Agency Project Manager (internal title: Program Manager)

Job Description

Job Description

Agency Project Manager

About the Role

As a Project Manager, you'll be responsible for the day-to-day management of multiple packaging design projects, ensuring they're delivered on time, on budget, and at the quality our clients expect. You'll be the operational hub for your projects, coordinating timelines, managing resources, tracking budgets, facilitating communication between creative teams and clients, and solving problems as they arise. Reporting to a Director of Project Management, you'll have the opportunity to learn agency operations from the ground up while making an immediate impact on project success. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, loves bringing order to complexity, and wants to build a career in creative operations.

Key Responsibilities:

Project Management

• Manage multiple packaging design projects simultaneously from kickoff through final delivery.
• Develop and maintain project plans, timelines, milestones, and deliverables.
• Monitor project progress, identify risks early, and keep projects on schedule.
• Ensure projects meet quality standards, timelines, and budget expectations.

Resource & Workflow Coordination

• Coordinate project schedules and creative resources in partnership with the Director of Project Management.
• Balance workloads across designers, strategists, and production teams.
• Communicate schedule changes, shifting priorities, and resource constraints proactively.

Client Communication

• Serve as the primary day-to-day contact for project-related communication.
• Coordinate feedback cycles, review meetings, approvals, and deliverables.
• Build strong working relationships with client project managers while partnering with the Client Success team on overall account strategy.
• Manage expectations and escalate issues when appropriate.

Process & Quality Management

• Ensure projects follow established agency workflows from intake through final delivery.
• Prepare creative briefs, facilitate review sessions, and coordinate production activities.
• Maintain high-quality standards by ensuring deliverables are accurate and complete before client delivery.

Meetings, Reporting & Documentation

• Lead project kickoffs, status meetings, creative reviews, and internal planning sessions.
• Prepare agendas, document action items, and ensure timely follow-up.
• Maintain accurate project documentation, budgets, timelines, and status reports.
• Provide regular updates to the Director of Project Management, highlighting risks, progress, and recommendations.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve processes, templates, and workflows.
• Contribute ideas that enhance operational efficiency and team collaboration.
• Continue developing expertise in agency operations, financial management, and client service.

What You Bring:

Experience & Expertise

• 3-5 years of project or program management experience, preferably in a creative agency, design studio, or marketing environment
• Experience managing creative projects from concept through delivery, with understanding of design and production workflows
• Familiarity with CPG packaging design processes a plus, but not required
• Proficiency with project management tools (Asana or similar)
• Basic understanding of project budgets and financial tracking
• Experience with Microsoft Office

Core Competencies

• Exceptional organizational skills with ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously without losing track of details
• Strong time management and prioritization abilities, knowing what needs attention now versus what can wait
• Proactive mindset—you anticipate problems before they happen and take initiative to solve them
• Process-oriented thinking with appreciation for why structure and methodology matter
• Analytical skills with comfort working with numbers, tracking data, and identifying patterns
• Problem-solving abilities, especially when faced with timeline conflicts, resource constraints, or unexpected challenges

Communication & Interpersonal Skills

• Clear, professional written and verbal communication skills
• Diplomatic approach to managing different personalities, opinions, and working styles
• Ability to build trust and rapport with both creative teams and clients
• Comfortable facilitating meetings and keeping discussions productive
• Active listening skills with ability to ask clarifying questions and truly understand needs
• Grace under pressure—you stay calm and constructive when things get hectic

Working Style & Mindset

• Detail-oriented without losing sight of the bigger picture
• Adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity—you can pivot when plans change
• Collaborative team player who builds bridges between disciplines
• Accountable and reliable—when you say you'll do something, you follow through
• Curious and eager to learn, open to feedback and committed to growth
• Positive attitude with ability to bring energy and constructive problem-solving to challenges

Success Metrics:

Project Performance

• 90%+ of assigned projects delivered on time and within budget (with guidance from Director)
• Positive client feedback on responsiveness, organization, and communication
• Creative team feedback indicating strong support and effective coordination

Operational Excellence

• Accurate, timely project status reporting with clear visibility into risks and issues
• Consistent adherence to agency processes and quality standards
• Timely escalation of problems with thoughtful analysis and potential solutions
• Clean, well-organized project documentation and file management

Professional Development

• Demonstrated improvement in capabilities over 6-12 months (better financial management, more strategic thinking, stronger client relationships)
• Proactive contribution to process improvements and operational discussions
• Positive trajectory toward increased responsibility and project complexity

What Success Looks Like:

In this role, you'll have succeeded when your projects run smoothly, your creative teams trust you to protect their time and set them up for success, and your clients feel well-cared-for throughout the process. You'll be known as someone who's on top of the details, communicates clearly, solves problems proactively, and makes everyone else's job easier. Your Director will rely on you to manage your portfolio with minimal oversight, and you'll be ready to take on increasingly complex projects and responsibilities. 

Why This Role Matters:

Project Managers are the operational backbone of our agency—you're the reason great creative work gets delivered on time and on budget, the reason clients feel supported and informed, and the reason our teams can focus on doing their best work. This role offers the opportunity to learn agency operations from experienced leaders, work with talented creative professionals, and contribute to projects for some of the most recognized CPG brands. If you're energized by bringing order to complexity, love the satisfaction of checking things off the list, and want to build a career in creative operations, this is an excellent place to start.