Associate Manager, Creative Operations

Associate Manager, Creative Operations

Taco Bell was born and raised in California and has been around since 1962. We went from selling everyone's favorite Crunchy Tacos on the West Coast to a global brand with 8,200+ restaurants, 350 franchise organizations, that serve 42+ million fans each week around the globe. We're not only the largest Mexican-inspired quick service brand (QSR) in the world, we're also part of the biggest restaurant group in the world: Yum! Brands.

Much of our fan love and authentic connection with our communities are rooted in being rebels with a cause. From ensuring we use high quality, sustainable ingredients to elevating restaurant technology in ways that hasn't been done before... we will continue to be inclusive, bold, challenge the status quo and push industry boundaries.

We're a company that celebrates and advocates for different, has bold self-expression, strives for a better future, and brings the fun while we're at it. We fuel our culture with real people who bring unique experiences. We inspire and enable our teams and the world to Live Más.

At Taco Bell, we're Cultural Rebels. Want to join in on the passion-fueled fun? Learn more about the career below.

About the Job

The Associate Manager, Creative Operations plays a pivotal role in ensuring the Global Brand Creative team operates with clarity, efficiency, and consistency, managing and optimizing the tools, processes, and systems that enable world-class creative development and production.

A strategic problem solver, the Associate Manager, Creative Operations acts as the connective tissue across creative, production, marketing, digital, photo studio, finance, and legal teams. This role drives the implementation of scalable workflows, builds operational playbooks, leads accurate and transparent budget discipline, and ensures teams are empowered with the right tools and processes to deliver high-quality work.

With a sharp understanding of both industry standards and internal creative needs, this role acts as the first point of contact for external partner engagement. They will define and implement processes for onboarding, managing, and evaluating agency and vendor relationships, ensuring that all external collaborations are rooted in clarity, consistency, and compliance.

This role reports to the Director, Creative Operations.

The Day-to-Day

Own, manage, and evolve internal Creative Operations tools and platforms, including project management, digital asset management (DAM) and communication systems

Drive continuous process improvement across the creative lifecycle, including best practices for creative production, asset management, and approvals

Partner with Creative Operations peers to reinforce operational best practices, drive consistency, and uphold standards that enable the Creative Production team to deliver efficiently and effectively

Develop, maintain, and educate teams on a scalable production playbook that outlines key creative workflows and ways of working

Partner with cross-functional partners enabling teams (ex. Finance, Legal, IT) to ensure creative-specific needs are met and industry standards are understood and upheld

Lead onboarding efforts for new team members, ensuring familiarity with creative tools, processes, and production protocols

Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on creative operations, workflow design, and team collaboration

Educate internal and external teams on content delivery protocols, including file naming, metadata standards, and distribution workflows

Support the tracking, reconciliation, and reporting of the Global Brand Creative budget in partnership with the Director, Creative Operations and Finance, ensuring visibility into spend and alignment with operational priorities

Support vendor and freelance partner onboarding processes by maintaining the tools, processes, and documentation that allows for clear and efficient engagements

Serve as a trusted point of contact for troubleshooting operations challenges, enabling teams to move quickly and with confidence across projects and campaigns

Act as a key thought partner to the Director, Creative Operations, helping shape the evolution of the team's operational strategy, capabilities, and cross-functional influence

This role demands fluency in the social landscape. With an unparalleled pace and volume of creative development, this role requires great mental flexibility, ability to juggle under intense deadlines and a capacity to thrive and collaborate under pressure.

Is This You?

5+ years of creative operations, production operations, or program management within a creative or marketing environment

BA Degree in a related field or equivalent experience

Deep understanding of creative workflows and the technology landscape that supports them, from project intake and briefing, to approvals, asset management, and performance tracking

Systems thinker, process builder, and cross-functional collaborator who can translate complex operational needs into streamlined solutions

Demonstrated ability to build, implement, and evolve scalable processes that support efficient and effective creative production

Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence and educate across varying levels of an organization

Proven experience in budget management, tracking, and reporting

Knowledge of project management tools, digital asset management systems and collaboration solutions that enable streamlined ways of working

Expertise with Wrike is a plus

Work-Hard, Play-Hard:

Hybrid work schedule (onsite expectation Tues, Wed, Thurs) and year-round flex day Friday

Onsite childcare through Bright Horizons

Onsite dining center and game room (yes, there is a Taco Bell inside the building)

Onsite dry cleaning, laundry services, carwash,

Onsite gym with fitness classes and personal trainer sessions

Up to 4 weeks of vacation per year plus holidays and time off for volunteering

Generous parental leave for all new parents and adoption assistance program

401(k) with a 6% matching contribution from Yum! Brands with immediate vesting

Comprehensive medical & dental including prescription drug benefits and 100% preventive care

Discounts, free food, swag and... honestly, too many good benefits to name

Salary Range: $109,400 to $120,000 annually + bonus eligibility + benefits

The above represents the expected salary range for this job requisition. Ultimately, in determining your pay, we'll consider your location, experience, and other job-related factors.

At Taco Bell, we Live Más and invite you to do the same. Take a seat at our table. Bring your voice. Bring you, just as you are, a Cultural Rebel. We want you to be your best self!

Taco Bell is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to equity, inclusion, and belonging for all dimensions of diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, age, or any other protected characteristic.

Taco Bell is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities or special needs.