Studio Creative Manager (Maternity Cover - 12 months Fixed Term contract)

Twinkl Hive Company; Sheffield; Hybrid; GBP 41,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative educational publishing organization in Sheffield seeks a Studio Creative Manager for maternity cover. This role involves leading an in-house creative team to deliver high-quality materials and improve workflow efficiency. Candidates should have proven experience in creative project management and a strong eye for design. The position offers a competitive salary ranging from £41,500 to £55,000 and promotes a flexible, remote-first working environment.

Benefits

Friendly, people-first culture

Flexible, remote-first working

Inclusive environment with Employee Networks

CPD, mentoring, and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Proven experience managing creative projects in a fast-paced studio environment.
• Strong creative instincts and a sharp eye for design and visual storytelling.
• Confident in providing creative direction and strategic input.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire a talented in-house creative team.
• Guide projects ensuring high quality, brand consistency, and timely delivery.
• Implement new tools and technologies to boost creative efficiency.

Skills

Creative project management

Art direction

Leadership

Brand marketing

Design skills

Tools

Figma

Automation tools

Job description

Studio Creative Manager (Maternity Cover – 12 months Fixed Term contract)

Twinkl Educational Publishing – Join us to apply for the Studio Creative Manager (Maternity Cover) role.

Base pay range

Location: Twinkl HQ, Sheffield (on-site) or Remote (UK‑based)
Contract type: Full time, Fixed‑term (12 months mat cover)
Annual salary: £41,500 – £55,000
Hours: 37.5 hours per week – Monday to Friday
Line Manager / Points of Contact: Head of Creative, Head of Creative Production, Creative Technologist
Recruiter: James Cook

The role

Help shape the creative direction of one of the UK’s most loved education brands. This role goes beyond project management; it involves leading and inspiring a talented in‑house team to deliver consistent, high‑quality, impactful creative across brand, campaign, and marketing materials.

How you’ll spend your day

• Review campaign strategies to identify core creative challenges and opportunities.
• Collaborate with our Creative Technologist to champion adoption of tools like Figma and automation‑based processes, embedding them into the creative workflow to improve speed, scalability, and collaboration.
• Provide hands‑on art direction and visual guidance – from layouts and visuals to campaign storytelling.
• Guide the in‑house creative team through projects, ensuring high quality, brand consistency, and timely delivery.
• Work closely with marketing, production, and other teams to align creative output with broader objectives and improve workflow efficiency.
• Support and manage a multidisciplinary creative team, including designers, copywriters, and motion specialists – setting clear priorities, timelines, and expectations.
• Identify and implement new tools and technologies (including AI) to boost creative efficiency and scalability.
• Develop and refine creative templates, scalable processes, and studio systems to streamline production.
• Mentor and support individual creatives to foster growth, skill development, and a creative‑first culture where experimentation and originality are encouraged.
• Stay on top of creative trends to inspire innovative thinking within the team.
• Act as a creative quality gatekeeper, providing constructive feedback across brand and marketing projects to ensure visual consistency and impact.

To succeed in the role, you will

• Have proven experience managing creative projects and people in a busy studio environment, ideally in‑house or within a fast‑moving brand or agency.
• Possess strong creative instincts and a sharp eye for design, layout, branding and visual storytelling.
• Be confident offering hands‑on creative direction and strategic input, even when not executing directly.
• Be a skilled traffic and resource manager – able to prioritise, balance multiple work streams, and adapt quickly when things shift.
• Understand brand marketing, campaign rollouts and creative for digital platforms.
• Be a positive, proactive team leader who brings out the best in others – with strong mentoring and communication skills.
• Have a collaborative, ego‑free approach and a passion for solving problems creatively and strategically.

Key performance indicators

• Work closely with team leads across design, copy, motion, and production to ensure projects are well‑shaped from the start.
• Champion and embed the use of tools like Figma and automation‑based processes to improve speed, consistency, and cross‑team collaboration.
• Support the creative studio in running efficiently and effectively, delivering projects on time and to brief.
• Maintain consistent creative quality across all outputs, with strong feedback from stakeholders.
• Support creative team members in their development – measured by team feedback, output improvement, and adoption of new tools and processes.
• Help evolve and embed best practice in creative workflows, tooling, and studio operations.

Who this is perfect for

This role is ideal for a senior‑level creative manager with art direction / creative experience, ready to step into a leadership role during an exciting chapter at Twinkl. You’ll balance creative direction and project oversight with people‑focused leadership – helping a team thrive while shaping how our brand looks, feels and performs across channels.

Why Twinkl is a Great Place to Be

• A friendly, people‑first culture.
• Flexible, remote‑first working.
• An inclusive environment supported by Employee Networks (LGBTQ+, People of Colour, Women in Tech, Working Parents, and more).
• CPD, mentoring, and development opportunities.
• A global mission that makes a difference to millions of educators, parents and children.
• If you require a reasonable adjustment to the application/selection process to enable you to demonstrate your ability to perform the job requirements, please include this at the foot of your covering letter.

Seniority level

Mid‑Senior level

Employment type

Full‑time

Job function

Design, Art/Creative, and Information Technology

Industries

Primary and Secondary Education

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Twinkl Educational Publishing by 2x.

If you require a reasonable adjustment to the application/selection process to enable you to demonstrate your ability to perform the job requirements, please include this at the foot of your covering letter.