Contract Project Manager

Blue State; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 82,656 - 117,096; Full time

Job summary

A purpose-driven agency is seeking an experienced Project Manager to oversee website development projects. This role involves leading project teams, managing client relationships, and ensuring successful project delivery while adapting to diverse team dynamics. Ideal candidates will have experience with agile methodologies and a passion for promoting progressive values within their work. A hybrid work model is offered with a competitive hourly salary ranging from $60 to $85 depending on experience.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience as a project manager in digital strategy.
• Experience with agile website development projects, preferably WordPress or Drupal.
• Strong communication skills to interact with diverse teams.

Responsibilities

• Manage budgets and timelines for website development projects.
• Define product specifications and functional requirements.
• Coordinate internal teams and manage client relationships.

Skills

Client-facing experience in digital strategy

Excellent communication skills

Ability to manage multiple projects

Adaptability

Passion for cause-based work

Job description

What to know

Help run website development projects transforming the way people engage. As a Project Manager, you’ll spend your days leading our website development and technical consulting projects from start to finish, which will include managing clients and collaborating with diverse teams of UXers, Designers, Strategists, and Developers. You’ll help turn progressive ideas into actionable tactics, timelines, budgets, and deliverables.

The company

Blue State is a purpose‑driven agency. We partner with leading causes, brands, and campaigns and create real change. From Google and UNICEF to Amnesty International and Oxfam, we transform how brands and causes raise money, influence policy, build platforms, and grow communities of supporters. Led by the most creative and analytical minds from the political, nonprofit, and brand worlds, Blue State is a part of WPP Digital and has 150+ employees in the US and London.

The team

You’ll be a part of our global Project Management team working on website development projects across offices. You will also work with a cross‑disciplinary team of Designers, Developers, Strategists, and other creative folks to get the job done.

A day in the life

• Manage budgets and timelines for website redesign & platform focused projects, including defining scopes and gathering estimates across disciplines
• Work with teams to define product specifications and functional requirements
• Manage client relationships and coordinate internal creative and delivery teams
• Manage operational aspects of projects, including communication of client needs to team and vice versa as well as resourcing and financial health tracking
• Lead project status meetings and updates with internal teams and clients
• Manage multiple website build projects simultaneously and understand project priorities in the context of agency and client expectations
• Minimize exposure to risk on a project by identifying potential scope creep and working with internal teams and client stakeholders to mitigate this risk
• Manage and participate in testing and quality control for all deliverables
• Ensure project documents are complete, current, and archived appropriately

We approach in‑office working with a hybrid model. On‑site presence is welcome for US staff who are within commuting distance of the NY or DC office. Managers retain discretion to require in‑person attendance for folks on their discipline or client teams as necessary, including for those whose roles require them to be in person. To enter our US offices or attend Blue State events, staff and visitors must be fully vaccinated against COVID‑19, including with a booster shot when eligible. Exceptions for protected grounds will be reviewed on a case‑by‑case basis.

The salary range for this position is $60‑$85 per hour; compensation will be commensurate with experience.

Some things we're looking for

• 2+ years of professional experience as a project manager with client‑facing experience in digital strategy and managing agile website development projects, specifically WordPress or Drupal builds
• Strong communication skills with the ability to interact with creative and tech team members, business stakeholders, clients, etc.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, team‑oriented mindset, meticulous attention to detail
• Ability to work effectively in a fast‑paced (sometimes rapid‑response) environment while maintaining a sense of perspective
• Ability to adapt to new situations, solve problems on the fly, and communicate with those around you. Teamwork and scrappiness required
• You are adaptable, curious, and always looking for ways to make things more efficient
• You have a passion for cause‑based work and promoting progressive values
• Whether it is Slack, Zoom, or email, you are a clear and responsive communicator. You approach communication with empathy and respect
• You manage your time well and are excited to dive into multiple projects at once
• A shared passion and curiosity for making change. This includes comfort with ambiguity, a restlessness that resists the status quo, and a commitment to quality that ensures we’re always making progress
• Empathy, communication, respect, and the ability to act as a role model at Blue State and embody our working agreements

At Blue State, diversity is a necessity, not a nice‑to‑have. We encourage those from underrepresented communities — women, people of color, LGBTQIA+, immigrants, those with disabilities and people at all the intersections in between — to apply. Even if you don’t think your current skill set checks every box below, but this role seems to align with your strengths, we want to hear from you.

Blue State is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible application and interview process. If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation for a disability, including the use of AI tools throughout the hiring process, please contact us at [e-mail] with the subject line: Accommodation Request to get started.

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