At Saatchi & Saatchi we believe in creating ideas that can live anywhere. We believe that when we work as a team, nothing is impossible. We strive to bring out the best in each other and in ourselves and expect applicants to understand the value of close collaboration. We also believe that creating transformational work requires initiative, an entrepreneurial spirit and a bold commitment to achieving measurable results and business success for the clients we service.
Saatchi & Saatchi currently maintains a hybrid work policy; you will be required to work in-office three days per week and may work remotely the other two days each week.
Overview
As the PMO Director, you will provide thought leadership, inspiration, and management of the agency’s PMO to optimize the agency’s output. You will seek to improve the consistency and efficiency of the Agency’s project delivery in ways that enable the making of the best work. You will champion silo-busting transparency & utilization visibility across the Agency through the core pillars of project management, workflow management, tooling, and governance.
The PMO Director will have a broad view of the work and the talent across all Saatchi lines of business and will support intake and casting strategies, by department as well as unique workflows befitting the uniqueness of each line of business. The mentorship and guidance of the PMO team - which includes Client Operations (a seasoned group of high-excellence Project Managers), Workflow, and Tooling - will be keys to sustained success.
We strive to bring out the best in ourselves, our peers, and the work. We are looking for candidates that thrive in a fast paced, collaborative, and team minded environment. The successful candidate in this role will index especially highly on the agency values of Have Integrity, Get Curious, Embrace Diversity, We Deliver, One Team, One Dream, and Bring Joy.
Responsibilities
- Mature the PMO role, responsibilities, deliverables and operating model; centralizing & governing project management, workflow, & tooling.
- Provide inspiration, leadership, apprenticeship, & oversight of PMO staff so that they are enabled to achieve department and Agency objectives
- Create an accountability culture to ensure that high-standards of excellence in project management are met and exceeded, while also maintaining industry-leading EQ.
- Establish processes and working structures to maximize operational efficiencies for the full project lifecycle, from kick-off to completion, turning such processes into repeatable workflows through clever tooling. Note that this requires technological excellence and a childlike sense of curiosity to be unafraid to push the agency toward new and better tools.
- Lead the maturation of PMO roles, team configuration and recruitment appropriate to PMO goals and objectives.
- Build and maintain relationships with senior leadership and key PMO stakeholders, and act as a trusted advisor.
- Champion fiscal year Agency workbacks and participate as a key functional leader in Scope Management, including critical partnership with the agency’s Business Operations group (scope & resource management - who track variances and impacts when adjustments are made), including but not limited to:
- Identification, implementation and facilitation of portfolio management processes and governance, including intake mechanism
- Fiscal year SOW preparations; including timelines, SOW documentation, taxonomy, stakeholder alignment, cross discipline communication, reporting
- Ensuring visibility into active pipelines at the project level
- Participation in the process for scope adjustments; documentation, communication, reporting
- Close collaboration with the Business Operations, Creative, Media, Strategy, Production, and Client Partnership departments and the rapid dissemination of changes in scope or resourcing to project teams.
- Recommendations on scope adjustments by way of short term and long-range forecasts & new project information
- Identify and communicate possible project efficiency opportunities
- Analyze and develop opportunities for continuous improvement, including EQ-focused relationship improvements and accountability improvements to build trust and partnership across all departments.
- Mine data to derive and report-out insights, as applicable.
- Collect data directly at the originating sources and make it visible to different stakeholders as needed:
- Overall progress and health of projects
- Status of milestones and deliverables across the portfolio
- Project risks and progress on mitigating these risks
- Operational efficiency and project performance
Qualifications
- 10-15 years brand leadership and/or project management experience.
- Collaborative leader, able to multi-task and problem solve under pressure in a fast-paced environment
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills applicable to both remote and in-person working models, able to establish strong working relationships and establish trust with cross-functional teams
- Professional and flexible demeanor to handle interactions with a range of people from entry level team members to executive leadership
- Highly self-directed and able to work autonomously but also collaboratively with team for solutions-oriented results
- Exceptional written and verbal skills and style; proficient in presentation (Google Slides, Keynote, PowerPoint, MS Suite) and workflow software (Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, etc.)
- Outstanding conflict management and negotiation skills
- Ability to effectively envision, develop, and implement new strategies to address competitive, complex business issues
- Superior quantitative and qualitative analysis skills with proven data interpretation.
- Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work across functional areas.
- Excellent communication skills, attention to detail, attentive and knowledgeable about end to end project process and resource requirements
- Experience in writing and presenting recommendations to client and internal stakeholders.
- Ability to mentor, coach and effectively transfer expertise to others
- Set performance expectations and manage performance and development
- Ability to communicate the PMO vision, inspire and motivate PMO staff
- Successfully manage different styles of employees; provide clear direction and coaching
Additional Information
Our Publicis Groupe motto “Viva La Différence” means we’re better together, and we believe that our differences make us stronger. It means we honor and celebrate all identities, across all facets of intersectionality, and it underpins all that we do as an organization. We are focused on fostering belonging and creating equitable & inclusive experiences for all talent.
Publicis Groupe provides robust and inclusive benefit programs and policies to support the evolving and diverse needs of our talent and enable every person to grow and thrive. Our benefits package includes medical coverage, dental, vision, disability, 401K, as well as parental and family care leave, family forming assistance, tuition reimbursement, and flexible time off.
If you require accommodation or assistance with the application or onboarding process specifically, please contact USMSTACompliance@publicis.com. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.
