Landor is looking for a Senior Project Manager to join our Global Design Studio studio. Could this be you?
We are Landor, part of WPP
World-leading brand experts,
underpinned by the most expansive strategic & creative capabilities in our category.
We make brands more valuable and less vulnerable.
We build brands differently. We work with our clients to define and solve their business problems through the lens of brand. We strategically join the dots between our design, experience, governance and measurement capabilities, and always connect our brand work to business outcomes.
Landor companies also include amp (sonic branding), bdg (workplace & architectural experts), Deep Local (creative technologists) and ManvsMachine (3D motion design).
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. For more information, visit WPP.com.
Role Overview:
The Senior Project Manager is an offshore operational anchor based in Mumbai, driving delivery governance, project planning, and operational excellence for client-facing Client Services teams across the US.
Operating as a high-functioning project management lead across global brands and time zones, this individual moves beyond basic administration to own the initial development (Round 1 / R1) of Scopes of Work (SOWs), staff plans, project approaches, and delivery timelines. Partnering closely with US Senior Client Service Leaders, regional/global resourcing directors, and cross-functional creative teams, the Senior Project Manager acts as operational “ground control”, driving resource management, financial governance and delivery rhythm for both live client engagements and organic growth pitches.
What you’ll do:
1. Project Scoping, Planning & Delivery Leadership
• Lead Draft Ownership (R1): Author and build high-quality initial drafts (Round 1) of comprehensive Scopes of Work (SOWs), detailed staffing plans, project methodologies/approaches, and phase-by-phase delivery timelines, partnering with US Senior Client Service Leads to bring them to final approval.
• Delivery Governance: Establish and enforce critical path schedules, workback plans, and milestone checkpoints across complex, multi-track brand initiatives; proactively anticipate bottlenecks and mitigate scope creep.
• Process Templatization & AI Integration: Build, standardize, and scale project management templates, leveraging generative AI tools and modern workflows to accelerate scoping, reporting, and operational efficiency.
• Project Status & Communications: Maintain rigorous, real-time client status documentation and dashboards; drive clear operational alignment so cross-functional squads know current status, upcoming milestones, and clear next steps.
2. Resource Management
• Resourcing Partnership: Act as the operational “ground control” for squad allocations, working in direct partnership with Regional and Global Resourcing Directors and US Client Leads.
• Staff Plan Translation: Translate approved scopes and project timelines into precise resourcing allocations; monitor bandwidth and utilization proactively, identifying shortages or overages well in advance.
• Dynamic Capacity Management: Lead regular resource alignment reviews, managing cross-squad resource sharing and shifts as project needs evolve.
3. New Business & Organic Growth (Farming) Support
• Pitch Operations: Provide behind-the-scenes operational and project management infrastructure for new business opportunities and competitive pitch sprints (timelines, internal deliverable tracking, squad coordination).
• Organic Account Growth (Farming): Partner with client leads to structure project setups, initial proposals, and operational frameworks for organic extensions and follow-on phases across existing global client accounts.
4. Commercial & Financial Governance
• Financial Management: Drive commercial rigor across accounts by tracking ongoing project budgets, monitoring fee burn against milestones, and proactively forecasting revenue and billing milestones.
• Invoicing & Reconciliations: Partner directly with the US Finance team and Client Leads to execute monthly billing requests, review draft invoices, manage PO tracking, and follow up on timesheet compliance and WIP reconciliation.
5. Quality Assurance & Knowledge Management
• Brand & Quality Control: Ensure all external-and internal-facing materials, pitch proposals, decks, and status reports meet the highest standards of quality, precision, and the Landor brand.
• Asset & Knowledge Governance: Oversee the structured archiving of master deliverables, pitch collateral, credentials, case histories, and commercial benchmarks across internal asset libraries and shared drives.
What you’ll need:
• Relevant Experience of structured project management or project operations experience within a brand consultancy, creative agency, or professional services firm.
• Scoping & Planning Expertise: Demonstrated capability to author comprehensive Scopes of Work (SOWs), staff plans, project approaches, and commercial budgets from scratch (owning Round 1 deliverables).
• Resource Management: Hands-on experience managing agency resource allocation, staffing models, and capacity forecasting in partnership with regional/global resourcing leads.
• Pitch & Account Growth Acumen: Experience supporting new business pitches and organic account expansion (“farming”) behind the scenes.
• Global Brand Delivery: Proven success collaborating across distributed, cross-functional teams, global brands, and cross-cultural time zones.
• Tech & AI Fluency: High comfort with modern project management systems, workflow automation, and rapidly integrating generative AI tools to drive templatization and speed to output.
• Commercial Savvy: Strong understanding of project finance, billable utilization, rate cards, fee structures, and commercial risk mitigation.
• Communication & Influence: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; ability to hold teams accountable, drive alignment, and communicate clearly under tight deadlines and ambiguous situations.
We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week.
We build brands. We build futures. Landor, a WPP company, is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all applicants without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics, committed to a culture of respect where everyone belongs and can progress in their careers.
