payroll and board prep
* Maintaining visibility across invoicing schedules
* Tracking outstanding payments and supporting follow-ups where needed
* Maintaining clear project financial tracking
Operational systems & studio rhythm
As the studio grows, strong operational systems become essential. You will help ensure the studio runs with clarity rather than (the bad kind of) chaos.
This includes:
* Maintaining operational systems (Notion, project tracking, etc.)
* Supporting project timelines and delivery oversight
* Developing, evolving and maintaining operational and financial reporting to ensure that operational performance is within agreed targets and parameters.
* Creating visibility across studio workload and capacity
* Improving systems and processes that make the studio run more smoothly
What this role is not
* This is not a junior studio coordinator role.
* This is not just administrative.
* This is not a delivery project management role.
This is a commercial operations role for someone who understands the mechanics of running a creative business and enjoys bringing structure to fast-moving environments.
You will influence how the studio runs without directly managing a team.
What success looks like in 6–12 months
* Projects consistently delivering healthy margins.
* Scope creep identified early and handled commercially.
* Invoices issued on time with clear financial visibility.
* Collaborator™ resourcing working smoothly across projects.
* The founders spending less time on operational firefighting and more time on creative leadership and growth.
* The studio running with greater clarity, rhythm and calm.
Who this role is for
This role is ideal for someone who:
* Has experience working in a creative, branding, digital or marketing agency environment.
* Understands how agency economics actually work, including scope, margins and resourcing.
* Is highly organised but also commercially aware.
* Is comfortable working closely with founders and helping bring operational discipline to a growing business.
* Enjoys building systems, solving operational puzzles and making things run better.
You may previously have held titles such as:
* Operations Manager
* Studio Operations Manager
* Delivery Manager
* Senior Project Manager
* Head of Studio (in a smaller agency)
and are now looking for a role where you can have real operational impact in a growing studio. As the studio grows, there may be an opportunity for the scope of this role to expand.
Practical details
We strongly welcome applicants from underrepresented backgrounds in the creative and digital industries.
Role: Operations Manager
Time commitment: 4 days per week (0.8 FTE)
Location: Fully remote (UK-based) with occasional expensed travel
Salary: £40,000 for 4 days per week (£50,000 full-time equivalent)
Bonus: Up to 10% performance bonus
Reporting line: Founders
Contract structure: We are open to this role being structured either as a PAYE position or as a long-term consultancy arrangement via a limited company for the right candidate.
Why this role exists
As THEY SAY continues to grow, the studio needs stronger operational structure to match its creative ambition.
This hire will help build a more resilient, less founder-dependent operational engine - ensuring projects run smoothly, margins stay healthy, and Collaborators™ can focus on doing their best work.
It’s a pivotal role for someone who enjoys bringing clarity to complexity and helping creative businesses run at their best.