Senior Project Manager

Company: VML
Location: Kansas City
Posted on: April 2, 2026

Job Description:

Who We Are VML, part of WPP, is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and human first, award-winning work for blue chip client partners including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendys. The agency is recognized by the Forrester Wave™ Reports, as a Leader among Marketing Creative and Content Service Providers, Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services and, most recently, Marketing Measurement & Optimization. In addition, VML’s specialist health network, VML Health, is one of the world’s largest and most awarded health agencies. VML’s global network is powered by 26,000 talented people across 55 markets, with principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney. About WPP WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. Who we are looking for: VMLs team THOMPSON is seeking a Senior Project Manager over Product for one of the Atlanta office’s largest clients. We are looking for an enthusiastic critical thinker/problem solver that thrives on being engaged at all levels of a project. The Senior Project Manager will acutely understand the opportunities and constraints of a given project and take responsibility for setting and managing expectations internally and with clients. He or she will 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 prioritize business needs, resource management, and schedules to successfully navigate and 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. Identifies dependencies and the cascading impacts of delays. Leads 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. Provide solutions for additional temporary resources, new business pitch support, and PTO coverage. 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, building detailed project plans. Collaborate with Delivery leads for resourcing and scoping strategy across 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: Leader | Influences without authority and fosters an environment of shared accountability. Comfortable communicating and partnering with department leads, tailoring communications based on audience and level (technology, creative, finance, client, vendor). Builder | Navigates strong collaboration between people, processes and systems. Drives projects and resource management from ambiguity to clarity. Understands digital technologies and trends. Detail Oriented | Sharp attention to detail and a drive for perfection. Excellent problem-solving skills. A Strong Communicator | Excellent communication and analytical skills. Conducts team and client meetings with clear, concise language and leadership acumen. A skilled, creative, confident presenter and negotiator. What youll need: 5 years of experience managing digital projects in a professional environment- agency or consulting environment preferred Previous work with common project management tools such as Smartsheet, Jira, Confluence, MS Project, Slack/MS Teams Experience adapting project management in Agile methodologies SAFe certified or experience working within the SAFe framework, highly recommended Previous work experience with Azure and GovCloud environments and project focus, highly recommended Experience with Adobe and AWS strong nice to have Ability managing direct reports, preferred Ability to manage a cross-functional project team of 10 Conscientious and adept at problem-solving through critical thinking Experience leading team and client meetings Excellent analytical skills Ability to flex time management skills based on workload Strong interpersonal communication skills as a team leader and team player Flexibility, initiative, dedication, and the ability to work with minimal supervision. Willingness to travel on occasion for client meetings, trade shows and/or conferences. The base salary range for this position at the time of this posting is indicated below. Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications. We offer a competitive benefits package $45,000—$110,000 USD We believe the best work happens when were together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. Thats why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process. WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

Keywords: VML, Shawnee , Senior Project Manager, PR / Public Relations , Kansas City, Kansas