Project Director

Project Director
Large Tech Organisation

Department: Project Management
Location: London
Contact type: 12-Month Fixed Term Contract
Full Time/Part time: Full Time
Reporting into: Project Management Lead

About Ogilvy: 

Ogilvy UK has been creating iconic ideas that deliver impact at scale for clients ever since David Ogilvy founded the company in 1948. Ogilvy UK specialises in bringing together brand advertising, customer experience marketing, PR, influence and consulting, all fuelled by Behavioural Science. Our world-class award-winning creative campaigns deliver solutions for clients including Molson Coors (owner of Madrí beer), Valeo Foods UK (owner of Kettle Chips and Rowse Honey), Argos, Mondelēz International, Unilever, TK Maxx and Pernod Ricard.  

In 2023, Ogilvy UK celebrated their 75th anniversary and was the most awarded agency in Europe. Ogilvy is home to the largest influencer marketing practice globally, and hosts the world’s biggest festival of behavioural science and creativity, Nudgestock – now in its 12th year. 

The Role:

As a Project Director, your experience will be invaluable as you navigate complex project landscapes. Your primary focus will be on guiding cross-functional teams to efficient collaboration, ensuring project milestones are met with precision. You'll orchestrate the synchronisation of resources, creating an environment where ideas evolve into tangible outcomes. Your strategic insight and seasoned judgment will be instrumental in propelling projects forward, adapting to evolving circumstances and unforeseen challenges while keeping business objectives front and centre.

Your leadership will also extend to mentoring junior team members, fostering their growth, and enhancing the overall capabilities of our teams. With strong communication skills, you'll be a reliable collaborator, working in harmony with account managers, creatives, and stakeholders to ensure a unified approach that consistently exceeds client expectations. Your dedication to detail will play a pivotal role in maintaining the high standards our agency is known for, ensuring that every project deliverable is of exceptional quality.

Key Responsibilities:

• Act as the main liaison between different agency functions to coordinate resources effectively.

• Oversee end-to-end execution of Social & Influence projects, ensuring seamless delivery.

• Manage project setup, budgeting, and resource coordination.

• Handle a variety of projects across different mediums, including TV/video, print, digital, social, and influencer campaigns.

• Cultivate strong relationships with project teams, the commercial division, and the PMO Lead.

• Develop a deep understanding of client remuneration and commercial models. • Monitor project finances and proactively address resource allocation challenges.

• Effectively manage project schedules, adhering to scope, timelines, and budgets.

• Identify and mitigate potential project risks, ensuring smooth delivery.

• Collaborate effectively with multi-agency teams for streamlined project execution.

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of industry-standard project tools, processes, and platforms.

• Strategically schedule meetings to ensure comprehensive participation of key team members.

• Oversee thorough review and approval processes prior to client engagement.

• Initiate purchase orders (POs) if required for projects.

• Collaborate closely with the resource manager and PMO Lead for efficient resource management.

• Uphold professionalism, precision, and excellence across project documentation.

Requirements:

• Proven expertise as a Project Manager in a creative agency or similar setting.

• Solid understanding of project management principles and methodologies.

• Proficiency in effective project setup, budgeting, resource management, control, and reporting.

• Experience with integrated accounts and understanding of global project dynamics.

• Financial acumen for managing project budgets, monitoring financial status, and projecting resource allocation.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, essential for building relationships with diverse project teams.

• Effective collaboration with stakeholders including account management, creatives, design, strategy, and production.

• Strong organisational and time management abilities for managing multiple workstreams, schedules, and deliverables.

• Proactive approach to identifying potential project risks and implementing mitigation strategies.

• Familiarity with industry-standard project tools, processes, and platforms.

• Experience in strategic meeting scheduling to ensure comprehensive team involvement.

• Attention to detail and commitment to maintaining high-quality standards across project documentation and deliverables.

• Solution-oriented mindset, particularly in challenging scenarios.

• Adaptability to navigate change and innovation in a dynamic work environment.

• Understanding of digital opportunities and evolving trends.

Our ambition is to attract the very best diverse talent to Ogilvy, and to be the employer of choice in the UK. We want everyone to feel welcome when they join us, and once they’re here, for them to want to stay with us, grow their career, and to feel they belong with us.

We are an equal opportunity employer and we’re committed to creating an inclusive, welcoming environment for everyone who wants to work at Ogilvy. For us, diversity, equity and inclusion is integrated into everything that we do. We believe that for creativity to flourish, everything about how we work must have diversity at its core. Your race, colour, ethnic, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, have no bearing on our hiring decisions, but we encourage everyone to feel free to express their true selves in an environment we are consistently striving to make as inclusive as possible.

We aim to facilitate an accessible and positive application experience for all candidates. If you require any adjustments from us to support you through the process or expect to require any adjustments to working conditions to be able to best perform in the role, please let us know. We are happy to consider all reasonable adjustments.

If you live with a disability and you would like to take advantage of our offer of a guaranteed interview under the Disability Confident Scheme, please ensure you fill out our voluntary Equal Opportunities Questionnaire when applying.