Senior Project Manager
This is an opportunity for a confident, solutions-driven Senior Project Manager to take ownership of a key international account, working alongside multidisciplinary teams across South Africa, the UK and the US. The ideal candidate will have a strong digital agency background, experience managing complex international accounts and the ability to navigate demanding client relationships while keeping projects, teams and deliverables on track. You are an experienced agency project leader who thrives in fast-paced environments and is comfortable taking ownership of complex, high-pressure accounts. You know how to bring structure to ambiguity, build trust with stakeholders, lead teams across disciplines and keep delivery moving when expectations are high. You are commercially minded, digitally savvy and proactive in finding solutions. Most importantly, you can balance strong project management fundamentals with the resilience and communication skills needed to manage a demanding international client relationship.
About this position
Key Duties & Responsibilities:
Project Delivery & Client Management
- Lead the planning, coordination and delivery of projects across content, media and intelligence teams, ensuring work is delivered on time, within scope and to the required quality standards.
- Translate client briefs and objectives into clear project plans, timelines, budgets and resource requirements.
- Manage client and external stakeholder expectations, maintaining clear communication and strong working relationships.
- Proactively identify and manage project risks, dependencies, scope changes and delivery challenges.
- Support the development of case studies and contribute to strengthening client relationships and account growth.
- Deliver strategic client reporting, sharing insights into campaign performance, market trends and competitive activity.
Team Leadership & Collaboration
- Oversee day-to-day workflows across multidisciplinary teams, ensuring clear priorities, accountability and effective collaboration.
- Provide guidance and mentorship to Project Managers and other team members, supporting their development and performance.
- Work closely with colleagues across South Africa, the UK and the US to ensure alignment and seamless project delivery.
- Foster a collaborative, solutions-oriented team environment while maintaining high standards under pressure.
Financial & Resource Management
- Manage project budgets, resources and timelines, ensuring efficient allocation and delivery.
- Monitor project profitability, identify cost-saving opportunities and support revenue forecasting.
- Oversee Statements of Work (SOWs), Work in Progress (WIP) adjustments and other client financial processes.
- Maintain accurate financial documentation, including reconciliations, purchase requests, purchase orders and invoices.
- Track project time and effort to support accurate reporting and financial control.
Innovation & Process Improvement
- Identify opportunities to improve project management processes, workflows and delivery efficiency.
- Explore and implement best practices, project management tools and innovative delivery approaches.
- Be open to integrating AI-enabled workflows throughout the campaign lifecycle.
- Encourage continuous improvement, experimentation and collaboration across project teams.
Requirements & Qualifications:
- Proven experience within a large creative or digital agency is essential.
- 3+ years of experience in a project management role within an agency setting, with at least 2 years of experience managing a team.
- Ideally, experience managing international accounts and working with global brands. Experience with Unilever would be advantageous.
- A strong understanding of digital marketing, including content, media and strategy or intelligence.
- Demonstrated experience managing complex projects, multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
- Strong client-facing skills, with the confidence to manage demanding clients and navigate challenging relationships.
- Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and managing operational workflows.
- Strong financial and commercial acumen, including budget management, resource planning and financial reporting.
- Excellent written and verbal communication, organisational and problem-solving skills.
- The ability to remain calm, proactive and solutions-focused under pressure and against tight deadlines.
- Familiarity with project management methodologies such as Agile and Waterfall.
- Proficiency in project management tools such as Asana, Monday.com or Jira, alongside Microsoft Office.