EVP, Operations

Location:

Remote with ability to travel to Cedar Knolls, NJ and Client offices as needed. Reset your expectations of a health and wellness agency. Independent by design and built on a foundation of empathy, Fingerpaint celebrates what you bring as both a professional and an individual. With talent across the United States and Europe, we are committed to creating and executing meaningful experiences. Fingerpaint has earned Ad Age's Best Places to Work, Med Ad News Agency of the Year, and most recently, 2026 Network of the Year. Here, creativity happens naturally—we attract top talent and give them a space to grow and collaborate. From our inception, Fingerpaint Marketing has been driven by an unstoppable collective spirit of possibility. It's that curiosity that's at the heart of everything we do. From our legendary people-first culture to the hundreds of Fingerpainters who define us, we've reimagined what it means to be a human- and animal-wellness marketing agency. The Role The Operations team enables Fingerpaint to deliver best-in-class, award-winning work for our clients. This Executive Vice President, Operations role is the operational architect and strategic partner within a Marketing Portfolio . Moving beyond day-to-day project oversight, the EVP is an executive leader responsible for defining the operational roadmap that supports the portfolio's long-term growth. You will champion the intersection of people, process, and technology to create an environment where creative and strategic work thrives. You will be accountable for the financial health and operational integrity of a substantial marketing portfolio ($80mm+). You will serve as the right-hand operational partner to the Portfolio General Manager, partner with the Portfolio Multidiscipline Leadership team, and a mentor to Project Management leaders within your group.

Responsibilities Portfolio Leadership & Strategy Strategic Partnership:

Serve as the primary operational partner to the Portfolio General Manager. Align operational strategies with the portfolio's specific business goals and client growth targets.

Leading Leaders:

Provide mentorship, coaching, and strategic direction to Directors of Project Management. Foster a culture of accountability, empathy, and continuous professional development.

Change Management:

Act as the primary change agent for the portfolio. Identify best practices and lead transformation initiatives that improve agility and scalability, including the strategic integration of AI platforms and workflows into agency model.

Integrated Delivery:

Partner with multidiscipline leads to drive integrated delivery models tailored to client needs.

Operational Architecture & Excellence Ecosystem Optimization:

Adapt and refine the agency's delivery methodologies to suit the specific regulatory and speed-to-market needs of the portfolio's clients.

Resource Strategy:

Oversee macro-resource management for the portfolio. Analyze utilization trends to predict hiring needs, manage freelance dependency, and optimize talent allocation across the specific book of business.

Process Governance:

Establish and enforce governance standards for compliance, quality assurance, and risk management across all portfolio engagements.

Client Operations:

Serve as the senior operational point of contact for portfolio client engagements, partnering with Client Service leads to ensure client satisfaction with delivery. Active engagement with Client Procurement teams.

Financial Stewardship & Commercial Acumen Forecasting & Planning:

Lead the monthly revenue forecast process for the portfolio. Provide accurate revenue recognition forecasts and capacity planning scenarios to executive leadership.

Commercial Strategy:

Review and approve high-stakes scope of work (SOW) structures and pricing strategies for the portfolio's new business opportunities.

Growth Enablement:

Support organic growth by identifying operational opportunities to expand services within existing client relationships. Partner with Portfolio leadership in setting Portfolio growth targets, communicating and driving teams to achieve goals

Requirements Experience:

15+ years of professional experience in operations or program management, with at least 3-5 years in a senior leadership role (VP level or higher) within a healthcare/pharmaceutical advertising, marketing, or digital agency.

Functional Leadership:

Extensive experience directly managing, mentoring, and scaling a team of Project Managers, including oversight of

Project Directors Scale:

Proven track record of managing operations for a substantial portfolio or business unit and overseeing large, cross-functional teams.

Strategic Financials:

Mastery of agency financial models, pricing strategies, and capacity planning at a portfolio level. Specific experience with both Time & Materials and Fixed Fee pricing models.

Data Analysis:

Extensive experience with Microsoft Excel, including complex formulas, pivot tables, and modeling to interpret data and drive decision-making.

Methodologies:

Deep expertise in various project management methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Waterfall) and the ability to apply them flexibly in a creative environment.

Tech Stack:

Experience using, implementing, or optimizing operational software (e.g., Workamajig, Ziflow, Jira, etc) to drive portfolio efficiency.

Soft Skills:

Exceptional emotional intelligence, executive presence, and the ability to influence C-level stakeholders and navigate complex organizational dynamics.

Education:

Bachelor's degree required; MBA or relevant certification (PMP, Six Sigma Black Belt, Scrum Master) is a plus. Competencies for

Success Visionary Thinking:

Visionary Thinking:

Ability to see the 'bigger picture' and prepare the portfolio for future operational challenges.

Decisiveness:

Ability to make difficult decisions based on data and strategic alignment.

Talent Developer:

A passion for growing the next generation of operational leaders.