Creative Operations Manager

Ross Sportswear creates and produces a collegiate licensed apparel and accessories line named Zoo Zatz. Our company began 40 years ago with an entrepreneurial spirit and a screen printing set up in a Minnesota garage. We’ve since evolved into a full women’s clothing line for over 500 college campuses across the country, with motivation to outfit students and alumni in trend forward clothing that is designed for women to wear on game day and every day.

Position Overview: We are seeking a highly organized, proactive, and collaborative Creative Operations Manager to lead the day-to-day operations of our Art Department. The Creative Operations Manager plays a critical leadership role within the Art Department, overseeing people management, project planning, cross-functional coordination, and process optimization across product development and production. This individual will partner closely with design, technical design, sales, and production teams to ensure timelines are met, communication is clear, and creative work is delivered efficiently and at a high standard.

This is a full-time, on-site position based in our Brooklyn Park, MN office.

Key Responsibilities:

Art Operations Management

• Create and manage short- and long-term departmental roadmaps, timelines, and deliverables.
• Oversee production readiness, ensuring artwork and technical files are properly prepared for manufacturing.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects with competing deadlines while maintaining scope, quality, and alignment with business objectives.
• Identify and troubleshoot workflow or communication breakdowns between departments.
• Monitor team adherence to established processes and timelines; proactively address bottlenecks.
• Standardize internal documentation, templates, and procedures to improve efficiency.
• Partner with leadership to prioritize initiatives, special projects, and urgent requests.
• Analyze seasonal selling data to inform development planning and resource allocation.
• Establish and manage deadlines for sample ordering, reviews, and approvals.
• Monitor progress to ensure projects stay on timeline and support broader company goals.
• Anticipate development risks and implement proactive solutions.

Production

• Oversee sales art and production CAD timelines.
• Ensure accurate, timely communication between U.S. teams and overseas manufacturing partners.
• Participate in and/or lead meetings with overseas partners as needed.
• Oversee creation and delivery of artwork for production, both domestically and internationally.
• Implement quality-control processes for production art setup to ensure accuracy and efficiency.

Team Management

• Monitor team workloads, project timelines, and adherence to deadlines; escalate when projects fall off track.
• Manage team PTO scheduling in relation to business needs and seasonal deadlines.
• Conduct regular 1:1 meetings, performance reviews, goal-setting, and career coaching, and time management
• Lead hiring efforts including job descriptions, interviewing, onboarding, and training.
• Address performance issues, conflict resolution, and employee feedback constructively and professionally.
• Foster a positive, accountable team culture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Design, Business, Operations, Apparel, or a related field (or equivalent professional experience).
• 5+ years of experience in creative operations, production management, or related roles.
• Prior team leadership experience required.
• Strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple deadlines simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Working knowledge of development and production processes.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook) and Adobe Creative Suite.
• Detail-oriented, solutions-focused, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment.

Working Conditions

• Full-time, on-site office position in Brooklyn Park, MN.
• Weekly meetings with overseas partners outside of standard business hours.
• Ability to meet tight deadlines while maintaining high standards of accuracy and quality.

Bonus Skills / Experience

• Background in apparel
• Advanced level proficiency in Excel.
• Experience managing overseas production workflows
• Process improvement or operations optimization experience
• Familiarity with collegiate licensing or consumer apparel markets