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Vice President, Program Management

Chicago, Illinois, United States

About Ketchum

As a global communications consultancy with 100 years of experience, Ketchum is a trusted partner who is equal parts creative and analytical. Ketchum is a place where all perspectives and points of view are welcome and encouraged. We are a collection of communications specialists, content creators, creatives, researchers, data analysts, media pros, digital strategists, issues and crisis counselors, and tech nerds. And we love when those worlds collide to create the very best teams and solutions for our clients. We work with the world’s leading brands, emerging start-ups, and everything in between. We are beyond proud to have created some of the most celebrated and award-winning campaigns in our industry. We’re just crazy enough to think we can impact the world – and how it responds to ideas – through communication.

We encourage our employees to be curious, brave, inspiring, and a force for good. Let’s talk. Come belong at Ketchum!

 

Overview:

We are looking for a Vice President, Program Management to help manage and support our clients.

This role is responsible for managing timelines, deliverables, and projects across a variety of clients while ensuring teams are implementing programs to our highest standards. You’ll work with Senior Leadership on the project management of active programs, while also ensuring proper staff allocation across the client portfolio. You’ll need to be organized and able to understand where we can pull people in, based on their workload, and identify where additional support is needed on different clients. This role also requires that this person have a strong financial acumen. 

 

Our desired candidate is diligent, organized, passionate, compassionate, and self-motivated. And agency experience is preferred.

 

About the job:

 

Program Management:

 

  • Tracks the work:  Creates and manages timelines, tracks status of timeline and team responsibilities, creates weekly hotsheet
  • Ensures compliance with client delivery processes and best practices
  • Proposes teams resources and team responsibilities
  • Partners with team to ensure consistent, high quality work delivered on strategy, budget and deadlines 
  • Regularly communicates and follows up on project status to all project stakeholders, including day to day client, agency partners and agency team
  • Team management and operations flexibility

Financial Management:

  • Develops scopes of work, manage project scope, communicate out of scope activities, and recommend proposed action steps
  • Estimates projects correctly
  • Creates and manage fee and out of pocket budgets
  • Monitors budgets in real-time
  • Works with Client Directors and Financial Directors to update financial forecasts
  • Ensuring time is being logged correctly
  • Manages third-party partners and/or vendor relationships
  • Manage finance process including invoice processing, client invoicing, trackers, etc.

Qualifications:

 

Any combination of education and experience providing the required skills and knowledge for successful performance would qualify. 

  • Bachelor’s degree desired 
  • Must have ad agency experience
  • Project Manager Certification (PMP) preferred
  • 10+ plus years of related work experience
  • Ability to drive projects forward, communicate status, meet deadlines and work with minimal supervision and guidance
  • Strong analytical, writing, and problem-solving skills
  • Ability to be flexible, multi-task, and adaptive in a fast-paced environment
  • Collaborative self-starter with strong interpersonal skills
  • Solid history of leading projects and meeting deadlines
  • Adobe Workfront experience is a differentiator

 

 

The salary range for this position is $140,000 to $165,000. This position may be bonus eligible depending on individual employee performance and Ketchum business performance. The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, education, years of experience, past training, skills and abilities of applicant, internal equity and local geographic market data. A range of medical, dental, vision, 401(k) matching, paid time off, and/or other benefits also are available. #LI-Hybrid

What We Offer

  • Hybrid Workplace: Three days a week in the office
  • Robust benefits program, effective within 30 days of hire
  • Paid maternity/paternity leave
  • Family Forming Benefits
  • Employee Recognition Program
  • Generous paid time off includes vacation, wellness, and extended holiday schedule
  • Various development opportunities to enhance personal and professional life
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Monthly Cell Phone & Wi-Fi reimbursement

Interested? We’ve got an opportunity for you.

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