Senior Project Manager - UK

VML is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and human first, award-winning work for blue chip client partners including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendy's. The agency is recognized by the Forrester Wave™ Reports as a Leader among Marketing Creative and Content Service Providers, Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services and, most recently, Marketing Measurement & Optimization. In addition, VML’s specialist health network, VML Health, is one of the world’s largest and most awarded health agencies. VML’s global network is powered by 26,000 talented people across 55+ markets, with principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney.

A Senior Project Manager with a technical background is required to join our eCommerce Team on a contract basis. You will be expected to lead one or more Agile team(s) in the delivery of bespoke development projects as well as operational improvements, often in very challenging timescales. You also have excellent knowledge & experience of Agile teachings, approaches, behaviours and be capable of helping both teams and the wider organisation to address the dysfunctions that may result from teams and others misinterpreting, ignoring or rejecting Lean and Agile values and principles.

Please note that this job is a contractual position located in London. Please send us your CV in English.

What you’ll be doing:

• Effectively run complex projects using Agile methodologies
• Support the efficient flow of work by providing solutions to issues and blockers
• Produce accurate status reporting regarding project milestones, deliverables, risks, and issues communicating to various audiences including key stakeholders and sponsors
• Manage several workstreams successfully, ensuring the teams understand what is expected of them in terms of output and quality
• Manage the interdependencies between the various workstreams
• Inspire and lead teams with little Agile experience, suggesting process and practical improvements as appropriate
• Motivate teams to achieve individual and team objectives, to deliver high quality outputs within agreed timeframes
• Focus on improving delivery processes
• Provide support to Junior Project Managers within your account
• Review and update the project resource plan on a regular basis, keeping tight control of project budgets
• Foster close relationships with senior management and business stakeholders, be seen as a credible, reliable expert
• Develop customer confidence by understanding their needs and delivering first class solutions
• Set and manage client expectations, including resolving client escalations with diplomacy
• Chair meetings/reviews with multiple stakeholder requirements
• Keep up to date with emerging industry practices

What we want from you:

• A good understanding of the software development lifecycle and release management
• Ability to define, manage and deliver to customer expectations within strict deadlines
• Ability to deal with ambiguity, embrace and react to change with enthusiasm and critical thinking
• Experience of leading and managing teams at different stages of the team’s lifecycle
• Experience of modern software development practices
• Strong understanding of agile delivery techniques and lean ways of working
• Experience of managing people and financial budgets (including project budgeting, monitoring financials, reporting etc)
• Solid time management & organisational skills
• Excellent negotiation skills and an ability to handle sensitive issues with tact and diplomacy
• Relevant Project Management qualifications

What we can offer you:

Alongside the opportunity to work with some of the most exciting brands around the world, we’ll also prioritise your career development and help you grow your skills. We’ll empower you to make a difference, allow you to be yourself, and respect who you are. Our culture thrives on our core values, designed for impact-driven individuals: Heart, Brains and Courage.

We lead with Heart, fostering empathy and trust where genuine connections and human-centric work flourish. We empower your Brains for innovation, valuing relentless curiosity and collaborative intelligence to solve complex challenges. And we champion Courage, inspiring you to speak up, embrace experimentation, and advocate for bold solutions that push our thinking to be better than yesterday.

AT VML Enterprise Solutions, our Enterprise Solutions division houses strategic consultants, creative and technical architects and skilled developers and operators that together help some of the world’s leading organisations to deliver outstanding digital experiences across all major routes to market worldwide: marketplaces, online retailers, D2C, B2B and social platforms. With over 4,200 experts in 55 operational centres across 34 countries, our capabilities span the entire buying journey from customer acquisition, through engagement, to conversion and loyalty, driving multi-channel growth for world-leading brands.

We work with some of the most exciting brands such as The Coca-Cola Company, EY, Bosch, Unilever, Ford, DFS, Mercedes-Benz, Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé, Sainsbury’s, Selfridges, Shell and Tiffany & Co. We’ve built over 500 platforms for brands and retailers and generate in excess of $29bn annually for our clients and work with over 50 strategic partners including Adobe, SAP, Salesforce, HCL, Shopify, Sitecore, BigCommerce, commerce tools and Acquia. Our reputation is based on our people, and we believe we have some of the best in the business.

As our business grows internationally, we’re looking for new people to join us on our journey to inspire and take a key role in shaping some of the best commerce solutions, services, and websites in the world. Working as a team, no problem is insurmountable; we share in our client’s successes and believe that anyone can show creative bravery no matter what their role is in the team.

We believe the best work happens when we’re together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That’s why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.