Director of Project Management

Director of Project Management

Local Projects is an experience design firm with a passion for testing the limits of human interaction. Driven to keep both meaning and innovation at the forefront of our work, we build opportunities across a range of platforms that inspire people to participate, share, and explore.

Over the last 18 years, we have completed over 100 experiential projects ranging in scope and scale. And have had the great honor of winning awards for our work, such as the National Design Award, Muse, AIGA, and the Cannes Gold Lion to mention a few.

We are looking for an experienced, versatile, detail-oriented and design-minded Director of Project Management to be a steward of project excellence. This position is responsible for ensuring that all aspects of the company's experiential projects are successfully scoped, planned, managed, produced, and delivered to the client.

Qualified candidates for the Director of Project Management will have at least 10 years of experience leading multidisciplinary design teams to bring large scale, multi-year, physical exhibition and interactive projects to life. This position will play an integral role ensuring all projects are scoped properly, project plans are built and executed effectively, and that all work is completed on time and on budget.

The Director of Project Management serves three primary functions:

1. Scope all projects accurately, to ensure successful completion and positive client relationships.
2. Help set and drive the standards and protocols that enable optimal workflow within the Project Management discipline, while providing mentorship and oversight for all Project Management team members and their projects.
3. Oversee for the successful management of all projects, for the entire project lifecycle (in collaboration with Discipline Directors and COO).
4. Studio-wide resourcing on current projects. Collaborate with COO and Head of People & Culture in determining when we need to hire based on current and future needs.

Requirements

• • 10 years of experience in a creative services role, preferably in an agency environment managing experiential, exhibit, digital and media projects for built environments.
  • Experience leading a PM team and proven ability to train other Project Managers on best practices for Project Management.
  • High-level (C-suite), successful client relationship management.
  • Proven ability to meet and deliver projects on or under budget.
  • Must possess a strong work ethic, thrive in a fast-paced dynamic work environment, while keeping a sense of humor and broad perspective on their impact upon the integrity of the studio.
  • Understanding of experiential agency processes and workflow, including creative production.
  • The ability to travel within the US and globally for: project installs, client meetings and new business pitches etc.
  • Must be able to work on site in our NYC Studio
  • Ability to proactively anticipate obstacles and create solutions.
  • Excellence in writing scope of work agreements and project scoping, with proven successful and accurate creation of scopes of work including scoping exercises to determine project budgets and scopes, as well as vendor agreements.
  • Strong communication and problem-solving skills.
  • Strong people management, interpersonal skills, ability to collaborate with others and work well on a team.
  • Experience leading a PM team and proven ability to train other Project Managers on best practices for Project Management.
  • Display a positive attitude in all interactions with internal and external customers.
  • Must be a team player and work well in a detail-oriented environment.
  • Excellent client focus, interpersonal and written communication skills.
  • Ability to navigate high-pressure situations, identify problems and solutions, and escalate as needed.
  • Ability to manage diverse project timelines, project scales and types of teams.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office, Google, Keynote, 10,000 Feet, Smartsheet.

Responsibilities

• • Partner with other discipline leads to structure project teams and to align on budgeted time and scope of each initiative;
  • Oversee the setup the administrative aspects of all projects - from project folders, to engaging with project management software, in order to set the stage for seamless collaboration and consistent workflow;
  • Oversee and track multiple projects, monitoring day-to-day project activities, project schedules, ensuring teams are delivering on time and identifying potential instances of over or under-utilization in collaboration with COO;
  • Work across multiple projects simultaneously
  • Collaborate with leadership and assist studiowide growth and development.
  • Alongside Project Managers, maintain the integrity of workflow against agreed-upon Scope of Work and budget parameters - including communication of overages, issues and alterations
  • Alongside Project Managers, helping to engage key discipline experts inside and outside of the studio in order to mobilize and problem-solve per project requirements;
  • Responsible for creating Fee/Budget estimates.
  • Form Trusted and fluid partnership with the studio's COO to ensure all budgets are input into the finance system - and are tracked as accurate throughout each projects timeline, including management of change orders and alterations, as necessary;
  • Responsible for managing overall project status reports and freelance resource costs;
  • Provide analysis on key learnings and efficiencies with each project and project team;
  • Work with studio leadership to audit, recommend and improve workflow where possible
  • Serve as a mentor and coach of entire Project Management team, including:
    • conducting regular 1:1s and working with team members on tracking and accomplishing goals/areas for improvement.
    • annual reviews providing feedback and goals for development in line with interests and LP needs
    • lead regular PM team meetings
    • manage communications between team members, ensuring all deadlines are met
  • Continue to develop templates for internal and external facing documents and processes to ensure consistent style and production development across all projects
  • Champion overall project management best practice process within the discipline to enable systematic streamlining of workflow and resourcing
  • Help drive and maintain the studio culture of collaboration and interdisciplinary work efforts
  • Participate in new business efforts scoping, budgeting and scheduling, as needed.

Benefits

Local Projects offers to its Full-Time staff Health/Dental/Vision, FSA, 401k, access to Short Term and Long Term Disability Insurance and Life Insurance as well as a generous PTO package.

Local Projects is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. Our collaboration with each other and the experiences we create together greatly benefit from a range of perspectives, which can only come from diversity of all types, across all disciplines, at all levels of the studio. Achieving true diversity and inclusion is the right thing to do. It is also the smart thing for our business. So we strongly encourage women, veterans, people with disabilities, people of color, and gender nonconforming candidates to apply.

Local Projects is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of an individual's sex, age, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation or affectional preference, gender identity, and expression, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, carrier status, citizenship, veteran or military status and other personal characteristics protected by law. All applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to legally protected characteristics.