What is the role?
This role requires the right attitude and approach that adds to the work through finding innovative solutions to client demands, tight budgets and challenging timelines.
This is first and foremost a client facing role. Working seamlessly with the Account Lead, Lead Planner and ECD/Creative Director to set the strategic direction of the project, and ensure each project delivers on its objectives and the overall client goals.
The Project Manager is responsible for the day-to-day task management of assigned projects, and is ultimately responsible for planning and coordinating activities to ensure that the project outcomes are positive, project goals are accomplished and client needs are met. They ensure that each project scope is defined, create and manage the project plan, and provide direction to all members of the team.
Key Responsibilities / Skills
Planning & Creative Delivery:
- Lead the client relationship for project delivery, really get under the skin of their business and act as the first point of contact for all creative delivery topics.
- Have an excellent understanding of the brands you work on – their definitions, core characteristics, how they should and shouldn’t behave to ensure effective delivery.
- Always be passionate about producing world class creative work which ultimately delivers great results for our clients.
- Demonstrate excellent skills in effective project planning, setup, traffic, budget control, scoping, project tracking and reporting, risk and issue analysis and quality assurance.
- Manage your own clients and projects – be involved from the initial kick off, after which you define the approach, scope and costs for projects. Have the knowledge and ability to direct projects through the agency.
- Be creative – add to the creative process and always strive to deliver the best creative product, no matter how difficult, and find solutions to deliver regardless of the budget or other constraints.
- Build strong relationships with internal teams – creative, planning, design and film production (Milk Money) as well as external partners.
- Prepare detailed project plans, status reports and risk and issue logs, and work with the wider project team to carefully manage client’s expectations.
- Ensure the correct processes are followed and standard templates are used to produce project documentation – SOWs, briefs, burn reports etc.
- Deliver your projects to schedule, and within agreed margin and budget variances set at the beginning of the project. Actively manage the scope of your projects, using contingency and change orders as required.
- Manage and identify the right team members for the project, and work with the resource manager to schedule your resources in a timely way.
- Manage, oversee and motivate the project team, and ensure all work is signed off by the relevant discipline lead e.g. strategy, creative, design.
- Upon project completion and sign-off, work with the client services team to produce a final project rec and ensure a project wash up session is held promptly and learnings are shared with the wider project and production team.
Leadership:
- Day to day leadership of your own projects, managing varying levels of colleagues and be confident in dealing with challenging and conflicting situations.
- Manage project teams and address delivery and performance issues, undertake tasks to build team morale.
- Hold responsibility for the quality of the creative output of the project deliverables and communications.
- Provide timely feedback throughout the project.
Communications:
- Communicate the status of your projects both internally and to the client, and actively manage risks and issues.
- Communicate well within your project team so that everyone is aware of deadlines, dependencies and any risks or issues.
- Run team meetings and capture issues, actions, requirements and minutes. Ensure actions are followed up by the team and communicated back.
Financials:
- Monitor the budget, margin and supplier costs from estimate to completion and report on these weekly.
- Ensure revenue & cost recognition across your projects is kept accurate and up to date at all times.
- Work with the Finance Team to ensure timely and accurate invoicing and payment of third-party suppliers.
- Ensure accurate timesheet completion for your team and projects.
Skills and Competencies
- 2+ years relevant industry experience, or similar project experience with transferrable skills
- A passion for creative of any kind
- Willing to learn and adopt process
- Experience with Microsoft suite, particularly Excel
- Ability to manage multiple projects concurrently, creatively problem solve & work under pressure
- Attention to detail is crucial with great organisational and communication skills
- Self-motivated, proactive & adaptable
Who you'll be joining
Recognized as one of the “Best Places to Work in Sports”, Octagon is the global sports, entertainment, and experiential marketing arm of the Interpublic Group.
We take pride in being Playmakers – finding insightful, bold ways to create play in our work, our lives, and in the world. We believe in the power of play to create big ideas and unlock potential for our clients and talent.
We can put ourselves in the shoes of fans because we ARE fans – of sports, entertainment, and culture at large. This expertise allows us to continually evolve the fan experience across sports and entertainment alongside some of the biggest brands and talent in the world.
The world needs play more than ever. Are you a Playmaker?
About us
Octagon is a global creative agency in sports, entertainment and culture.
We’re part of a wider family of agencies – the Octagon R&CPMK – a group of specialist agencies working with brands, athletes, and celebrities. Group agencies include Futures Sport & Entertainment, FRUKT and No2ndPlace. We’re all part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG), one of the world’s most respected advertising networks.
Founded in 1982 with over 800 employees around the globe. Our Headquarters is in Stamford, Connecticut with further offices around the world including: New York, LA, Miami, McLean, Sao Paulo, Johannesburg, Sydney, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Barcelona, Madrid, London and Manchester.
We believe that great brands own an idea in the minds of their audience. For Apple, it’s creativity. For Nike, it’s performance. For BMW it’s Joy. For Coca-Cola, it’s happiness. For Mastercard, it’s priceless experiences.
At Octagon, it’s all in Play.
We inspire brands and people to play.
http://www.octagon.com/
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