Vice President, Project Management

djeholdings; Kuala Lumpur; Hybrid; MYR 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Edelman is seeking a Project Director to lead a portfolio of programmes across South East Asia and APAC, aligning business goals with delivery frameworks and guiding multi-market teams.

You will adapt global PM standards regionally, mentor PMs, and ensure budget transparency while partnering with Account and Finance teams to drive excellence in delivery.

Qualifications

• 4-year degree or equivalent work experience.
• 8+ years in a digital, creative, communications, advertising, or PR agency environment.
• Deep knowledge of project and change management methodologies, tools, and best practices.
• Familiarity with resource management platforms and planning workflows.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams across multiple projects and timelines.
• PMP and/or Scrum certification is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead a portfolio of programmes and projects across South East Asia and APAC markets.
• Align business goals with delivery frameworks, partnering with Account and Specialty leads to define scope, success metrics, and governance.
• Adapt global PM standards to regional expectations, ensuring clarity, accessibility, and cultural fit.
• Act as a bridge across markets and teams, identifying delivery misalignments and driving collaborative solutions.
• Support budget planning, staff planning, and budget reconciliations across markets to ensure transparency and consistency.
• Mentor junior PMs, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and trust.
• Advocate for the value of Project Management, driving awareness and adoption across client and internal teams.

Skills

Project management

Change management

Leadership

Budgeting

Stakeholder communication

Resource planning

PMP/Scrum

Education

4-year degree or equivalent

Tools

PM tools

Resource management platforms

AI tools (GPTs)

Job description

Edelman is a voice synonymous with trust, reimagining a future where the currency of communication is action. Our culture thrives on three promises: boldness is possibility, empathy is progress, and curiosity is momentum.

At Edelman, we understand diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) transform our colleagues, our company, our clients, and our communities. We are in relentless pursuit of an equitable and inspiring workplace that is respectful of all, reflects and represents the world in which we live, and fosters trust, collaboration and belonging.

Why this role matters in APAC :

As the Project Management function grows in strategic importance across APAC, each market presents a unique opportunity to tailor how the function is introduced, supported, and embedded. This role is about meeting teams where they are - creating clarity without control, offering structure without friction, and supporting excellence through local relevance.

This role calls for a proactive and solutions oriented mindset - someone who can bring programme and project rigour without rigidity, implement operations and design processes that resonate across non-Project Manager audiences, and serve as part educator, part diplomat, and part operator. We are looking for someone with emotional intelligence, strategic patience, and the ability to build trust through relevant and consistent project delivery.

As a Project Director, you will:

• Lead a portfolio of programmes and projects across South East Asia and APAC markets
• Align business goals with delivery frameworks, partnering with Account and Specialty leads to define scope, success metrics, and governance
• Adapt global PM standards to regional expectations, ensuring clarity, accessibility, and cultural fit
• Act as a bridge across markets and teams, identifying delivery misalignments and driving collaborative solutions
• Support budget planning, staff planning, and budget reconciliations across markets to ensure transparency and consistency
• Mentor junior PMs, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and trust
• Advocate for the value of Project Management, driving awareness and adoption across client and internal teams

About Your Day-to-Day:

Edelman Project Directors serve as the delivery lead across accounts, overseeing project managers and collaborating with core team leads. They ensure structure, drive operational clarity, and guide teams toward shared delivery goals. They are responsible for:

• Intaking and evaluating new work, determining delivery approach and resource needs
• Defining scopes and staffing plans, generating estimates and aligning effort with deliverables
• Championing PM tools and standards, including AI tools and GPTs, ensuring consistency in briefs, schedules, budgets, documentation and delivery
• Leading large, complex projects independently and with team support
• Coordinating multi-market and regional teams
• Managing delivery risk and resolving escalations through proactive communication and problem-solving
• Overseeing financial health in partnership with Account and Finance teams
• Leading client discussions around plans, project performance, and delivery methods
• Partnering with Resource Management to forecast and align talent to program needs
• Establishing effective workflows and delivery practices that support integrated teams
• Ensuring quality and consistency across all project outputs
• Promoting flexibility in delivery to fit evolving client and creative needs
• Shaping project operations and contributing to PM team assignments and capacity planning
• Managing and mentoring PM team members, including coaching, performance reviews, and balancing workload
• Modelling steady, solutions-oriented leadership and communication

About Your Background:

• A 4-year degree or equivalent work experience
• 8+ years in a digital, creative, communications, advertising, or PR agency environment
• Deep knowledge of project and change management methodologies, tools, and best practices
• Familiarity with resource management platforms and planning workflows
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams across multiple projects and timelines
• Strong financial and business accumen
• Strong facilitation, negotiation, and communication skills
• Experience mentoring and developing talent
• PMP and/or Scrum certification is a plus

About You:

• Comfortable working independently and managing competing priorities
• Strategic thinker with a pragmatic, action-oriented mindset
• Strong communicator with the ability to lead through ambiguity
• Passionate about creative problem-solving and operational excellence
• Collaborative and calm under pressure
• Committed to fostering team growth and inclusive culture

What Will Set You Up for Success in This Role:

• Cultural adaptability - able to adjust leadership and management approaches to match regional working styles, decision-making norms, and communication preferences
• Leverage soft skills such as emotional intelligence to understand and respect the diverse cultural backgr