Athleta

About the Role

The Associate Program Manager - Marketing & Creative Operations will execute marketing & retail projects while supporting operational excellence across our marketing & creative development pipeline. You will own the end-to-end management of multiple projects simultaneously, following proven processes and frameworks to ensure seamless delivery. This role requires strong execution skills, attention to detail, and the ability to coordinate effectively across multiple teams including creative, production, merchandising, and retail operations.

This role reports to the Director of Marketing & Creative Operations and will work closely with them to implement best practices within established workflows while identifying opportunities for tactical improvements.

What You'll Do

• Project Execution Leadership: Own end-to-end management of multiple projects following established processes and frameworks, ensuring timeline adherence and quality standards
• Coordinate retail production timelines with marketing campaign launches, ensuring product availability aligns with promotional activities
• Operational Excellence: Execute day-to-day project activities, maintaining quality standards and ensuring all deliverables meet brand compliance and project requirements
• Monitor retail production milestones including sample approvals, production timelines, quality checkpoints, and delivery schedules
• Project Team Coordination: Lead project teams of 3-5 members across creative, brand, and production functions, assigning specific tasks, monitoring daily progress, and ensuring deliverable completion
• Meeting Management: Facilitate project meetings, milestone check-ins, and status reviews, including preparing agendas, capturing detailed notes, and distributing action items with clear ownership and deadlines
• Tactical Stakeholder Management: Maintain project-level communication with internal stakeholders, provide regular status updates, manage project expectations, and escalate issues as appropriate
• Process Implementation & Improvement: Execute established workflows efficiently while identifying tactical improvement opportunities and providing recommendations to Senior Program Manager
• Identify tactical improvement opportunities in production planning, vendor management, and cross-functional coordination
• Quality Control & Review: Review deliverables for accuracy, brand compliance, and requirement fulfillment before stakeholder delivery, ensuring all assets meet established quality standards
• Resource Coordination: Coordinate resources within assigned projects, track capacity across team members, and escalate resource conflicts or needs to management level
• Documentation Management: Maintain comprehensive project documentation, update project tracking systems, organize project assets, and ensure proper file management protocols
• Cross-Functional Support: Support broader team initiatives, assist with process documentation updates, and collaborate effectively with other departments on shared objectives

Who You Are

• 2-4 years of project management experience in marketing operations, retail production, or consumer goods environment
• Retail production experience with understanding of manufacturing timelines, vendor management, quality control processes, and inventory planning
• Retail marketing and production integration with understanding of how creative campaigns align with product availability and retail execution
• Strong execution skills with demonstrated ability to follow established processes while maintaining high attention to detail and quality standards
• Project coordination experience with proven ability to manage multiple workstreams, coordinate team members, and meet deadlines in fast-paced environments
• Effective communication skills with ability to facilitate meetings, manage project-level stakeholder relationships, and provide clear, concise updates on project status
• Process-oriented mindset with experience implementing workflows, maintaining documentation, and contributing to operational efficiency improvements
• Technology proficiency with experience using project management tools like Airtable, Monday.com, or similar platforms, plus standard office applications
• Detail-oriented approach with strong organizational skills and ability to track multiple projects, deadlines, and deliverables simultaneously
• Collaborative working style with ability to coordinate effectively across different teams and functions without direct authority
• Problem-solving capabilities with ability to identify issues early, escalate appropriately, and contribute to solution development
• Retail marketing knowledge with understanding of seasonal planning, campaign development, and creative production processes
• Adaptability and resilience with ability to manage changing priorities, tight deadlines, and evolving project requirements while maintaining quality focus