Director, Program Manager

WHY DEPT®?

We are a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, we create what is next by pioneering ideas, acting fast, and moving further because standing still just is not in our DNA.

We are drawn to people who stay curious, move with intent, and never stop inventing. Our culture runs on three values: better together, relentlessly curious, and get sh*t done. It is how we work, how we grow, and how we make things that matter.

At DEPT®, you will find the freedom to explore, the space to collaborate, and the trust to make a real impact for our clients, for each other, and for the world we are helping to build.

 

THE ROLE: The Director, Project Management is both a people manager and client leader. This person has a disciplined approach to managing our most important clients through project and program management whether it is a single large project or multiple projects that make up a program. The successful candidate is detail-oriented but can also think of the ‘big picture’ strategy to drive our client’s business forward, while building long-lasting client relationships. Has the ability to manage various types of concurrent projects from research & strategy, design, development, and deployment of web and software products. Capable of managing complex programs with multiple projects and project management resources in dynamic client environments. Has strong client-facing and strategic leadership experience along with expert program/project management skills. Has extensive experience managing direct reports with a focus on performance, career growth, and project/program management skills. They will use their expertise to coach and grow their team.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

• Define, manage and execute various types of creative projects for clients in order to maximize client business objectives, manage client expectations, and maintain profitability. 
• Establish the creative operating model, communication, plan and tools to be used by the program to ensure successful delivery. 
• Manage creative project management team members, providing ongoing mentorship, career development, and performance guidance.
• Ability to coach team members on best practices and act as a partner in solving client challenges.
• Lead the development and implementation of standardized creative processes and tools across the Delivery team.
• Oversee and deliver daily internal and client-facing status updates for engagements
• Balance strategic and operational thinking with strong attention to detail and execution.
• Serve as the primary point of contact between clients and internal creative teams, ensuring clear and consistent project communication.
• Make creative resourcing recommendations and monitor team bandwidth and effectiveness; assess program pacing and delivery health to ensure viability.
  Join client and internal meetings to identify evolving needs and opportunities; act as a subject matter expert on delivery processes, capacity, and timelines.
• Coordinate and organize tasks that support project execution and delivery.
  Lead discussions with key stakeholders to communicate program progress, milestones, and overall delivery health.
• Manage complex creative project timelines, budgets, scope, and risks to ensure high-quality delivery outcomes.
  Contribute to business development efforts by helping define project scope, delivery processes, and resource estimates.
• Support change management by modeling tactical approaches and managing resources across shifting project needs.
• Minimal travel may be required to client sites. 

 

WHAT YOU’LL BRING 

• 10+ years of creative project management experience in an advertising, creative agency, production studio, or related environment
• 5+ years of program management experience 
• 7+ years experience managing an internal team and direct reports
• Strong understanding of creative workflows across design, video, digital, social, and integrated campaigns
• Experience with AI-enabled creative workflows and content production tools
• Understanding of static and motion file formats, compression, and web best practices 
• Strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills. The ideal candidate will not be hesitant to have conversations with internal and external stakeholders to ensure the success of the project or program 
• Excellent problem solving, organization, time management, and risk management skills.
• Experience in management and merging project artifacts into a program scale set of artifacts used to orchestrate the larger set of initiatives and optimize delivery and minimize negative risk  
• The ability to be self-directed and work in a dynamic environment with resources of various skills and experience levels to ensure successful delivery. 
• Expertise with project management tools (Asana, Monday.com, Wrike, Jira, etc.)
• Excellent scheduling and planning skills with a proven track record of managing multiple projects simultaneously while also actively managing project timelines
• Project financial management of budget, ETC, EAC and profitability. Experience with project accounting and opportunity estimation is vital to the role. 
• Experience leading digital transformation initiatives
• Excellent client communication experience.

WHAT DO WE OFFER?

We are a collaborative, open-door, best-idea-wins environment that fosters personal and company growth and has fun doing it. Here is a snapshot of our  benefits package:

• Healthcare, Dental, and Vision coverage
• 401k plan, plus matching
• PTO
• Paid Company Holidays
• Parental Leave

WE SUPPORT YOU BEING YOU: 

DEPT® is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We believe our work is its best when our people feel safe and free to be themselves. We’re committed to an inclusive and barrier-free recruitment and selection process and workplace, regardless of anyone’s identity, background, beliefs, lifestyle or disabilities. So tell us about any accommodations you need. It’s totally confidential and only used to make sure you feel fully supported at every step. 

DEPT® participates in E-Verify, meaning your Form I-9 information will be sent to the federal government to confirm you are authorized to work in the U.S. 

We are a B Corp-certified company passionate about purpose-driven work.  Our hope is that you can feel good about the contributions DEPT® is making to the world and we always have an open door for your ideas in making the world a better place. 

DEPT® is a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, our 4,000+ specialists deliver growth invention across Brand & Media, Experience, Commerce, CRM, and Technology & Data. We’re 50|50 tech and marketing, partner-led, and first to move. Clients include Google, Lufthansa, Coach, eBay, and OpenAI.

Learn more about DEPT®

 

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION

At DEPT®, we take pride in creating an inclusive workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We actively seek to recruit, develop, nurture, and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, with varying skills and perspectives.

Not sure you meet all qualifications? Apply, and let us decide! Research shows that women and members of underrepresented groups tend not to apply for jobs when they think they may not meet every requirement, when in fact they do. We believe in giving everyone a fair chance to shine. 

We also encourage you  to reach out to us and discuss any reasonable adjustments we can make to support you throughout the recruitment process and your time with us.

Want to know more about our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion? Check out our efforts here.

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