Associate Director, Project Management (Contractor)

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Walker Sands is an outcome-based B2B marketing agency with in-house capabilities spanning insights, strategy, branding, creative and media, including public relations, paid, search and social. The firm’s outcome-based approach delivers on objectives related to position, growth, reputation and engagement for 100+ B2B brands around the world. A 10-time Inc. 5000 honoree, Walker Sands is one of the fastest-growing B2B marketing agencies in the world, with offices in Chicago, Seattle and Boston.

Walker Sands is looking for a strategic and experienced Associate Director of Project Management to join our Client Services team. This role is critical in driving the success of complex and high-visibility client projects, optimizing internal workflows and instilling operational excellence across teams.  

As an Associate Director, you’ll manage a portfolio of accounts and collaborate with account directors, writers, designers, strategists, strategic communication and digital marketing team members to ensure projects meet both client expectations and agency goals. You’ll be a champion of process improvement, risk management and integrated team collaboration. 

Project Planning + Setup:

• Lead project planning and scoping for large, multi-service marketing programs, ensuring alignment with client goals, budget and internal capacity
• Lead internal project kickoff meetings to ensure internal alignment to scope and client outcomes
• Anticipate and mitigate risks during project planning and throughout the project’s lifecycle

Project Execution + Monitoring:

• Conduct QC/QA checks and alignment of deliverables to client outcomes and program scope
• Lead internal status meetings and provide clear project updates to the team
• Monitor and report on project budgets to ensure profitability and resource availability
• Serve as a key escalation point for project risks, providing clear direction and multiple solutions

Communication + Collaboration:

• Act as a trusted advisor to account team counterparts, providing guidance and removing internal roadblocks
• Promote seamless communication between internal services teams, account management and client to ensure alignment on outcomes and deliverables
• Serve as a secondary point of contact for clients and participate in client meetings to speak to project status and risks
• Document meeting notes and share action items to keep projects on track
• Proactively identify and mitigate project risks

Process Improvement + Team Leadership:

• Ensure all project assets are organized on Google Drive and accessible to project teams
• Contribute to department and agency process improvement

Requirements

• Experience:
• 6+ years of project management experience, preferably in a marketing or agency environment
• Proven ability to manage complex projects with multiple stakeholders

• Skills + Knowledge
• Strong understanding of waterfall and agile methodologies
• Advanced experience with project reporting metrics including: hours tracking, budget management, and timeline optimization
• Organization and time management with the ability to manage up to 10 projects/clients at a time
• Confidence in leading discussions and influencing decision-making with project teams and agency leadership
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to translate high-level strategy into actionable plans

• Mindset
• Strategic thinker with a proactive and solutions oriented approach
• Strong leadership presence with ability to motivate and mentor team
• Skill at motivating and inspiring project team to achieve and exceed client outcomes
• Attention to detail and commitment to exceeding client expectations

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing resourcing at an agency level
• Advanced experience in Trello or other project management tools
• Familiarity with digital marketing platforms that support marketing automation and paid media execution (e.g., Pardot, Hubspot, Google Analytics, and Google Tag Manager)
• Certification in project management (e.g., PMP®) 
• Experience driving strategic conversations and managing senior level stakeholders
• Background in process improvement and resource management in an agency setting

Contract Details

• Hybrid: Ability to work two days a week from the Chicago office
• Contract Fee: $7,100 per month
• Not eligible for company benefits. Minimal time off will be granted on a case-by-case basis.
• This position has the potential for conversion into a full-time role upon successful completion of the contract, based on performance and business needs.

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