Project Director (UK\/US)

About the role You will lead delivery across major digital projects and interconnected workstreams, ensuring client commitments are clearly scoped, properly resourced and achievable. Working through Senior Project Managers and Project Managers, you will be accountable for delivery performance, budget control and quality within your assigned remit. You will anticipate risks, resolve competing priorities and lead critical decisions and recovery, taking direct ownership of particularly complex projects or delivery stages where needed. You will line-manage and develop assigned PMs, setting clear expectations and supporting sound delivery judgement. Partnering with Client Services and specialist leads, you will build client confidence and protect delivery profitability. As the account grows into 2027, you will shape realistic delivery plans and resource requirements, apply Greenpark’s delivery standards and improve account ways of working. You will also ensure approved AI tools support effective delivery, with appropriate safeguards and human review. What you’ll do Delivery leadership and oversight • Lead delivery across assigned major projects and workstreams, setting clear responsibilities and priorities and ensuring client commitments are achievable. • Review and challenge scope, estimates, assumptions, exclusions and acceptance criteria, ensuring the required approvals are secured before commitments are made. • Oversee integrated delivery plans, critical milestones and dependencies across teams, markets and partner agencies, resolving conflicting priorities and resource pressures. • Hold SPMs and PMs accountable for their project delivery, providing direction and support while ensuring significant risks, issues and decisions are escalated early. • Lead major delivery decisions and recovery plans, balancing scope, time, cost and quality within delegated authority and escalating decisions beyond it. • Personally lead particularly complex projects or critical delivery stages where needed, with priorities and capacity agreed with the Head of Delivery. • Ensure project documentation and controls are accurate, current and used to manage delivery, addressing significant gaps with the responsible PM. • Ensure specialist quality checks, client approvals and acceptance criteria are built into delivery plans, with specialist leads responsible for technical and content sign-off. • Ensure project acceptance, handovers and retrospectives are completed, with lessons translated into actions and followed through. People leadership • Line-manage assigned SPMs and PMs, setting clear objectives, providing regular feedback and leading performance and development reviews. • Coach delivery judgement, commercial awareness and stakeholder management, addressing capability or performance concerns with the Head of Delivery. • Review PM workloads and cover requirements, agreeing priorities and support to maintain sustainable delivery. Financial & Commercial Rigour • Take responsibility for delivery commercial performance across assigned projects, working with Client Services and Finance on agreed budgets, forecasts and margin expectations. • Review and challenge estimates, resource assumptions, actual and committed costs, and forecasts to complete. • Identify financial pressure early and lead corrective action on overspend, unapproved scope, rework and inefficient resource use. • Ensure changes are assessed, costed and approved before additional commitments are made, approving expenditure only within delegated authority. • Ensure reliable delivery inputs to account revenue forecasts and timely completion of invoicing requirements and project reconciliation with Finance. Reporting, Tools & Performance Framework • Oversee accurate internal reports and dashboards covering delivery progress, project costs, margins, resource demand, risks and decisions required. Ensure client-facing reporting clearly communicates progress against agreed scope, timelines and budgets, including changes, risks and decisions needed. • Work with Client Services and specialist leads to incorporate agreed KPIs and ROI measures, using results to identify and prioritise delivery improvements. • Identify and implement appropriate tooling and automation improvements within the account, working with the Head of Delivery and Operations where changes affect wider agency systems or processes. • Manage licences, user access and usage of assigned delivery tools and platforms, monitoring costs, renewals and adoption, and ensuring compliance with licence terms and Greenpark policies. Obtain approval for expenditure or system changes beyond delegated authority. • Ensure AI-assisted workflows use approved tools, protect confidential information and include appropriate human review. Account Growth & Delivery Readiness • Translate account growth plans into realistic delivery approaches, team structures and resource forecasts, working with the Business Lead, Head of Delivery, Operations and Finance. • Identify recruitment and capability needs, contribute to hiring and ensure effective onboarding of new team members and delivery partners. • Establish repeatable account onboarding, documentation and delivery practices within Greenpark’s agreed standards, using lessons learned to improve efficiency and quality. • Support pitches and account growth proposals with robust scope, estimates, timings, resource requirements and delivery risks, ensuring commitments are achievable before approval. Stakeholder & Partner Management • Build trusted relationships with senior clients, internal stakeholders and delivery partners, providing clear advice and confidence in delivery. • Lead significant client delivery discussions alongside Client Services, negotiating achievable commitments, resolving competing priorities and securing timely decisions. • Agree clear responsibilities, dependencies, handovers, communication arrangements and escalation routes across partner agencies and delivery teams. Risk & Issue Management • Identify and assess significant risks across assigned projects and workstreams, including dependencies and cumulative impacts, ensuring clear ownership and mitigation. • Establish escalation routes and ensure contingency and recovery plans have named owners, actions and decision points. • Act as the senior delivery escalation point within the assigned remit, resolving issues within delegated authority and escalating to the Head of Delivery or Programme Director as appropriate. • Lead a calm, coordinated response to urgent delivery issues, including major activations and talent-led work where relevant. Reporting and working relationships • The Digital Project Director reports to the Head of Delivery and line-manages assigned Senior Project Managers and Project Managers. The Head of Delivery leads the role’s performance and development reviews. • Where assigned projects form part of a wider programme, the role works with the Programme Director on programme priorities, dependencies and escalation. • The role partners closely with Client Services, discipline leads, resource management, Finance and Operations. About you • At least seven years of relevant project management experience in a digital, content, creative or media agency, with proven responsibility for overseeing complex delivery through other project managers. • Experience line-managing and developing PMs, setting clear expectations, providing regular feedback and addressing performance constructively. • Experience delivering for global brands across multiple teams or markets. Luxury, influencer and US-market experience would be particularly relevant to the initial account. • Strong commercial judgement, with practical experience reviewing estimates, budgets, resource plans, revenue forecasts and margins, and leading corrective action when delivery is under pressure. • A strong understanding of integrated digital