Senior Program Director (Health)

About VML

VML 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.

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

About VML Health:

VML HEALTH is a global healthcare agency that partners with healthcare clients across a broad definition of health, from high science to wellness and everything in between. It operates fluidly within the VML agency, as a core group of health specialists (a ‘vertical’) that has the benefit of autonomy in management, but with support of non-health expertise. 

At the heart of health is the story of life – all the highs and lows, ambitions, and possibilities. But facing a health challenge can suddenly pull people away from these stories, knocking them off course.

Our purpose is to bridge this gap, bringing people closer to life and all its meaning. We gain a deeper understanding of Healthcare Professionals’ and patients’ needs, behaviors and lived experiences through what we call ‘radical empathy’.

VML Health creates connected brands that get to the heart, bringing people closer to the lives they want to live.  Get to the heart. Connect for life.

What We're Looking For:

VML Health is seeking an experienced Senior Program Director who can quickly understand our clients’ needs and objectives with the ability to effectively manage a variety of internal stakeholders across multiple departments in their efforts to deliver on those objectives. The Senior Program Director is expected to manage against defined processes throughout a client engagement as well as identify strategic opportunities for optimizations and new work within our client’s environments. This individual is also responsible for building, coaching and leading teams against said process to ensure successful deliveries.

What You'll Do:

• Lead multiple programs of projects across one or more client engagements

• Support/provide strategic direction related to processes and resolution paths

• Understand the requirements of the organization to create efficient solutions within the projects engaged

• Provide well researched POV documents on a variety of solutions related to project work

• Maintain direct client relationships with client project owners and client management leadership

• Responsible for interviewing and making recommendations to hire at the Program Director level and below

• Coach, mentor, motivate and manage direct reports

• Serve as a key point of contact and liaison for cross-divisional teams, agency peers and management

• Lead scoping and estimation exercises for existing and new business

• Support creation of RFP responses with other teams within VML and new business engagement.

• Identify opportunities for process improvement and efficiencies to continuously provide value to clients

• Support organizational resourcing based on client needs (communicating, managing, executing)

• Manages projects against variances in profitability, burn and efficiency

Who You Are and What You Bring:

• 15+ years of project management experience including working at marketing agency with pharmaceutical brands

• Ability to provide proactive and assertive leadership in problem solving, managing financial success of projects, maintaining timelines, and reducing waste

• Strong interpersonal skills and able to resolve conflict with productive outcomes

• Ability to effectively work across departments with diplomacy and a firm understanding of other’s roles and perspectives

• Ability to manage multiple work-streams (projects) effectively and efficiently.

• Extensive team management skills for teams of 20+.

• Ability to view problems in context at the system and organization and align solutions with the strategic direction of our clients and company

• Proactive, adaptable, and flexible

• Life-long learner, demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement

• Strong attention to detail

• Demonstrable ability to operate under tight deadline with complex business/technical solutions

• Ability to manage workload with minimal supervision

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Experience in running or working with agile teams

• PMP Certification preferred

What You'll Need:

• Proven experience in program management within a marketing agency, with a focus on healthcare clients.

• Strong understanding of project management methodologies and tools.

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills.

• Ability to manage multiple projects and teams effectively.

• Problem-solving and decision-making abilities.

What we offer:

• Passionate, driven people | We champion a culture of people that do extraordinary work.

• Consciously cultivated culture | We aim to embody the behaviors to build an inclusive community that is in it together, bringing both positivity and active listening into the workplace as we simultaneously strive to empower creative bravery.

• Competitive benefits | What we offer full time hires ranges from the full spectrum of group health coverage options (medical, dental, vision) to a generous 401k match (100% dollar-for-dollar match, up to 5% of salary contribution), and a variety of paid time off offerings that reflect our investment in all aspects of your overall life balance and wellness.

• Growth-minded opportunities | We aim to nurture a culture of real-time feedback, growth-oriented mindset, and plenty of training opportunities through VML and WPP, so you can continue to grow personally and professionally.

#vmlhealthcareers

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.

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$100,000—$230,000 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.

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