Program Manager

Senior Project Manager/Program Manager (Media) / 9 month freelance contractAbout the Role:

A Media Agency is seeking a skilled and certified Senior Project Manager/Program Manager to join the team for a critical 9-month contract, driving the successful delivery of the high-profile sports campaign.

This role is crucial for orchestrating the inherent complexity of the operations, which encompass 11+ distinct workstreams, multiple sub-streams, and numerous critical integration points. With 30+ Open X team members across various workstreams and a need to support coordination across 20+ global markets and 200+ different activation campaigns, this position demands a hands-on leader capable of establishing a robust operational and project management framework beyond our current capabilities.

This role is ideal for a professional project manager with deep domain expertise in the media and creative industry, who thrives in a fast-paced, high-stakes global environment. You will be instrumental in ensuring meticulous execution, seamless integration, and comprehensive communication across all facets of the campaign.

Key Responsibilities:

• 360-Degree Project Governance & Execution: Provide comprehensive project governance and oversight, serving as the hands-on project manager from the strategic planning stages through to successful completion for the entire campaign.
• Operational Oversight & Market Orchestration: Provide critical operational oversight, detailed tracking, and proactive problem-solving for coordination across 20+ global markets and different activation campaigns, ensuring meticulous execution and clear communication while working closely with the market orchestration team and other stakeholders.
• Inter-Stream Integration & Dependency Management: Drive seamless connectivity and manage complex dependencies between diverse workstreams, facilitating critical connection points, maintaining clear communication channels, and ensuring comprehensive documentation.
• Performance Monitoring & Reporting: Continuously monitor, manage, track, and provide regular, transparent reporting on the completion of project deliverables, ensuring strict adherence to client requirements and achievement of predefined success/performance metrics.
• Data Workstreams Project Management: Take ownership of all data-related initiatives specific to the campaign, driving timely delivery, comprehensive reporting, and managing foundational administrative tasks.
• Stakeholder Coordination & Communication: Act as a central point of contact, effectively coordinating and managing relationships with a wide array of key internal and external project stakeholders, fostering collaboration and alignment across the entire ecosystem.
• Strategic Communication & Collateral Development: Support the development of high-level presentations, strategic reports, and key stakeholder communications. This includes supporting data gathering, formatting, and preparing drafts of operational collateral and internal updates to ensure clarity and consistency.
• Meeting & Decision Facilitation: Facilitate critical strategic meetings, driving efficient decision-making processes. This includes ensuring clear action ownership, managing logistics, preparing detailed agendas, capturing comprehensive minutes, and rigorously tracking action items to completion.
• Documentation & Advisory: Create and maintain quality project setup documents detailing scope, assumptions, success criteria, risks, governance structure, and other critical planning elements. Advise wider project teams on project governance artifacts, processes, and effective ways of working.
• Financial Management: Oversee and report on project financials as needed, ensuring all project financial artifacts are centrally available and accurate. Coordinate effectively with commercial teams for budget clarifications and reconciliations throughout the project lifecycle.

What We’re Looking For (Required Skills & Experience):

• Foundational & Advanced Project Management Expertise:
• 10-15+ years of demonstrable experience in project management, with a proven track record of successfully leading large-scale, complex programs/projects from conception to completion.
• Professional project management certification(s) such as PMP, CSM, or equivalent is preferred.
• Expertise in various project management methodologies, including Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid approaches.
• Experience in the SaaS industry is a plus.
• Digital Media & Data Domain Expertise:
• Advanced understanding and hands-on experience in Digital Media & Marketing Project Delivery. Deep experience in the delivery of projects in advertising, digital media, or related fields. A depth of understanding of project management and business analysis trends to achieve business needs.
• Proven experience leading Data/Media or Transformation projects specifically within the Advertising industry.
• Strong comprehension of media data, data-focused products, AdTech/MarTech ecosystems, media operations, and creative/audience integration.
• Robust understanding of media & creative operations.
• Business Acumen & Strategic Communication:
• Strong commercial mindset with a clear focus on driving measurable business outcomes.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills with meticulous attention to detail, capable of navigating intricate challenges across multiple workstreams and markets.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication and presentation skills, capable of articulating complex information clearly and persuasively to diverse senior-level audiences.
• Demonstrated experience in change management, effectively guiding large teams and stakeholders through evolving project landscapes.
• Leadership & Collaboration:
• Superior stakeholder management capabilities, with a strategic mindset to effectively advise, influence, and manage both internal teams (including 30+ Open X members) and external partners across a global scale.
• Proven ability to work independently with minimal supervision, demonstrating initiative, ownership, and proactive leadership.
• A collaborative team player with a strong "pro-attitude" and an unwavering commitment to getting things done in a dynamic and demanding environment.

If you are a seasoned Project Manager with a deep passion for the intersection of media, data, and global campaigns, and possess the operational acumen to thrive in an environment of significant complexity and scale, we encourage you to apply.

Start date: ASAP

Duration: 9 month freelance contract

Location: Fully remote (UK-Wide)

Please note: Media domain experience is a must, as well as understanding how the creative and media industries work.