Studio Manager

As our Studio Manager, you are responsible for the successful day-to-day operation and upkeep of the studio, assistance / management of events and supporting all departments within Animade: creative, marketing, production, HR, account management and leadership teams, whether they are working in-person or remotely.

Salary: £30,000+

Reporting to: Senior Account Director

Level: Mid level - 2 years minimum experience in an office / studio management role

Type: Full-time, permanent

Location: London, Old Street. Minimum 3 days in the studio, additional studio days may be needed in line with business requirements.

Application deadline: September 27, 2024

Start date: ASAP

Who are we?

We’re Animade, and we believe in making the world a bit more characterful. Based in London, UK, we’re a globally respected animation studio with a passion for design, illustration, animation and everything in between.

Character is at the heart of all that we do. We create campaigns that inspire and delight, taking great care over the tiniest details – after all, it’s the little things that often make the biggest impression.

About you

You’re a born ‘doer’ and problem solver with an ability to wear many hats. You have previous experience in a similar role, and are confident dealing with anyone from freelancers, IT support, tradespeople and suppliers to senior leadership.

An ability to prioritise and spin multiple plates at once is essential.

Strong communication skills with a positive attitude and a solutions-focused approach are really important, as is a genuine love of people.

A keen eye for detail is a must, as well as excellent organisational skills – someone who is always thinking one step ahead, with a methodical approach.

IT skills: You have a good understanding of GSuite applications and are confident in building and maintaining basic spreadsheets and creating presentations using Google Slides.

Being comfortable liaising and negotiating with third parties such as contractors, facilities specialists and technicians is a bonus.

Your responsibilities

Studio Management:

• Ensuring the day-to-day business operations are running smoothly. Being on hand to assist and support the team as needed, whether they are in the studio or working remotely
• Ensuring that the studio, kitchen and meeting rooms are kept tidy and presentable at all times
• Responsible for making sure all essential services to the building are functioning, proactively working with building management and suppliers to fix any issues or maintenance requirements as soon as possible
• Meeting and greeting any clients or visitors to the studio
• Answering all incoming phone calls to the studio and directing callers to the appropriate person / department
• Managing studio decor, ordering all supplies, stocking kitchen items and general upkeep
• Accounts administration and keeping studio spend inventories up to date
• General administration: keeping studio and team info up to date, including emergency contacts, addresses, and other pertinent information
• Supporting HR with employee onboarding
• Managing post and ensuring employee birthdays / life events are celebrated
• Managing travel arrangements for other members of staff
• IT support: acting as the first port of call for any IT issues, remotely or in the studio, liaising with our IT partners, and managing our inventory
• Dealing with correspondence and queries as they arise, ensuring replies are given in a timely manner
• Oversight and management of studio desk bookings for team

Health and Safety:

• Induct and guide all team members on health and safety measures and lone working policy
• Be point of contact for health and safety concerns within the studio and building, escalating these as appropriate
• Ensuring visitors follow our health and safety measures
• Keeping on top of essential training requirements for staff and booking in training as appropriate (eg: Fire Marshals / First Aid training)

Production Support:

• Assist with resourcing for projects
• Manage freelance onboarding and offboarding process
• Assisting with contacting and arranging freelance bookings, and creating appropriate contracts
• Assisting producers with keeping our freelance database up-to-date
• Regularly maintaining and checking our freelance seats on creative software
• Assisting with contacting and arranging supplier bookings with appropriate contracts
• Assisting producers with freelance and supplier invoice processing

Culture and events:

• Supporting the Culture Captains Team in executing cultural initiatives for the studio (online and in-person), including the organisation of team events
• Support getting supplies and equipment together for creative workshops and client talks
• Providing support when needed for business development & marketing initiatives, such as community outreach and external events, such as In Motion London and Animade Frames sessions with studios
• Organising studio visits for students and managing the core team for these events
• Ordering merchandise and overseeing client gifting

Benefits

Working at Animade offers the opportunity to make a real impact on a growing company with a great culture. Working with us, you can expect the following:

• Flexible working hours – we value a healthy work-life balance that accommodates people’s different needs and we encourage employees to let us know what they need from the role in terms of flexibility
• Hybrid working – 1-2 days per week working from home and 3-4 days based from our Animade studio
• Generous holiday allowance which increases with your length of service
• Pension scheme
• Dog-friendly studio – we believe that dogs can foster a friendlier and happier workplace and we welcome our furry friends at the studio
• Cycle to work scheme and access to bike storage and space to freshen up
• Generous family-friendly policies and sickness policies
• Company EAP Programme
• Friendly, open and welcoming company culture
• Culture Initiatives driven by our Culture Captains - team away days and trips! Think bake offs, self-defence classes, barge trips and events during the daytime to accommodate working parents and those with caring responsibilities

Want to know more? For a full list, click here.

We are committed to creating a truly inclusive culture to make Animade a better place to work and foster an environment where everyone experiences a sense of belonging. We've implemented lots of changes through recruitment practices and DEI training. We're looking for someone who'll be keen to work with us in creating a space that is welcoming, safe and equitable for all. We actively encourage and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

You will need to have the right to work in the UK.