Creative Project Manager

About Octagon:

We are Octagon. A global agency in sports, entertainment, and culture. We strike deals. Set the pace. We’re playmakers. A group of creative thinkers and energetic doers inspiring and helping brands and talent to step up and stand out. Octagon is the world’s largest creative marketing and sponsorship consulting practice, and a pioneer and leader in athlete and personality representation and management. With our fingers firmly on the pulse, we set out a clear vision for the future.

Our passionate team of 800+ around the world are relentlessly committed to helping you force fate and push forward. We work with hundreds of blue-chip corporate clients, more than 1000 Athletes & Personalities, and manage more than 10,000 events per year. Leading stakeholders in the sports and entertainment world continue to look to Octagon to provide leadership in understanding fans’ passions and how these insights can build more effective, efficient, and measurable marketing programs.

About The Role:

The Creative Project Manager role combines project management and traffic/resourcing responsibilities, requiring the right attitude and approach to find innovative solutions to client demands, tight budgets, and challenging timelines. The Creative Project Manager will be pivotal in ensuring the smooth operation and resource allocation of the creative department while managing client-facing projects from start to finish.

As a client-facing role, you will work seamlessly with the the account servicing and creative teams to set timelines and manage budgets of projects, ensuring each one delivers on its objectives and aligns with overall client goals. You will manage day-to-day tasks and coordinate activities to ensure positive outcomes, effectively meeting project goals and client needs. Additionally, you will assist in overseeing the allocation and scheduling of creative resources to maintain optimal workflow within the team.

Key Responsibilities / Skills

Project Management:

• Lead the client relationship for project delivery, gaining a deep understanding of their business and acting as the primary contact for all creative delivery topics.
• Showcase expertise in project planning, setup, budget control, scoping, tracking, reporting, risk analysis, and quality assurance.
• Define the approach, scope, and costs for projects from the initial kick-off and direct projects through the agency.
• Prepare detailed project plans, status reports, risk and issue logs, and manage client expectations with the wider project team.
• Ensure proper processes and templates are used for documentation, including SOWs, briefs, and burn reports.
• Deliver projects on schedule and within budget, managing project scope with contingency and change orders as needed.
• Provide day-to-day leadership of projects, managing team dynamics and resolving any challenges or conflicts.
• Monitor and report on budget, margin, and supplier costs, ensuring accurate revenue and cost tracking.
• Collaborate with the Finance Team to maintain timely invoicing and third-party payment processes.
• Ensure timesheet completion and maintain accurate financials for all projects, working with the GAD for monthly updates.

Traffic/Resourcing Coordination:

• Coordinate with the creative department to assign resources based on project needs, skill sets, and timelines, ensuring optimal workflow.
• Act as the go-to person for resourcing queries, managing day-to-day traffic of creative projects and adjusting resource allocation as needed.
• Regularly review resource utilization and availability, working closely with the Resource Manager to anticipate and resolve capacity challenges.
• Schedule and facilitate regular team meetings, internal and client WIPs, and other check-ins to keep the team aligned and informed.
• Support the creative team by balancing workloads, tracking project progress, and proactively identifying resourcing risks or bottlenecks.
• Maintain and update resource management systems and tools, ensuring all project and resource information is accurate and accessible.

Skills / Experience

• At least 3 to 5 years’ experience in project management within an agency environment with a strong understanding of the creative process.
• Strong skills in project planning, budget control, scoping, tracking, reporting, risk analysis, and quality assurance.
• Proven experience in managing projects and resources, ideally with a background in cross-cultural or globally collaborative teams.
• Experience in working across a breadth of deliverables including digital campaigns.
• Proficiency in MS Office suite, including MS Teams, with the ability to quickly learn resource management software.
• A passion for sports and entertainment, and a keen interest in contributing to projects that harness the power of these industries.