Freelance Account Director Jobs in Rochester, NY

ABOUT THE ROLE:

The Visual Studio Manager is a hands-on creative leader and senior visual designer purpose-built to support a dedicated creative and production model for a Fortune 50 client. This role combines high-level design execution with the operational discipline, client-service judgment, and people-management skills required to lead a fast-moving design studio team.

This role serves as the primary client and studio point of contact during assigned coverage shifts. The Visual Studio Manager is responsible for daily intake, prioritization, creative direction, work assignment, staffing coverage, recruitment, task reporting, quality control, vendor coordination, client expectation management, and timely delivery of confidential creative and production requests.

The position is designed for a working manager who can personally design and produce high-quality work while also leading designers, balancing workloads, coaching team members, managing handoffs, and keeping the client informed, aligned, and confident under demanding timelines.

This role is part of a rotating studio coverage model designed to support clients 365 days a year while providing designers with more days off than a traditional Monday-Friday schedule.

Designers follow a3-days-on / 3-days-off rotation, with alternating Sunday coverage shared between two teams. Depending on the week, this schedule typically provides 3 or 4 days off. Over the course of a year, designers on this schedule work approximately 78 fewer days than employees on a standard Monday-Friday schedule.

Because the studio operates every day of the year, weekend and holiday coverage may be required. Holiday assignments are balanced between the two teams, and holiday coverage compensation is reflected in the overall compensation package.

On assigned coverage days, team members are expected to be available and responsive to client needs throughout the coverage period. Active coverage hours run from7:00 AM ET to 10:00 PM ET, supported by staggered shifts. One team member typically covers the early shift, approximately 7:00 AM ET to 5:00 PM ET, while another covers the midday/evening shift, approximately 12:00 PM ET to 10:00 PM ET.

Requests may occasionally arise outside of these hours due to urgent client priorities or business needs.

This Visual Studio Manager role is best suited for a calm, highly-organized creative leader and creator who thrives in responsive, fast-moving environments and values the flexibility of a compressed schedule model with extended time off built into the rotation.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:
This role has day-to-day management responsibility for the Fannie Mae-dedicated design studio team including visual designers, freelancers, contractors, and/or vendor partners assigned to the account. Responsibilities include shift coverage planning, recruitment, workload management, coaching, onboarding, creative review, quality control, performance input, and functional leadership of employees, freelancers, contractors, and vendor partners assigned to the coverage model.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE:

