Programme Manager

twentysix; Katowice; On-site; PLN 234,000 - 317,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Private medical care

Professional development

Job summary

VML, part of WPP, is seeking a Programme Manager to lead multi-team delivery across complex programmes in Poland. You will work closely with the Account Director to balance client expectations, budget, and schedule while driving governance and risk management. The role is full-time, hybrid, with English-speaking selection process.

You will collaborate with UK teams, manage stakeholders, and oversee third-party vendors, ensuring successful realization of business cases and benefits.

Qualifications

• Experience managing multiple teams across different workstreams (min 20 people).
• Experience on Account Director tasks such as Quarterly Business Reviews, Steering Committee meetings, and budgetary management.
• Experience in software development programme management; ecommerce experience in retail is a plus.
• Solid understanding of SDLC and release management.
• Experience with ecommerce frameworks and hosting solutions.
• Knowledge of cloud/on-prem infrastructure.
• Proven track record delivering ecommerce migrations/re-platforms.
• Strong stakeholder management and negotiation skills.
• Experience with multi-vendor management and managing project budgets.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery across the programme and maintain project governance.
• Manage client relationships and support Account Director responsibilities.
• Analyse risks, generate programme reports for stakeholders, and track dependencies.
• Define governance with the client and oversee third-party vendors.
• Develop strong relationships with VML team members and client stakeholders.
• Provide guidance to project managers and maintain resource plans across projects.

Skills

Team management

Programme management

Agile delivery

Stakeholder management

Budget management

Vendor management

Communication skills

English proficiency

Education

BA/BS degree

Tools

Git

Bitbucket

SVN

Jenkins

Azure DevOps

AWS DevOps

Job description

Who We Are

VML, part of WPP, is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and human first, award-winning work for blue chip client partners including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendy's. The agency is recognized by the Forrester Wave™ Reports, as a Leader among Marketing Creative and Content Service Providers, Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services and, most recently, Marketing Measurement & Optimization. In addition, VML’s specialist health network, VML Health, is one of the world’s largest and most awarded health agencies. VML’s global network is powered by 26,000 talented people across 55+ markets, with principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney.

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.

Programmer Manager with extensive experience (including managing small programmes of work) needed to join our team.

The opportunity

You will lead teams to deliver high quality, complex project(s) on budget and within a specified timeframe to achieve the potential benefits defined in the business case. You will work closely with the Account Director to achieve productivity goals and contribute to the organization’s overall success.

Please note that this job is a full-time position located in Poland, but the selection process will be conducted in English.

What you’ll get to do

• Accountable for all delivery across the programme
• Carries out Account Director responsibilities within the Account to manage and maintain the client relationship
• Analyse, evaluate, and overcome programme risks, and produce accurate programme reports for management and stakeholders
• Maintain organisational standards of satisfaction, quality, and performance, including the creation and implementation of ways of working at the start of a programme
• Create and implement effective ways of working at the start of the programme and ensure these are adhered to throughout the project lifecycle
• Track and manage dependencies between projects and workstreams, creating programme level plans to ensure these are addressed
• Ensure programme goals are reached by keeping the workstreams updated on progress and any changes that need to be made.
• Provide support and guidance to project managers within your account and line management for several project managers outside of your account.
• Maintain a resource plan showing resource commitment across the projects and keep track of potential end dates in association with functional lead personnel
• Track resource requests and manage fulfilment of these requests internally or externally as appropriate
• Develop strong relationships with VML team members and client stakeholders at all levels
• Work with the client to understand their vision and plan the programme of work to successfully achieve that vision to the greatest effect
• Define and implement programme level governance in conjunction with the client
• Manage third party vendors on behalf of the client

What you should have

• Experience in managing multiple teams across different workstreams. As a minimum, if in a team management role, this should be at least 20 people
• Experience of working on Account Director tasks such as Quarterly Business Reviews, Steering Committee Meetings and budgetary management
• Experience of software development Programme Management experience, ecommerce experience ideally within a retail environment.
• A good understanding of the software development lifecycle & release management
• Some previous experience of eCommerce frameworks and hosting solutions
• Understanding of cloud/on prem. Infrastructure
• Proven track record in the successful delivery of an ecommerce migration/Re-platform
• Strong stakeholder management skills
• Excellent negotiation skills & an ability to handle sensitive issues with tact & diplomacy
• Exposure to medium to large scale fixed price project delivery
• Experience in multi-vendor management
• Experience of managing people and financial budgets (including programme budgeting, monitoring financials etc.) ideally in an eCommerce environment
• Experience of overseeing 3rd parties
• Some experience of code management tools such as git, bit bucket, svn
• Interested in the implementation of Jenkins, git or other release pipeline tools
• Excellent risk management skills
• Minimum of three years’ experience working in an Agile environment
• Proven track record of working with organisations moving from Waterfall to Agile delivery approaches
• Working knowledge of Agile frameworks, Scrum and Kanban
• Effective leadership skills with experience of managing other project managers.
• Strong time management & organisational skills.
• Excellent communication and relationship management skills
• Good commercial knowledge, experience of contract negotiations would be advantageous.
• Software Application Development related Project management experience (min 6 years) .
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Packages, especially MS Excel and MS PowerPoint
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English

You will collaborate with our UK project team, so we’ll need you to be available until 18:00 PL

Bonus points if you have

• Experience of working with the Magento eCommerce platform
• A developer background or programming qualification is advantageous but not essential
• Knowledge of Azure and AWS DevOps Tooling
• Minimum BA/BS degree with a major in information management, marketing, communications, business or other closely-related areas is an advantage

What we can offer you

We offer net hourly rate for B2B cooperation ranging from 170 - 230 PLN, dependent on your skills and experience.

Alongside the opportunity to work with some of the most exciting brands around the world, we’ll also prioritise your career development and help you grow your skills. We’ll empower you to make a difference, allow you to be yourself, and respect who you are.

Our culture thrives on our core values, designed for impact-driven individuals: Heart, Brains and Courage.

We lead with Heart, fostering empathy and trust where genuine connections and human-centric work flourish. We empower your Brains for innovation, valuing relentless curiosity and collaborative intelligence to solve complex challenges. And we champion Courage, inspiring you to speak up, embrace experimentation, and advocate for bold solutions that push our thinking to be better than yesterday.

Learn more about us on our LinkedIn page, visit our YouTube channel and follow us on Instagram WPP Poland.

How we use AI in the recruitment process: To ensure more focused and engaging conversations, we leverage AI in our recruitment process exclusively for secure, objective note-taking, never for evaluative judgments. This allows our team to be fully present with you. You are always welcome to request a transcript of these notes or opt out of this feature at any time. Opting out will not impact the outcome of the interview process

In compliance with Polish regulations, VML Enterprise Solutions is committed to fostering a transparent and ethical work environment. We encourage reporting of any potential irregularities or misconduct. For detailed information on our whistle-blower policy and reporting procedures, please refer to our dedicated document.

#LI-EMEA #LI-REMOTE

The gross salary for this position at the time of this posting is indicated below. This range reflects our broader group’s compensation framework across diverse agencies and disciplines. For this specific role, our offer will be determined within this range based on our internal benchmark, reflecting the specific market conditions for our discipline. Individual compensation varies based on job-related factors, including business needs, experience, level of responsibility and qualifications.

In addition to the salary range provided, we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support our employees' well‑being and professional growth. While specific details may vary by agency, typical benefits often include: private medical care, professional development opportunities, training programmes and flexible working arrangements (where applicable). Some agencies may offer additional benefits.

Poland Pay Range170 zł—230 zł PLNWe 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 an average of four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP (VML) is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has