Senior Project Manager

1341 - Senior Project Manager - Client Operations

Role Summary and Impact

As a Senior Project Manager at WPPmedia, you will play a critical role in directing and managing the overall transition of media services for newly won business, ensuring seamless integration and minimal disruption for clients. Your primary responsibility will be to lead these complex client onboarding projects from initial scoping through to operational handover, working across global, regional, and local teams to ensure they are adequately set-up, resourced, onboarded, and equipped.

Beyond new business transitions, this dynamic role will also encompass a variety of operational projects across people, technology, product, and digital domains. Reporting to the programme director, you will champion best-in-class project management methodologies, ensuring all initiatives are delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards. Your expertise in managing complex cross-functional efforts, coupled with exceptional diplomatic, communication, and organizational skills, will enable you to translate strategic objectives into tangible outcomes, fostering strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external clients alike. This role is key to enhancing our delivery capabilities and supporting WPP Media's continued growth and innovation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead New Client Transitions: Direct and manage the entire transition of media services for new business wins, from initial agreement to full operationalization. Define, own, and meticulously manage the transition project plan, ensuring alignment with client expectations and WPPmedia's service delivery model.
• Strategic Planning & Scoping: Work closely with the Global Account Director (GAD) and new clients to define and agree upon project objectives, scope, key milestones, and critical success measures from the outset. Develop comprehensive program initiation documents including deliverables, resource requirements, and detailed project plans.
• Workstream Coordination & Onboarding: Liaise with relevant workstream leads (e.g., finance, technology, operations, client teams) to define optimal onboarding processes. Ensure that global, regional, and local teams are adequately set-up, resourced, onboarded, and equipped to deliver operational services.
• Effective Project Governance & Control: Establish and maintain robust project governance structures, including weekly and monthly status updates, risk/issue logs, and regular briefing meetings. Proactively identify, assess, track, and mitigate project risks and issues, developing contingency plans and escalating critical matters for timely resolution.
• Milestone & Delivery Management: Ensure all project milestones are achieved and internal teams deliver their required components on time and to specification. Run frequent status calls with global and local parties, following up to ensure actions are taken to mitigate any roadblocks.
• Stakeholder & Client Communication: Act as the primary point of contact, ensuring relevant internal and external stakeholders (including client-side project management resources) are continuously informed and effectively managed regarding project risks, issues, and progress. Host project calls to provide clear status updates and facilitate effective communication.
• Meeting & Workshop Coordination: Coordinate and lead meetings and workshops involving clients, product teams, operational teams, and key functional lea