Project Director (Hiring Immediately)

Department:  Project Management 

Location:  London

Contact type: 6-month FTC

Full Time/Part time: Full Time

Reporting into:  Operations Director 

About Ogilvy:

Ogilvy UK has been creating iconic ideas that deliver impact at scale for clients ever since David Ogilvy founded the company in 1948. Ogilvy UK specialises in bringing together brand advertising, customer experience marketing, PR, influence and consulting, all fuelled by Behavioural Science. Our world-class award-winning creative campaigns deliver solutions for clients including Molson Coors (owner of Madrí beer), Valeo Foods UK (owner of Kettle Chips and Rowse Honey), Argos, Mondelēz International, Unilever, TK Maxx and Pernod Ricard.

In 2023, Ogilvy UK celebrated their 75th anniversary and was the most awarded agency in Europe. Ogilvy is home to the largest influencer marketing practice globally and hosts the world’s biggest festival of behavioural science and creativity, Nudgestock – now in its 12th year.

The Role:

We are seeking an experienced individual to join our team as a Project Director for 6 months, at least initially, pending further account growth. The successful candidate will report to the Operations Director. 

You will be working within the WPP Open X model, where the role will involve working with other WPP Media and WPP Creative operating companies: WPP Media (end-to-end media thinking and channel planning), VMLY&R Commerce (Shopper Comms) and WPP Production. PR, Social & Influence is Ogilvy UK, out of Sea Containers.

As a Project Director you will be responsible for steering larger and more complex projects and programmes for TCCC brands. You will be responsible for setting standards and driving operational excellence across all client engagements. 

You will align resources, methodologies, and processes, creating an environment where innovative ideas consistently translate into high-quality, tangible outcomes at scale. Your seasoned judgment and strategic insight will be instrumental in navigating complexity, adapting to evolving situations and unexpected challenges while keeping the agency’s and clients’ long-term business objectives firmly in focus.

Your dedication to operational precision and strategic oversight will play a central role in maintaining the high standards our agency is known for, ensuring that every deliverable within the portfolio is of exceptional quality and impact.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leadership & Delivery: manage the end-to-end execution of complex global integrated projects, overseeing their comprehensive setup, scope definition, and strict adherence to timelines for seamless delivery. You will partner with the BD/AD to ensure work is delivered on time and within budget, you will lead complex production elements and play a consultative role for all other aspects of the project. This encompasses a diverse portfolio spanning various mediums such as TV/video, print, digital, social, and influencer campaigns.
• Operational Excellence: Working with Operations Directors you will define, implement, and continuously optimise project management methodologies, tools, and processes across the department to enhance efficiency, quality, and profitability.
• Cross-Functional Integration: Act as the liaison between agency functions (e.g., Account Management, Strategy, Creative, Production, Technology etc.) to ensure seamless strategic coordination and resource allocation across large-scale programmes.
• Financial & Commercial Stewardship: Working into Operations Director you will be accountable for the financial health of the delivery portfolio, including strategic budgeting, forecasting, margin responsibility for the delivery elements, and optimising resource utilisation to ensure profitable outcomes. Working with Operations Directors you will help develop and oversee client remuneration and commercial models related to delivery.
• Risk & Issue Governance: Manage robust risk management frameworks, proactively identifying potential project and portfolio-level risks, and developing comprehensive mitigation strategies to ensure smooth, predictable delivery.
• Stakeholder Management: Acting as a trusted advisor on delivery strategy, performance, and best practices. Partner with the day-to-day account leads within the agency to champion delivery requirements.
• Standards & Quality Assurance: Enforce high standards for all project documentation, deliverables, and communication across the delivery function, ensuring exceptional quality and adherence to best practices.
• Innovation & Futureproofing: Stay on top of industry trends, emerging technologies, and new PM methodologies, driving innovation within the delivery function to enhance our competitive edge and capabilities and share within the wider PM community.
• Resource Management Strategy: Collaborate with the Resource Manager and Operations Directors to ensure optimal creative staffing allocation, and work with account leads on the development of project management talent within your team.
• Drive Strategic Communications: Drive and facilitate high-level internal and external strategic discussions related to delivery, ensuring clarity, alignment, and comprehensive participation from key stakeholders.
• Be ready to embrace AI in everything we do: Apply AI and use WPP open to create efficiencies whether that be transcribing video calls, summarising information or consolidating feedback. Make it an everyday use.
• Don’t Be afraid of change – transformation is continuous be open and willing to engage with continuous change

Key Skills:

• Proven expertise as a Project Director within a creative agency environment.
• Solid understanding and application of project management principles and methodologies.
• Proficiency in end-to-end project management, including setup, budgeting, resource allocation and reporting.
• Experience working on large integrated and global accounts, navigating complex project dynamics with strong financial acumen.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, fostering strong relationships and effective collaboration with diverse stakeholders (e.g., account management, creatives, strategy, production).
• Strong organisational and time management abilities, adept at managing multiple workstreams, schedules, and deliverables.
• Proactive approach to identifying and mitigating project risks.
• Keen attention to detail and a commitment to maintaining high-quality standards across all project documentation and deliverables.
• Solution-oriented mindset with adaptability to navigate change and dynamic environments.
• Familiarity with industry-standard project tools, processes, and platforms, coupled with an understanding of digital opportunities and evolving trends.

How we help you Thrive:

• 25 days annual leave (5 days additional optional purchase)
• 1 Volunteer Day
• Bupa Healthcare
• Bupa Dental - discounted rate
• Enhanced Maternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave
• Flexible Working Model with core working hours: 10am – 4pm
• A 1.5:1 Matching Pension Structure
• Thrive Fitness & Lifestyle (Up to £25.00 per month towards physical or online exercise class and lifestyle memberships)
• Telus Employee Assistance Programme) - including talking therapy and discounts
• Annual eye tests (if glasses needed for VDU use £50 towards glasses)
• Season Ticket Loan
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Life Assurance - 4 x Annual Salary
• Help@Hand - GP Appointments, talking therapy, physiotherapy, nutrition advice, discounts
• Thrive Coaching - 3 sessions per year
• Charity Match Fundraising up to £250
• Flu Vaccination

Our ambition is to attract the very best diverse talent to Ogilvy, and to be the employer of choice in the UK. We want everyone to feel welcome when they join us, and once they’re here, for them to want to stay with us, grow their career, and to feel they belong with us.

We are an equal opportunity employer and we’re committed to creating an inclusive, welcoming environment for everyone who wants to work at Ogilvy. For us, diversity, equity and inclusion is integrated into everything that we do. We believe that for creativity to flourish, everything about how we work must have diversity at its core. Your race, colour, ethnic, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, have no bearing on our hiring decisions, but we encourage everyone to feel free to express their true selves in an environment we are consistently striving to make as inclusive as possible.

We aim to facilitate an accessible and positive application experience for all candidates.]]>