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Associate Program Director

Los Angeles

Critical Mass is a dynamic and innovative agency specializing in digital marketing solutions for a diverse portfolio of clients. We are looking for an Associate Program Director to join our Los Angeles team to lead projects to success by ensuring exceptional organization, effective communication, and strategic guidance.

As an Associate Program Director, you are a creative and strategic thinker who loves learning everything there is to know about a client’s brand, business, and customer. You have experience leading multidisciplinary teams and integrating with agency partners to develop, implement and manage integrated processes, and project trackers. You know what it takes to deliver a digital experience that can improve the lives of customers while surpassing the goals of clients. Being a reliable partner to teams helps you consistently elevate the work.

Both the client services and project delivery worlds are successfully navigated by your proactive communication of project statuses, challenges, and opportunities to clients. You adeptly manage the project team tracking scope, schedule, staffing, and budget on medium to large sized projects to support a team of Project Managers. You have a passion for digital project delivery and the globally admired brands we partner with. Experience with production, data sciences, and creative automation is an asset.

(Please note that remote work is not an option for this role, and the requirement is to be onsite in Los Angeles).

You Will:

  • Lead cross-functional teams and client conversations to define project scope, schedule, and budget while developing project roadmaps, goals, and strategies.
  • Effectively manage project scope, schedule, budget, and resources.
  • Provide accurate reporting and change management.
  • Forecast project revenue and track financial performance.
  • Demonstrate strong problem-solving skills, translating challenges into viable work solutions.
  • Facilitate communication, presentation, and negotiation to overcome project hurdles.
  • Foster a solutions-oriented mindset within your team, making refined decisions that drive project success and client satisfaction.
  • Maintain focus on project goals, even in high-pressure situations, ensuring the team remains aligned and motivated.
  • Take ownership and accountability for clients' business needs, ensuring their objectives are met and driving solutions to meet their goals.
  • Effectively manage relationships with partner agencies, promoting a collaborative and results-driven environment.
  • Identify opportunities to optimize and streamline processes within the agency, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness.

You Have:

  • A minimum of 3-7 years of hands-on experience managing a diverse array of digital projects, including integrated digital advertising, performance marketing, design production, and creative automation.
  • 1+ years of demonstrated experience as a Associate Program Director in a marketing agency with a focus on process improvement.
  • Proven expertise in design and strategy with a strong emphasis on scalability and efficiency, coupled with a track record of driving process enhancements.
  • Advanced knowledge of Program Management principles, methods, and techniques, with the capacity to manage and control project scope, schedule, budget, and resource allocation/reporting.
  • Proficiency in developing project roadmaps and providing accurate revenue forecasts.
  • Demonstrated history of successful team management and effective client interactions, including discussions on project scope, schedule, budget, roadmaps, objectives, and strategies.
  • Tactical organization and structuring of activities, demonstrating meticulous attention to detail in project planning and execution.
  • Exceptional problem-solving ability, coupled with effective communication, presentation, facilitation, and negotiation skills, translating challenges into practical solutions.
  • Solid understanding of financial management, including handling time and materials budgets, production budgets, and adaptable budgets based on project needs.
  • Experience in managing client retainers is crucial.
  • Exceptional communication skills and openness to feedback for productive engagements with both internal teams and clients.
  • Strong leadership and decision-making capabilities for efficient task and resource management, enhancing project success.
  • Proficiency in guiding teams through transitions to new processes, including expertise in change management techniques.

What We Offer:

  • Global maternity and parental leave
  • Competitive benefits packages
  • Vacation, compassionate leave, wellness days, and flex days
  • Six free therapy sessions
  • Access to online services for families and new parents
  • Extensive winter holiday office closures
  • Diversity and Inclusion Board with 13 affinity groups
  • Enterprise-wide employee discounts

Our new hires & employees are the future of our organization, and we want to set you up for long-term success. In an effort to do so, we expect our team to work from an office a minimum of 3 days a week.

We understand that not everyone may feel comfortable with this expectation, so we ask that you please let us know immediately if there are any concerns so we can help navigate accordingly.

We continually review ranges to address skills, experience and markets. Base salaries are determined during our interview process, by assessing a number of factors that include, but aren’t limited to, a candidate’s experience and skills relative to the scope and responsibilities of the position. For current CM employees, tenure will also be a consideration.

Salary Range

$120,000 - $160,000 USD

Critical Mass is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We do not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status. If you are an individual with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation, please reach out to accommodations@criticalmass.com.

We are committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within our pool of candidates, with a target of achieving at least 50% representation from underrepresented communities.

The Critical Mass Talent Acquisition team will only communicate from email addresses that use the URLs criticalmass.com and us.greenhouse-mail.io. We will not use apps such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, or Google Hangouts for communicating with you. We will never ask you to send us money, technology, or anything else to work for our company. If you believe you are the victim of a scam, please review your local government consumer protections guidance and reach out to them directly.

If U.S. based: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams#avoid
If Canada based: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/finance/consumer-affairs.html
If U.K. based: https://www.gov.uk/consumer-protection-rights
If Costa Rica based: https://www.consumo.go.cr/educacion_consumidor/consejos_practicos.aspx 

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