Senior Studio Production Manager (Dubai)

Senior Studio Production Manager

Location: Dubai, UAE

Employment Type: Full-time

Please note that this is an international search, so a relocation package will be provided

About the Role

We are looking for a Senior Studio Production Manager to lead the end-to-end operations of a large-scale content production studio supporting multiple retail brands and product categories, including Fashion, Baby & Kids, and Home.

This person will oversee Photography, Retouching, and Studio Operations teams, ensuring high-quality content is delivered efficiently and within agreed timelines. A major focus of the role will also be introducing AI-enabled production workflows and developing scalable processes for content creation.

Key Responsibilities

Studio Operations

• Oversee day-to-day studio operations across Photography, Retouching, and Studio Operations.
• Manage production schedules, resources, capacity, and workflow allocation.
• Lead and develop a large, multidisciplinary studio team.
• Maintain high standards across studio infrastructure, equipment, and content management systems.
• Ensure operational issues and production bottlenecks are identified and resolved quickly.

Content Production and Quality

• Manage the complete production journey from product intake through to final content delivery.
• Ensure turnaround times and production SLAs are consistently achieved.
• Maintain consistent creative and technical quality across multiple categories and brands.
• Establish effective quality-control processes to reduce errors and rework.
• Ensure all imagery follows the relevant brand and e-commerce guidelines.

Process and Cost Optimisation

• Identify opportunities to improve studio productivity, capacity, and overall output.
• Develop scalable workflows that reduce cost per product without compromising quality.
• Create and manage production budgets, resource plans, and operational forecasts.
• Monitor studio performance through clear dashboards, KPIs, and reporting.
• Work closely with Styling, Cataloguing, Merchandising, Content, and other business teams.

AI-Enabled Content Production

• Develop AI-supported workflows, templates, and production guidelines.
• Identify product categories that can transition from traditional production to AI-enabled content creation.
• Partner with Technology teams to implement systems supporting AI-driven production.
• Evaluate developments in generative AI, virtual photography, automated retouching, and image enhancement.
• Build repeatable AI processes that can be scaled across different brands and categories.

Leadership and Stakeholder Management

• Lead, coach, and develop creative and operational teams.
• Partner with senior stakeholders to align studio priorities with wider business goals.
• Present studio performance, operational plans, and transformation roadmaps to leadership.
• Build strong working relationships across creative, commercial, content, and technology functions.

Requirements

• 8–12 years of experience in studio production management, ideally within multi-category retail or e-commerce.
• Experience managing large teams across photography, retouching, and studio operations.
• Proven experience working in a high-volume, high-SKU e-commerce environment.
• Strong technical understanding of photography, including lighting, equipment, and studio setup and maintenance.
• Working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite and Capture One.
• Experience building, scaling, or improving large production studios and content management systems.
• Strong understanding of production workflows, quality control, turnaround times, and SLAs.
• Experience managing production budgets, costs, capacity, and resource planning.
• Demonstrated success in improving efficiency and reducing production costs.
• Strong project management, stakeholder management, and presentation skills.
• Knowledge of AI tools and trends relevant to commercial content production.

Preferred Experience

• Experience introducing AI-powered content production tools or workflows.
• Exposure to generative AI, virtual photography, AI image enhancement, or automated retouching.
• Experience supporting multiple retail brands or product categories simultaneously.
• Previous involvement in studio transformation or large-scale operational improvement projects.