Associate Director of Project Management

About Us

DDB Chicago is a communications agency dedicated to making creative work that works.

We believe in the power of creativity to create the change we want to happen in the world and develop audacious and famous ideas for our clients that help to grow their businesses and shape culture by driving behavior change at scale.

We are a global network of agencies who believe firmly in respect, kindness, openness, self-expression, and creativity, making spaces for the lived and learned experiences of all our people, and helping them to be the best they can be. We are intellectually curious about difference, embracing change for the better, and are committed to opposing injustice and constantly challenging the status quo. We are a place packed with the energy and passion to make things happen.

At DDB, our Project Managers are the lead for getting our work completed on time, on budget, and within scope. Our Project Managers are the hub that drives all work through our processes. The Project Management team sets the bar for problem solving and decisiveness across the agency team and functional groups to effectively lead the team to the best outcome for our clients. The Associate Director, Project Management is responsible for client-required reporting as well as planning and forecasting for future projects.

Responsibilities

• Ability to maintain focus under pressure, be thorough, and keep a positive attitude. Ability to understand the outcome, not just the process.
• Extremely high standards for work and behavior: accountable, reliable, and dependable. Acute attention to detail and accuracy.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; ability to break down complex information.
• Proficient in project scoping, project planning, resource management, timeline management, and risk management.
• Responsible for collaborating with Account and Discipline leads to define annual marketing plans and program scopes, staff plans, and roadmaps, timeline, and budget parameters.
• Oversees scope development activities of direct and indirect PM reports within assigned programs/portfolio, as needed.
• Ability to interact with and represent the team to a range of people, from entry-level to upper management and Leadership, including clients.
• Excels at establishing leadership internal stakeholders and clients. Easily recognized as the person who can answer questions on projects, process, and everyday activities around the team and client. Gains trust to build productive and constructive relationships. Encourage an environment of teamwork and excellence.
• Ability to work independently to tackle problems and direct to solutions. Be highly adaptable, able to anticipate issues and needs before they arise and take the necessary steps to alleviate and/or mitigate.
• Leverage project management tools (Smartsheets, Workfront, etc.) to manage day-to-day operations, automate tasks, ensure quality, and promote process efficiencies.
• Knowledge and experience with Microsoft Suite, Smartsheets, Workfront, JIRA.
  
  

Day-to-Day Competencies

Project Scope Management

Responsible for understanding project scope and preventing scope creep.

Oversees scope development for annual planning.

Able to break project down into small pieces (stages) and understand the deliverables at each stage.

Project Cost Management

• Provides support via reporting and guidance for forecasting.
• Partner with finance, account, creative, and production teams to ensure tracking of budget, burn, and hours is accurate and within scope.
• Ensure client billing is accurate by tracking, reporting, evaluating, and controlling projects.
• Partner with finance and account to review and evaluate subcontractor activities, burn, and invoicing for accuracy and reasonableness.

Project Quality Management

• Working with Quality Control lead, ensure process, documentation, reporting, and other enhancements are enacted as needed in order to ensure client satisfaction and optimal product delivery.
• Serves as the QA for reporting and supporting documentation to client.
• Capture lessons learned and apply lessons to future projects, as well as develop and implement plans for best practice enhancements and improvements.

Project Delivery Management

Responsible for delivery of contract required reporting, including burn, spend plans, client status documents, and Master Schedule for program.

Project Risk Management

Manage and communicate with risk management tools.

Ability to perform qualitative and quantitative risk management with skill and confidence. Ability to accurately articulate risk management/mitigation plans and escalate high risk issues with management.

Define, manage, and mitigate risks, including taking a proactive, approach to solve issues before they arise or manage as they come up.

Project Communication Management

• Ensure involvement of the appropriate teams during each project phase.
• Drive open and honest communications across all teams to ensure no roadblocks in projects.
• Leads by example in setting the standard for account team members in work ethic, professionalism, cooperation, and organizational commitment
  
  

Qualifications

• 8 years of project management experience within an advertising agency or with multi-agency teams across disciplines.
• Solid track record of successfully leading projects from initiation to completion on time, on budget, and within scope, including resource management across disciplines.
• Complete understanding of principles of marketing and communications planning, including strategy, creative, and production practices.
• Financial or government experience recommended.
• Advertising agency experience w/ additional experience working in an IAT model is a huge bonus.
  
  

What We Offer

• 💰 Competitive Salary
• ⚕️Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans
• 🏝️Generous Time Off
• 👶Paid parental leave
• 🎒Tuition Reimbursement
• 🥕Family Planning Assistance
• 📈Stock Discounts
• 🚌Transit Discounts
• 💡LinkedIn Learning Access
• 🧠Employee Assistance Programs
  
  

Please let us know should you require any additional support or assistance through the recruitment process.

DDB is an equal opportunities employer and will never favor or discriminate against anyone based on their age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief, marriage or civil partnership, gender identity, expression, or realignment.

This role requires regular in-office presence with a minimum of three days per week, to engage and collaborate in in-person team interactions and meetings as required.

Your personal information will be used according to our Recruitment Privacy Notice. View our Recruitment Privacy Notice here when you apply.