Sr. Resourcing Operations Manager

About MKG

MKG is a women-led creative agency established in 2003 and focused on brand experience. The agency helps brands connect with people through culturally relevant moments, inventive storytelling, purpose-led engagement, strong design, and high-quality production. MKG works with well-known brands such as Google, Target, Netflix, Meta, HBO, Delta Air Lines, Béis, and Spotify, and has offices in New York City and Los Angeles.

Working at MKG

MKG is centered on delivering memorable experiences for clients, consumers, and team members alike. The company values care, precision, and collaboration, and expects team members to be detail-oriented while working alongside supportive and highly skilled colleagues. Candidates must live within commuting distance of the NYC or LA office and be available for in-person collaboration on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Role Overview

MKG is seeking a Senior Resourcing Operations Manager to own the strategic and proactive management of agency staffing. Reporting to the VP, Creative, this senior role is responsible for resource planning, forecasting, freelance budget oversight, and leadership communication across departments.

This is a hands-on leadership role that combines direct management with day-to-day operational execution. You will oversee the Resource Operations Manager, work closely with leaders across Creative, Production, Strategy, Account, and Operations, and act as the main link between agency leadership and project teams. The role relies on data such as utilization, forecast accuracy, freelance spend, and allocation performance to guide staffing decisions and recommend improvements that support business objectives.

The ideal candidate is collaborative, practical, and comfortable working in a fast-moving experiential environment where priorities can change quickly. Success in this role requires sound judgment in staffing decisions, careful freelance budget stewardship, and the ability to keep multiple moving pieces aligned.

Responsibilities

• Own agency-wide resource planning and forecasting by converting pipeline information into clear staffing recommendations.
• Prepare recurring reporting on agency and departmental metrics, then interpret trends and recommend actions tied to business goals.
• Monitor utilization against target levels and partner with the right stakeholders when significant gaps or changes appear.
• Act as the primary point of coordination between Project Leads and Department Heads on staffing needs and adjustments.
• Work proactively with Project Leads to gather required details, remove blockers, and keep resourcing decisions progressing.
• Match the right people to the right work by considering skills, client familiarity, experience, growth goals, and individual interests.
• Contact freelancers to confirm availability and interest, and maintain accurate records of availability and rates.
• Negotiate freelance rates, prepare agreements, and serve as the final approver for freelance contracts.
• Lead freelance spend management in collaboration with the VP, Creative and Finance Director, including forecasts, approvals, and budget tracking.
• Oversee freelancer onboarding and offboarding processes.
• Manage the Resource Operations Manager directly, providing coaching, direction, and support on priorities and decision-making.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or comparable professional experience is preferred.
• Strong organizational ability with the flexibility to prioritize, solve problems, and adjust quickly as needs change.
• Demonstrated people-management experience, ideally in resourcing, project operations, or production.
• Working knowledge of resourcing, forecasting, and project management platforms such as Kantata, Float, Resource Guru, Smartsheet, Airtable, Asana, Monday, or similar tools, along with strong data hygiene practices.
• Solid understanding of creative, marketing, or advertising agency workflows, timelines, and cross-functional structures; experiential marketing experience is a strong plus.
• Experience managing a freelancer budget at scale, including sourcing, rate negotiation, spend monitoring, and partnership with finance.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills with the ability to collaborate across project leadership, department leadership, senior management, and finance.
• Comfort using data and reporting to guide staffing decisions and identify broader patterns, not only immediate issues.
• Ability to handle difficult conversations with professionalism, empathy, and good judgment.
• Willingness to work non-traditional hours, including evenings and weekends, when business needs require it.

Compensation

The base salary range for this position is $110,000 to $150,000 annually. Compensation is offered in good faith at the time of posting and will be adjusted based on experience.