Operations Associate, Production Planning

Team:

Operations

Employment Type:

Part Time

At Toolhouse, we create digital experiences for healthcare and pharmaceutical brands in the form of websites, emails, videos, social media conversations and more. Maintaining well organized systems and driving clear communications are both integral to the overall efficiency of our studio and ultimately the success of our projects. 

We would like you to join our team to support our production planning group which is responsible for instantiating, coordinating and reconciling all projects and budgets within the project tracking system.
 
We are looking for just the right person who is both a quick study and a go getter, with an exceptional eye for detail and a zest for effectively getting things done in a fast-paced environment. Things that warm your heart: organizing All The Things, creating a well prioritized list, and jumping in to help a teammate at a moment’s notice. You feel satisfaction from completing routine day-to-day tasks as well as assisting with a consistent flow of ad hoc needs. You are a natural optimist who plans before you act, and who is confident in asking questions to ensure a good understanding of all tasks. You work thoughtfully, with a constant eye for current priorities, and are always striving to improve quality and efficiency in even the simplest tasks.
 
Here’s what you’ll be doing in your first year:
  • In your first few months, you’ll learn the ins and outs of how Toolhouse runs, including our typical projects and processes, as well as tools and systems we use to effectively manage projects and project budgets.
  •  You’ll keep an eye on incoming work and ensure that new projects are set up correctly in our systems.  You’ll translate work estimates into budget workstreams and be an active member of the Production Planning team. 
  •  You will assist with various budget and financial reports, including running quarterly project financials reports and assisting with monthly project reconciliation reporting for our clients. You will help create a budget tracking log to support the Project Management team’s handling of change orders or other budget shifts for their clients.
  •  You will organize and manage a dynamic queue of administrative and project setup and maintenance requests, keep tasks organized based on priority and deadlines, and be able to pivot quickly when time sensitive requests surface. This includes all administrative tasks associated with opening new projects, closing projects, and assisting in resource management as needed. You will proactively communicate the progress and status of each task with your team. 
  •  You’ll work closely with the Production Planning team to optimize our processes at Toolhouse. This includes adhering to existing processes and best practices, as well as identifying new methods or evolving practices for continual improvement in both quality and efficiency. 
  •  You’ll gain familiarity with the resourcing process, to include shadowing and participating in staff assignment reviews, project management meetings, etc. You may provide additional support at key times, ie. to support a team member’s vacation time, etc.
  • Finally, you will be an evangelist for your discipline within the Toolhouse team. You will espouse best practices and excellent quality. You need to have an eagle eye, a strong voice, an ability to motivate, and a desire to create opportunities and cohesion. Sweat the details.
 
Have you done this before?
Do you have experience consolidating and organizing many different projects, tasks and requests from multiple stakeholders?  Have you worked in project administration or finance support, delivering high quality results on quick deadlines and in a fast-paced environment? Do you have a strong grasp of and experience using digital work management and communications tools (think Slack, Excel, Outlook, MS Office, Confluence or other wikis, etc.)? Do you have some experience or an in interest in learning digital project processes or working in a digital agency?
 
The where and when
You will need to occasionally work in our Bellingham office, this is flexible up to 1-day per week (90% remote friendly). This is a part-time position (20 hours per week) that we would like to start as quickly as possible. No contractors. Please do not apply if you cannot work part-time and on-site as described above. We’ll provide all of the resources you need to bring out the best in your skills and talents. 


Key Responsibilities

  • Ensure all projects are accurately entered, processed and maintained in our project tracking system, to include opening projects, assigning project numbers, entering and updated project budgets, adding required project files, closing out projects, and other related tasks
  • Manage various budget and financial reports, including running quarterly project financials reports and assisting with monthly project reconciliation reporting for our clients 
  • Assist with staff assignments to projects by allocating hours for each task in the project schedule and assigning resources to those tasks based on availability and expertise
  • Support resourcing efforts, including staff meetings, reassignments and allocations, as needed to back up the Production Planning team, as needed.
  • Ensure up-to-date accuracy of budget numbers for all projects and campaigns, including tracking budget changes, and support invoicing efforts
  • Liaison with other Operations team members, including Project Management & Finance, for questions relating to project budgets and expenditures
  • Intake all approved change orders to update project budgets and be able to speak to change order amounts and high-level scope
  • Support budget redistributions across projects or campaigns, as specified by the Director, Production Planning
  • Support the Director, Production Planning & Production Planning team as needed with administrative tasks
  • Become familiar with typical project workflows in our studio, common industry vernacular, and financial workflows to earn the trust of and communicate effectively with your teammates
  • Be a consistently positive and supportive teammate, especially in the face of stressful workloads or new challenges
  • Showcase excellent time management, prioritization, and organizational skills in your day-to-day efforts, including positive and proactive communication to support those strengths

Required Skills, Knowledge, and Expertise

  • 2+ years experience minimum in a professional office environment. 
  • Excel experience is required.
  • Administrative experience within a project management, finance, or related focus area is preferred
  • Familiarity with standard office and communication software, such as Slack, Outlook, Microsoft Office.  
  • Familiarity with Workamajig is desired, but not required. 
  • Acute attention to detail with great organizational skills, coupled with an ability to see the big picture
  • Ability to focus and work under pressure during tight deadlines with humor, thick skin, and professionalism
  • Ability to carefully track and manage details and communicate with staff to ensure action items are resolved
  • Willingness to learn standard project management tools and methodologies, including risk, scope, budget, timeline and change management
  • Ability to work independently with little oversight while producing accurate and timely deliverables

Compensation

This is a part-time (20 hours per week) hourly position.  
The pay range is $25.00 - $32.00/hour DOE. 

Your salary will be determined using an array of factors including your experience, skills and other relevant factors.

Team:

Operations

Employment Type:

Part Time

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