Project Manager - AI & Innovation

Grayling; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

4pm Friday finishes

25 days’ holiday

Birthday leave

Job summary

Grayling is seeking a Project Manager in London to oversee a portfolio of AI and innovation projects within the Growth & AI team. You’ll bring order to complexity, keep schedules and budgets on track, and drive delivery across central and agency-led initiatives.

You don’t need to be an AI engineer, but you should be curious about AI and technology, comfortable with change, and skilled at coordinating diverse teams and external partners. The role offers hybrid working with Fridays from home.

Qualifications

• Proven experience delivering complex, multi‑team projects on time and within budget.
• Experience managing technology, digital, transformation or innovation projects.
• Comfortable working with senior stakeholders and making clear decisions when needed.
• Experience managing external suppliers, technology partners or other third parties.
• Strong commercial awareness including budgets, scope and resources.
• Practical, structured project management approach that avoids unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain clear project plans, milestones, budgets and delivery schedules across several projects at once.
• Keep project owners and teams focused on priorities, actions, dependencies and deadlines.
• Create straightforward programme reporting for senior stakeholders on progress, risks, priorities and decisions.
• Identify and manage risks, issues and dependencies, escalating early when needed.
• Coordinate teams across agencies with external technology providers, consultants and partners.
• Manage project budgets and third‑party costs, monitor scope and resources.
• Run focused project meetings and workshops to produce clear decisions and actions.
• Support pilots from scoping and build through testing, review and rollout.
• Maintain clear communication between Group and agency teams about progress and decisions.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Budget management

Risk management

Communication

Vendor management

Job description

London | 4 days per week in our London HQ, Fridays working from home
Initial 6-month contract, with the intention to move to a permanent role

The opportunity

AI is becoming an increasingly important part of how our agencies work and what we can offer our clients.

Across Grayling Group, we have an ambitious AI strategy spanning new products and services, AI agents and automation, technology platforms, data and intelligence, and the adoption of AI across our agencies.

There are multiple AI projects underway across the Group, all at different stages.

We’re looking for a Project Manager who can bring structure, pace and discipline to that work, helping us turn ambitious ideas into things that actually get delivered.

Sitting within our central Growth & AI team, you’ll oversee multiple AI and innovation projects across the Group. Some will be led centrally, others will originate within our agencies, and many will involve external technology and delivery partners.

Your job will be to make sure the right people know what needs to happen, when it needs to happen and where decisions are needed. You’ll keep projects moving, spot risks before they become problems and help us deliver what we’ve committed to, on time and within budget.

You don't need to be an AI engineer or technical specialist. You do need to be curious about AI and technology, comfortable with change and very good at bringing order to complexity.

What you'll be working on

The portfolio will evolve as our AI strategy develops, but your projects are likely to span:

AI products and innovation
Helping manage the development and launch of new AI-powered products and services for our teams and clients.

Automation and AI agents
Overseeing projects to design, build, test and roll out AI agents that automate or augment areas of work such as research, writing, monitoring, presentations, reporting and account administration.

Technology and platforms
Managing the trial, evaluation and rollout of new AI platforms, tools and technology across the Group.

Adoption and enablement
Helping move new capabilities beyond the pilot stage and into everyday use, coordinating testing, training, communications and rollout across our agencies.

What you'll do

You’ll own the project management discipline across the programme. That means you’ll:

• - Build and maintain clear project plans, milestones, budgets and delivery schedules across several projects at once.
• - Keep project owners and teams focused on priorities, actions, dependencies and deadlines – and intervene when delivery starts to drift.
• - Create straightforward programme reporting that gives senior stakeholders a clear picture of progress, risks, priorities and decisions required.
• - Identify and manage risks, issues and dependencies, escalating them early when necessary.
• - Bring together teams across our agencies with external technology providers, consultants and development partners.
• - Manage project budgets and third-party costs, keeping a close eye on scope and resources.
• - Run focused project meetings and workshops that result in clear decisions, actions and accountability.
• - Support pilots and trials from initial scoping and build through testing, review and rollout.
• - Keep communication flowing between Group and agency teams, so people understand what’s happening, what’s expected of them and what’s been decided.

You’ll work with colleagues across the UK, Europe, APAC and the USA.

What we're looking for

We’re looking for someone who has successfully delivered complex projects involving multiple teams, stakeholders and competing priorities.

You’ll bring:

• - Strong end-to-end project management capability, with evidence of delivering several projects simultaneously to agreed timescales and budgets.
• - Experience managing technology, digital, transformation or innovation projects.
• - The confidence to work with senior stakeholders, ask difficult questions when needed and make it clear when a decision or intervention is required.
• - Experience managing external suppliers, technology partners or other third parties.
• - Strong commercial awareness, including managing budgets, scope, resources and supplier costs.
• - A practical approach to project management: enough process to create clarity and accountability, without creating bureaucracy for its own sake.
• - Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to make complicated projects easy for other people to understand.

It would be useful, but isn’t essential, if you have:

• - Experience working in a communications, marketing, creative, digital or other fast-moving agency environment.
• - Experience delivering AI-related projects or introducing emerging technologies into an organisation.
• - Experience helping teams move new technology from pilot or experimentation into wider adoption.

There will be times when you’ll need to chase people, challenge assumptions or hold teams accountable. We want someone who can do that confidently while building strong relationships rather than burning them.

If you’re brilliant at making complicated things happen and excited by what AI is starting to make possible, we’d like to hear from you.

In return

• - Flexible working arrangements, including hybrid working, a work from anywhere policy, flexi time and 4pm Friday finishes
• - 25 days’ holiday, increasing by one day every year up to 30 days
• - An additional day of leave on your birthday and gifted time off over Christmas
• - A monthly cash allowance to use on the benefits most important to you – you’ll have the freedom to choose how you enjoy it
• - Enhanced family-friendly policies
• - Free subscription to the Calm app
• - Office perks, including free breakfasts and fruit
• - An abundance of personal development opportunities through our internal training programmes
• - New business and employee referral bonuses
• - Interest-free season ticket loan and Railcard reimbursement
• - Cycle to work scheme
• - Employee Assistance Programme offering a 24/7 confidential advice line
• - Life assurance

Everyone is welcome

Our commitment at Grayling Group is to combine our employees’ unique backgrounds, perspectives and experiences to build a more diverse and inclusive organisation that represents all of us and the businesses we work with.

We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and will consider all applicants regardless of age, gender identity, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, family or parental status, neurodiversity and disability status.

If you need any adjustments during the application process, we’re here to help – just let us know.