Head of Projects

Metro Production Group (MPG) is a leading event production agency, specialising in high‑quality, customised events across diverse sectors. It is part of WPP plc and operates within the WPP Production network.

The Role

We are seeking a Head of Projects to join our creative events agency reporting directly to the Executive Leadership Team. This pivotal and strategic role will be responsible for orchestrating cross‑functional collaboration, partnering with departmental heads to assemble and empower optimal project teams for both new business proposals and seamless client project delivery. The role will serve as a critical bridge between strategic direction and on‑the‑ground delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Project Delivery & Pipeline Management: Oversee key projects: Ensure successful delivery within scope, timeline, and budget, consistently exceeding client expectations. Provide real‑time project pipeline visibility: Enable proactive resource planning and informed strategic decision‑making. Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate project risks: Escalate critical concerns to the Executive Leadership Team or relevant stakeholders. Collaborate on new business proposals: Provide strategic budgetary expertise to ensure competitive, profitable pricing and timely capture of new opportunities.
• Team Leadership & Line Management: Line management responsibility. Allocate resources across the team based on project demands and individual capacity.
• Client Relationship Management: Serve as the primary project liaison for production, creative, and business development teams. Proactively manage project expectations, ensuring clarity on deliverables and timelines.
• Budget & Financial Oversight: Monitor real‑time project costs, flagging variances and implementing mitigations. Critically review and challenge budgets/resourcing pre‑approval to maximise ROI. Proactively implement strategies to minimise margin leakage.
• Quality & Standards: Uphold and champion MPG's creative production and delivery standards across all projects. Implement consistent project management processes across the delivery team. Conduct post‑event reviews to capture learnings and drive continuous improvement.

Who You Are

• 8+ years' extensive experience in event or experiential delivery, ideally across diverse live event agency settings.
• Exceptional commercial and financial acumen, with a deep understanding of project profitability, managing complex budgets (£1M+), and maximising commercial return.
• Proven experience improving processes, enhancing delivery standards, and driving operational excellence across multiple projects.
• Calm, solutions‑focused, and confident navigating high‑pressure situations, challenges, and dynamic client needs.
• Outstanding communication skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively with stakeholders, clients, and teams at all levels.
• Innately balances ambitious creative vision with operational reality, consistently protecting both quality and margin.
• Strong understanding of logistics, technical production, 3D builds, fabrication, and critical safety/compliance protocols.
• Experience across both B2B and B2C projects is highly valued.

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave + Volunteer Day
• Enhanced Parental leave
• A 1.5:1 matching pension structure
• Help@hand enhanced benefits app, TELUS tool, annual eye test and many more
• A company committed to investing in people with tailored training programmes and development budgets
• Enhanced and ongoing wellbeing & sustainability incentives and activities throughout the year
• International travel for work
• Season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme
• SS workplace nursery & electric vehicle car scheme
• Life Assurance & Group Income Protection scheme
• Volunteering/ CSR Community Day