Studio Manager | Client Experience & Team Leadership Willow Street Pictures | Harleysville & West Lawn, PA Full-Time | In-Person | Tuesday-Saturday | $60,000-$65,000 Willow Street Pictures is a boutique fine-art portrait studio with locations in Harleysville and West Lawn, Pennsylvania. For more than 20 years, we've created deeply personal portrait experiences and finished artwork for families, individuals and their pets. Our approach is intentionally personal rather than transactional. We take time to understand the people, relationships and stories that matter to our clients, then carry those discoveries through the creative process and into the artwork we create. We're looking for a Studio Manager to lead our team, care for the client experience and guide the daily operations behind that work. A Different Kind of Studio Manager Role This position brings together team leadership, studio operations and meaningful client relationships. You'll lead and develop our team, oversee the day-to-day rhythm of both studios, solve problems, improve how we work, and partner closely with the Founder as you learn the organization and gradually take on greater responsibility. You'll also work directly with our clients, personally conducting Discovery Calls and Gallery Tours & Consultations. These conversations are where we begin to understand the people, relationships and stories that matter to each client and what they ultimately hope to create. That combination is important to us. The person leading our team should experience firsthand the level of care we're asking that team to create for our clients. Leading People at Willow Street At the heart of this position is leading employees. Sometimes good leadership means recognizing that someone needs more training, clearer direction or encouragement. Other times it means addressing a problem directly, setting a firmer expectation or making a difficult decision. We're looking for someone who can recognize the difference. You don't need to be the loudest person in the room to be a strong leader. We value someone who earns trust, pays attention, communicates clearly and takes ownership when something needs attention.

Your responsibilities will include:

Leading, coaching and developing employees Setting expectations and holding team members accountable Supporting hiring, onboarding, training and performance management Managing schedules, priorities and day-to-day studio operations Conducting Discovery Calls and Gallery Tours & Consultations Helping create an exceptional and consistent client experience Addressing employee performance, attendance or behavioral concerns Keeping communication and follow-up moving between clients, team members and studios Solving operational problems and improving systems Coordinating activity between Harleysville and West Lawn Working closely with the Founder and gradually assuming greater leadership responsibility This is a hands-on leadership role . You'll work alongside our photographers, artists, production and client-facing team rather than managing from a distance. The Experience We're Looking For We're particularly interested in candidates with approximately 4+ years of meaningful experience directly managing employees. Your background could be in photography, a creative studio, hospitality, healthcare, professional services, retail or another highly service-oriented environment. You may currently be a Studio Manager, Photography Studio Manager, Creative Studio Manager, Operations Manager, Office Manager, Practice Manager, Client Experience Manager or another hands-on people manager. Photography or creative-industry experience is valuable, but it isn't required. What matters more is that you've actually been responsible for employees and have experience with several areas such as hiring, onboarding, scheduling, training, coaching, performance management, difficult employee conversations, corrective action and disciplinary or termination decisions. Experience working closely with an owner, founder or small leadership team is also valuable. In a company our size, leadership often means noticing what needs attention and helping move it forward. We can teach you Willow Street Pictures. We need you to bring a strong foundation for leading people. Our Client Experience The Studio Manager has a direct, personal role in every new client relationship. You will personally conduct our Discovery Calls and lead our Gallery Tours & Consultations. These are core responsibilities of this position, not appointments delegated to another member of the team. Our client experience is personal and intentionally paced. The Discovery Call is the first opportunity to understand why someone has reached out and what they may hope to create. From there, you'll personally welcome prospective clients into the studio and lead their Gallery Tour & Consultation, generally reserved for approximately 90 minutes. These aren't appointments we try to rush. They're opportunities to listen, ask thoughtful questions and create enough trust for clients to share what matters to them. Those conversations can uncover important relationships, stories, locations or personal objects that ultimately become part of the portraits we create. From there, the client relationship continues through the Photo Shoot, Premiere Show, artwork design, custom framing and final delivery. As Studio Manager, you'll oversee the team and operations that support that journey while remaining closely connected to the client experience you helped begin. Efficiency matters here. So does knowing when not to rush someone. Schedule, Locations & Compensation This is a full-time, in-person position working Tuesday through Saturday. Harleysville is our primary studio, with regular work at our West Lawn studio based on client appointments and operational needs. Candidates should be comfortable working from both locations long term.

Starting salary:

$60,000-$65,000 , based on experience and demonstrated leadership ability. Benefits include paid vacation, paid Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, a retirement savings plan with employer contribution, professional development opportunities, employee portrait benefits and a modest medical reimbursement benefit. Willow Street Pictures does not currently offer traditional employer-sponsored health insurance. We share that upfront because we want candidates to understand the opportunity clearly before either side invests significant time in the hiring process. Growing Into the Role There is a lot to learn about Willow Street Pictures. Our client journey, creative process, artwork, production, studios and systems have developed over more than two decades. We don't expect you to arrive knowing all of it. For the right person, we're prepared to invest significantly in training and development. As you learn the organization, demonstrate good judgment and earn trust, we want you to take greater ownership and help strengthen Willow Street for the future. Our hiring process reflects that same philosophy. Candidates whose backgrounds appear aligned will have an opportunity to learn much more about Willow Street, our culture, leadership philosophy and what an actual day here looks like before we move deeply into interviews. If you're an experienced people leader who wants to know the people you lead, know the clients you serve, and have a meaningful hand in making a small creative organization better, we'd like to hear from you. When you apply, we'd especially appreciate a brief cover letter telling us what caught your attention about Willow Street Pictures and why this particular opportunity interests you.

Pay:

$60,000.00 - $65,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Employee discount Paid time off Retirement plan Application Question(s): Are you available to work a consistent Tuesday through Saturday schedule? Are you comfortable regularly working from both our Harleysville and West Lawn studio locations?

Experience:

direct employee management.: 4 years (Required)

Work Location:

In person