Program Director

Who We Are

VML, part of WPP, is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and human first, award-winning work for blue chip client partners including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendy's. The agency is recognized by the Forrester Wave™ Reports, as a Leader among Marketing Creative and Content Service Providers, Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services and, most recently, Marketing Measurement & Optimization. In addition, VML’s specialist health network, VML Health, is one of the world’s largest and most awarded health agencies. VML’s global network is powered by 26,000 talented people across 55+ markets, with principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney.

About WPP

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit WPP.com.

Who We Are Looking For: 

We are looking for a Program Director to lead project and campaign delivery across a large portfolio of clients in various industries such as retail, spirits, telecommunications, and technology. You are adept at integrated campaign and social delivery leadership and have lead large multi-disciplinary teams consisting of project management, account management, creative, connections, and strategy. This role will report to the Executive Director of Delivery and oversee successfully delivery of fast-paced client solutions. Our preferred markets for this role are New York City, NY and Atlanta, GA where most teams sit, as this role will operate in a hybrid model within either office.

What You'll Do: 

• People | Partner with the Account leads to provide ongoing client satisfaction. Collaborate and guide up to 5 direct reports to resolve challenges that arise and improve process. You will oversee the development of integrated project and program deliverables across a large, cross-agency model. 
• Process | Establish and maintain project and program communications. Oversee project estimations and staffing recommendations, and optimize processes across large streams of work as needed. Ensure that calendars and deployment schedules are maintained for multiple concurrent workstreams. Consistently solve problems based on client priority shifts and concurrency challenges within team bandwidth. 
• Financials | Responsible for project profitability. Plan, track, and approve project expenses, billing, and invoices. Partner with the Finance team, in conjunction with the Account team, to develop a consistent profitability and utilization view across all workstreams. Manage resource allocation on an ongoing, weekly basis as well as monitoring project burn rates, budgets, and reconciliations. 
• Work | Provide sound leadership to ensure all projects are delivered effectively, on time, and on budget. This will be accomplished through effective oversight and leadership of direct reports to provide purpose, direction, and motivation to the team. You will act as an extra set of hands where needed to support them by flexing tactically to manage projects where needed. The partnership with the Account lead is imperative to guiding the business forward, both from a performance and growth perspective 

Who you are: 

A builder | Process-oriented and an innovator with a strong point of view and distinct voice. Ability and appetite to create and bring people together. Innate ability to marshal people and create gravity around ideas.

Open and collaborative | Our team is close-knit and supportive, and we’re working with a lot of unknowns – you must be a champion of team environments that are comfortable with ambiguity and encourage collaboration. 

Optimistic and resilient | Dig in and figure out how to work around problems. Provide a balance needed to maintain stamina and positivity. 

Ego-less | We all wear the hats that need wearing, it’s a mentality that makes the team successful. 

  

What You'll Need: 

• 8-10+ years of experience in PMO leadership and delivery management in a client-facing role within an agency setting. 
• Experience overseeing a high volume of concurrent projects that are brand and social-focused with a quick-turn cadence.  
• Experience managing projects with multiple parallel work streams and teams. 
• Experience working with integrated agency teams and external partner agencies. 
• Familiarity with Agile and/or Waterfall methodologies.
• Proficiency with project management tools such as Smartsheet, Monday.com, Jira, and Workday.
• Strong project management operations skillset, including the ability to facilitate meetings effectively and capture actionable next steps. 
• Ability to understand and prioritize tasks, support the team in navigating challenges, and build operational rigor. 
• Proven ability to execute tasks and deliver results with precision. 

The base salary range for this position at the time of this posting is indicated below. Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications. We offer a competitive benefits package, click WPP Benefits for more details.

_$75,000—$180,000 USD

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers. 

VML is a WPP agency (NYSE: WPP). For more information, please visit  www.vml.com, and follow along on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

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