Senior Project Manager

Who We Are:

At VML, we are a beacon of innovation and growth in an ever-evolving world. Our heritage is built upon a century of combined expertise, where creativity meets technology, and diverse perspectives ignite inspiration. With the merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson, we have forged a new path as a growth partner that is part creative agency, part consultancy, and part technology powerhouse.

Our global family now encompasses over 30,000 employees across 150+ offices in 64 markets, each contributing to a culture that values connection, belonging, and the power of differences. Our expertise spans the entire customer journey, offering deep insights in communications, commerce, consultancy, CRM, CX, data, production, and technology. We deliver end-to-end solutions that result in revolutionary work.

Who we are looking for:

VML is seeking a Senior Project Manager for our Costa Rica office. We are looking for enthusiastic critical thinkers and problem solvers who thrive on being engaged at all levels of the project. The Senior Project Manager acutely understands the opportunities and constraints of a given project and takes responsibility for setting and managing expectations internally and with clients. They understand how to manage and negotiate trade-offs to deliver on time, within budget, and against agreed objectives. Senior Project Managers have full lifecycle experience from scoping through delivery and can confidently navigate and prioritize business needs, resource management, schedules, and financials to successfully deliver all aspects of the assignment.

What you’ll do:

• Work | Deliver work that is excellent, on time, on budget, and goes beyond the brief. Oversee the entire delivery and execution of projects. Identify dependencies and the cascading impacts of delays. Lead resource needs and availability across the office and network, working closely with department leads and recruiting.
• People | Motivate, direct, and challenge teams to produce great work. Establish and manage cross-functional teams across different locations that are collaborative, efficient, and high-functioning. Increase efficiency across a group of accounts through effective management of staff resourcing. Oversee staff aggregate bandwidth, utilization, and realization rates, as well as retention and employee relations.
• Process | Establish and manage project/program communication and process. Leverage existing tools and processes to monitor people and progress. Collaborate with Project and Program needs to ensure the right resources are in place to deliver the work.
• Financials | Responsible for project estimation, planning, and profitability. Build detailed project plans. Collaborate with Delivery leads for resourcing and scoping strategy across the portfolio, partnering with finance and account teams. Partner with the Director of Project Management for resourcing strategy across the portfolio, and support Project Managers in resourcing to the scope.

Who you are:

• A Leader | Influence without authority and foster an environment of shared accountability. Partner with department leads, tailoring communications based on audience and level (technology, creative, finance, client, vendor).
• A Builder | Navigate strong collaboration between people, processes and systems. Drive projects and resource management from ambiguity to clarity.
• Detail-Oriented | Sharp attention to detail and a drive for perfection.
• A Strong Communicator | Excellent communicator with exceptional analytical skills.

What you'll need:

• Minimum 5 years of experience managing projects in a professional environment - agency or consulting environment preferred.
• Experience working with common project management tools such as Smartsheet, Jira, Confluence, MS Project, Slack/MS Teams.
• Experience adapting project management methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, Lean, Kanban) to the needs of the project.
• Conscientious and adept at problem-solving through critical thinking.
• Experience leading teams and client meetings.
• EXPERIENCE IN TECHNOLOGY OR CREATIVITY DIGITAL PROJECTS IS A MUST

At VML, we are committed to fostering an all-inclusive work environment that is both rewarding and career-forward. Our Inclusion, Equity & Belonging initiatives, alongside the VML Foundation, reflect our dedication to giving back and making a positive impact in our communities and beyond. Our people are the heartbeat of our organization—creators, doers, innovators, makers, and thinkers—who drive not just marketing, but meaningful experiences that resonate in every action and interaction.

VML is a WPP Agency. For more information, please visit our website, and follow VML on our social channels via Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

When you click "Submit Application", this will send any information you add below to VML. Before you do this, we think it's a good idea to read through our Recruitment Privacy Policy. California residents should read our California Recruitment Privacy Notice. This explains what we do with your personal data when you apply for a role with us, and, how you can update the information you have provided us with or how to remove it.