Traffic Manager

The opportunity: 

We are seeking a proactive, highly organised Traffic Manager to be the central hub in our agency’s delivery system - ensuring creative, strategy, delivery, production and account teams are aligned, resourced and delivering outstanding work on time and within budget. This is an exciting role where your operational excellence will directly impact workflow efficiency, campaign success and client satisfaction. 

As Traffic Manager, you’ll have a hands-on role coordinating work from brief through delivery, facilitating clear communication between departments, and championing improvements to planning and resourcing practices. You will report to senior management and work closely with creative, digital, account and production teams across a diverse range of campaigns. 

Your role:

• Plan and manage workflow across projects from initiation to delivery; create and maintain traffic schedules that reflect priorities, resource availability and client deadlines.
• Coordinate inter-departmental communication to ensure everyone involved in a project is informed and aligned.
• Allocate and optimise resource (internal teams, freelancers and external suppliers) to meet project requirements while maintaining high quality and productivity.
• Track project status, report on progress and flag risks early so that issues can be resolved proactively.
• Lead regular production/traffic meetings and work with team heads to resolve bottlenecks or conflicting priorities.
• Analyse resource data and workflow performance to recommend and implement process improvements.
• Maintain accurate documentation and systems (project timelines, resource plans, status reports) to support operational clarity and accountability.
• Support improvement initiatives, bringing ideas to improve clarity, efficiency and team collaboration in creative delivery. 

This role may also include responsibilities such as forecasting future resource needs and working with leadership on capacity planning. 

The ideal change-maker: 

We're asking for proven experience in a traffic, project or resourcing role within an advertising, marketing or creative services environment. Knowledge of agency production cycles and how projects move through stages is desirable, as well as experience in resource allocation and project management tools. 

The ideal candidate will be someone who likes to solve problems, help others, grow the business and gels well with the team. They should also be:

• Highly organised and detail-oriented: able to manage multiple projects with competing priorities, keeping schedules accurate and teams on track.
• A clear and effective communicator: capable of translating priorities between departments and building strong working relationships across functions.
• Collaborative but assertive: you can build consensus among stakeholders while advocating for realistic timeframes and resource plans – and not afraid to speak up when adjustment is needed.
• Process-minded and analytical: you assess data on workflow, resource usage and timelines to improve performance and predict future needs.
• Tech and tools savvy: comfortable using project / resource management software (e.g., Synergist, AirTable, Float, Paprika, or equivalents) and integrating tools into daily workflows.
• Experienced in agency operations: previous experience in a traffic, project or production management role within an agency or creative environment (typically 4+ years) is preferred. 

What Success Looks Like:

• Projects are consistently delivered on schedule and aligned with briefs and budget constraints. • Cross-team communication is clear, timely and effective.
• Resource planning is proactive, not reactive, and helps the agency scale.
• Workflows are improved over time through streamlined processes and better data insights. 

The obvious stuff:

• Competitive compensation to match your role.
• Investing in your growth with training.
• Benefits from pensions to life cover.
• Ample holiday time, for you to recharge and reflect.
• Opportunities for enlightenment through IPA CPD and Union Academy initiatives.
• Flexible working that bends to life’s rhythm. 

Call to adventure: 

If this is the perfect role for you, please send your CV and a covering statement (max 250 words) on ‘Why I would be a great Traffic Manager to Michael.hart@union.co.uk Please use the subject line: 'Union – Traffic Manager Application.’