Senior Project Manager (17 month contract)

at  SAATCHI SAATCHI

Company Description
Saatchi & Saatchi is an advertising agency with the belief that creativity, data, media and technology should all work together, and we use that to influence human behavior and drive success for clients. S&S is one of the world’s largest agency networks with 114 offices and more than 6000 employees globally. Here in our Toronto office we work with some of the countries most valued brands including Toyota, Lexus, Quesada and Mondelez just to name a few. We’re an award winning agency in both creativity and effectiveness, so it’s really important for us here to convert that innovation and the great ideas into real tangible business results for the organization.
Job Description
A Toronto-based advertising agency is looking for a Senior (Digital) Project Manager to manage medium to large size digital projects and support ongoing maintenance for tier 1 clients. The successful candidate will have at least 4 years of experience in a project management role in the digital space, specifically in web development. Experience with managing complex implementations, particularly in the world of AI and/or the world of AEM, is preferred.

• Work collaboratively in a project management team that collectively is responsible for a portfolio of work, in a continuous delivery environment.
• Prioritize communication with PM teammates as needed to share knowledge, experience, status and resources.
• Work collaboratively with teams within the agency and the larger overall Publicis Groupe network to deliver integrated omni channel programs.
• Manage & motivate multidisciplinary teams in a fast-paced, multiple-project environment.
• Manage medium to large sized projects for tier one clients, from initiation to planning, design, development, and maintenance.
• Proactively monitor work progress to ensure tasks are progressing in a timely manner, and obstacles are removed.
• Proactively anticipate client needs throughout the implementation / maintenance process.
• Maintain positive relationships with clients and partners in day-to-day communication.
• Create project documentation, including project briefs, timelines, project status, estimates, etc.
• Work with rest of PM team to identify resource conflicts and gaps and resolve in the most efficient and cost effective manner.
• Monitor and reconcile actual vs. estimated time spent on projects for maximum accuracy and recovery of hours. Report weekly on budget status.
• Manage project scope and enforce change control processes.
• Proactively assess, manage and communicate risk
• Mentor junior members of the project management team.
  Qualifications

Core Competencies

• Excellent leadership, communication and negotiation skills with a strong sense of empathy.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented and motivated.
• Assertive and proactive self-starter who is also a collaborative team player.
• Adaptable multi-tasker who welcomes new challenges.
• Problem solving / Decision making.
• Able to organize and prioritize, set and meet deadlines.

Role Specific Competencies

• Experience delivering on a wide variety of projects. Preference will be given to experience in delivering on complex functional tools, but more creative and conceptual projects in nature will also be part of scope.
• Experience delivering on projects in an enterprise environment. Platform experience, particularly with Adobe Experience Manager, is a plus. Experience delivering AI projects also a plus.
• Strong presentation and meeting facilitation skills.
• Solid understanding of project management methodologies, concepts and processes. Change, risk, budget and time management.
• Knowledge of project, task and knowledgement management tools, ie. MS Project, JIRA, Confluence.
• Enthusiastic participant in the digital / interactive space, with a keen ability to identify opportunities for innovation and improvement.

Nice to have

• Experience working in an agile project management environment (scrum)
• Web development background
• Automotive industry experience
• Knowledge of tools used in the modern web development space, be they design, development, UI/UX or QA tools.

Additional Information
Saatchi & Saatchi Toronto is an equal opportunity employer with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. Drawing on valuable perspectives and insights from our unique workforce allows us to continue sharing our best work with the world. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals and will provide appropriate accommodation for candidates with disabilities or accessibility needs throughout the recruitment process, upon request. Please contact our recruiter for any questions, accommodations or specific requests