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