• Experience preparing files for print, coordinating with vendors, managing production details, and working directly with clients is required.
• Experience leading or functionally managing designers, production artists, freelancers, contractors, or a small creative studio team is required. Formal direct people-management experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience with shift-based coverage models, client-facing task reporting, intake systems, status trackers, workload balancing, recruiting, onboarding, and creative team operations is strongly preferred.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Lead and manage design studio team, including visual designers, production designers, freelance support, contractors, and vendor partners assigned to the client relationship.
• Create, adapt, version, and produce high-quality visual materials across digital, presentation, print, environmental, fabrication, installation, and production applications.
• Use AI tools appropriately to accelerate design exploration, image and video generation, versioning, content adaptation, production efficiency, and workflow support.
• Serve as the primary client point of contact and shift lead during assigned coverage windows, managing daily intake, clarification, prioritization, status updates, escalation, execution, and delivery of requests.
• Own shift management for the coverage model, including team scheduling, time-off coordination, holiday/weekend coverage, backup planning, handoff discipline, coverage gaps, and escalation paths.
• Assign incoming work to the appropriate team members based on skill set, capacity, urgency, complexity, confidentiality, and client priority.
• Monitor studio capacity in real time, rebalance workloads, remove roadblocks, and make practical tradeoff recommendations when volume, timing, or complexity exceeds available resources.
• Maintain client-facing task reporting, including request logs, priority queues, assignments, deadlines, open questions, blockers, approval status, delivery records, and daily or shift-based status summaries.
• Run daily shift check-ins, project reviews, end-of-shift handoffs, and team recap rituals to ensure continuity across the rolling coverage model.
• Recruit, interview, recommend, onboard, and train designers, production artists, freelancers, and contractors as the studio team scales or coverage needs change.
• Coach team members on creative execution, production accuracy, client service, responsiveness, file discipline, tool usage, and professional communication.
• Provide hands-on creative direction, design guidance, and quality control for visual materials across digital, presentation, print, environmental, fabrication, installation, and production applications.
• Create, adapt, version, and produce high-quality visual materials when needed, especially for complex, confidential, high-priority, or fast-turn assignments.
• Use AI tools appropriately to accelerate design exploration, image and video generation, versioning, content adaptation, production efficiency, and workflow support while maintaining brand, legal, confidentiality, and quality standards.
• Ensure all work aligns with approved brand standards, client direction, Truth Collective quality expectations, and applicable confidentiality, file management, naming, and operational protocols.
• Establish and maintain studio operating standards for intake, prioritization, file organization, handoffs, naming conventions, quality control, vendor handoff, documentation, and confidentiality.
• Prepare and/or review accurate, organized, production-ready files for vendor handoff, including print, fabrication, installation, proofing, packaging, timing, delivery, and quality-control needs.
• Coordinate with client stakeholders, Truth Collective leadership, pod teammates, external vendors, production partners, and internal team members to keep work moving efficiently.
• Identify risks, dependencies, resourcing needs, recurring workflow issues, and opportunities to improve speed, quality, reporting, and studio operations.
• Handle confidential client materials and communications with discretion, professionalism, and care.
• Contribute creative, operational, managerial, and cultural value to Truth Collective and the client relationship.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Strong visual design, layout, typography, composition, hierarchy, image selection, and brand system skills across digital, print, presentation, environmental, and production applications.
• Proven ability to lead, coach, schedule, and motivate a small creative or production design team in a fast-paced agency, in-house, corporate, or dedicated client-service environment.
• Strong studio operations instincts, including resource planning, shift coverage, assignment management, workflow design, intake discipline, handoff processes, and quality-control systems.
• Confident client communication and expectation-management skills, including the ability to interface calmly and professionally with senior-level clients, internal teams, external vendors, and production partners.
• Ability to translate ambiguous or urgent client requests into clear assignments, priorities, timelines, deliverables, dependencies, and next steps.
• Experience maintaining task trackers, request queues, status reports, daily recaps, utilization or capacity notes, and client-facing progress updates.
• Ability to recruit, interview, onboard, train, and provide feedback to designers, production artists, freelancers, contractors, and vendor partners.
• Expert proficiency in Mac OS and Adobe Creative Cloud, including InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Acrobat; working knowledge of Figma and other relevant digital design and collaboration tools.
• Deep print production expertise, including bleeds, crops, color profiles, resolution, linked assets, packaging, PDF settings, proofing, and vendor-ready file preparation.
• Proficiency with AI tools such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, Grok, and other emerging platforms to accelerate creativity, production, animation, versioning, research, and workflow efficiency.
• Strong project coordination, prioritization, organization, file management, and deadline-management skills, with the ability to balance multiple requests quickly and accurately.
• Sound judgment, problem-solving ability, and composure in urgent, ambiguous, confidential, or high-pressure situations.
• Ability to work both collaboratively and autonomously, take direction effectively, give clear direction to others, and make progress with limited oversight when needed.
• Familiarity with Google Workspace, Microsoft Office Suite, and cloud-based storage platforms, including Box.
• Understanding of digital file optimization, accessibility considerations, and cross-platform design requirements.
• Ability to manage handoffs, document work status, and maintain continuity across a rolling or shift-based coverage model.
• Professional discretion when handling confidential client materials, communications, staffing details, and production information.
• Comfortable working non-traditional schedules, including weekend and holiday coverage.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

Bachelor's degree in Design, Art, Marketing, Advertising, Communications, or a related field preferred. Proven and relevant experience in visual design, production design, creative operations, project coordination, studio management, or agency/client-service environments required. An equivalent combination of work experience, training, and/or education sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job will also be considered.

A PDF file (preferred format) or link to design samples is required to be considered for this position. Samples may include online or social media content, article or editorial design, infographics, charts & graphs, Photoshop retouching or compositing samples, and links to any video content you have created. To submit a PDF file, include it in the resume or cover letter file or reply to our application acknowledgement email with an attachment.

WHY TRUTH COLLECTIVE?

We are honestly committed to a healthy, employee- and team-centered, creative working environment where our people and business thrive. We encourage a work experience that fuels the whole self and supports each of our unique team members in flourishing in work and life.

PERKS AND BENEFITS

• Flexible working practices: on location and where you want to be
• Competitive financial and wellness benefits
• Plenty of time off, for yourself, the people you love, and things you want to do
• Personal and professional development opportunities to keep you growing
• A place at the table with unique and amazingly talented team members who have each other's backs
  

OUR CULTURAL COMMITMENT
At Truth, we know that diversity in backgrounds, identities, experiences, and talent is the key to unlocking extraordinary creative work. That's why we amplify and embrace creative possibilities with a diverse team. As an equal-opportunity employer, we encourage individuals of all backgrounds and identities to apply, and we are committed to creating an environment where everyone feels welcomed and valued and has the support and opportunities to thrive. If you need any assistance with your application, please reach out.