Project Manager

AKQA NL; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

In-office days

Job summary

AKQA NL in Amsterdam is seeking a Project Manager to lead the full lifecycle of medium-sized digital and creative projects up to €350k. You will translate briefs into scopes, plan and budget, and coordinate cross-functional teams, supported by a Programme Director or Client Partner, with a focus on hybrid delivery.

Based in central Amsterdam, you will work with AKQA’s European studios, drive delivery excellence, manage budgets, risks and client relationships, and ensure assets meet brand

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience managing multi-disciplinary projects within a creative or digital agency.
• Proven track record delivering digital-first solutions and coordinating cross-functional teams.
• Experience blending Waterfall and Agile/Scrum for varied project lifecycles.

Responsibilities

• Set up, structure and deliver mid-sized projects up to €350k with defined scope, time and budget.
• Collaborate with Creative, Design, Strategy, UX/UI and Tech leads to estimate effort and resources.
• Define project structures and delivery frameworks mixing Waterfall and Agile/Scrum.
• Monitor financial status, budgets, burn rates, forecasts, invoicing and vendor costs.
• Forecast resource needs and plan team allocation with Resource Management.
• Maintain proactive client communication and align on success criteria from concept to deployment.
• Identify and mitigate risks while balancing client requests with project realities.
• Keep schedules, Jira/Trello boards and notes organized per internal standards.

Skills

Project management

Hybrid delivery

Agile/Scrum

Budget management

Jira/Confluence

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Smartsheet

Asana

Trello

Job description

The Delivery Department is at the epicenter of all projects, ensuring that high-quality deliverables are completed on time and that clients receive maximum value from their investments. Our focus on operational excellence is essential for realizing the agency's strategic vision.

As a Project Manager, you are responsible for the full lifecycle of medium-sized creative and technical projects from inception to delivery (typically up to €350k). Supported by a Programme Director or Client Partner, you will translate briefs into detailed scopes, plan and budget accurately, and effectively coordinate cross-functional teams.

This role focuses on building excellence in day-to-day delivery. With a focus on managing the end-to-end delivery of digital solutions, you will also drive the surrounding ecosystem, including brand initiatives and integrated digital marketing campaigns. By mastering hybrid workflows (Agile and Waterfall), managing dependencies, and establishing strong client relationships, you will foster the independence and problem-solving skills needed to confidently manage any project within our Amsterdam studio.

Based in central Amsterdam, you will collaborate across AKQA’s European studios in a culture built on ownership, curiosity, and craft, working alongside specialists who push the boundaries of creative technology, strategy, brand design, and production.

Role & Responsibilities

• Set up, structure, and deliver mid-sized projects (up to €350k) focused on digital products, alongside supporting branding initiatives and digital marketing campaigns. Ensure delivery is within the agreed scope, time, and budget.
• Collaborate with Creative, Design, Strategy, UX/UI, and Tech leads to estimate effort and resource needs using the most appropriate delivery model (e.g., fixed-price, retainer, sprint-based, or capped T&M).
• Propose, define, and document project structures and delivery frameworks (hybrid methodologies combining Waterfall for campaign/brand launches and Agile/Scrum for digital product and web development) tailored to the specific project lifecycle.
• Actively monitor and report on financial status using AKQA systems. Track budgets, burn rates, forecasts, invoicing, and third-party vendor costs (such as production partners, asset creation, or software licenses) to proactively mitigate overruns.
• Forecast resource requirements across multidisciplinary teams (creatives, designers, copywriters, developers, and QA), collaborating closely with Resource Management to plan team allocation proactively.
• Maintain proactive, transparent communication with clients and partners, managing expectations, facilitating meetings, and aligning on project success criteria from creative concepts to technical deployment.
• Anticipate, assess, and mitigate risks (such as scope creep, compressed campaign timelines, technical debt, or resource constraints) while balancing client requests with project realities.
• Keep project documentation highly organized and compliant with internal delivery standards, including project schedules, status updates, Jira/Trello boards, and meeting notes.

Qualities & Characteristics

• +4 years of experience managing multi-disciplinary projects within a creative agency, digital agency, or fast-paced brand/product studio.
• Proven track record delivering digital-first solutions, such as responsive websites, e-commerce, mobile apps, or software launches, paired with experience rolling out digital marketing campaigns and branding initiatives.
• Solid hands-on experience running projects using hybrid methodologies, including Waterfall for timeline-driven campaigns and Agile/Scrum/Kanban for technical web and software development.
• Strong working knowledge of project management and collaboration tools, such as Jira/Confluence for technical tracking and ticket management and Smartsheet/Asana/Trello for campaign timelines and creative workflows.
• Comfortable tracking project budgets, analyzing burn rates, and managing resource plans across creative and technical talent.
• Solution-focused, energetic, and highly organized, acting as an enabler for creative and technical teams to deliver outstanding work.
• Reliable and organized, with the ability to manage your own timeline and help multidisciplinary team members stay on track with their deliverables.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to build trust with day-to-day client stakeholders.
• Meticulous eye for quality assurance, ensuring campaign assets, design deliverables, and code deployments meet both functional requirements and brand design standards before client delivery.

We believe great work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach including required in-office days. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.