Freelance Senior Project Manager

McCANN New York; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

McCann New York seeks a Freelance Senior Project Manager to lead key programs for major clients. You will partner with discipline leads to scope, resource, and manage projects from start to finish across traditional and non-traditional media.

This role emphasizes hands-on delivery, cross-discipline collaboration, and optimizing client outcomes while driving efficiency and profitability. Must excel in fast-paced environments and mentor junior staff.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience managing large-scale, integrated projects.
• Experience leading multi-channel campaigns across traditional and digital media.
• Strong communication with senior agency leadership.
• Ability to scope projects, manage burn rates, and ensure on-time delivery.
• Proven ability to drive growth and profitability.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Business Leadership and discipline leads to manage the overall program across multiple channels.
• Act as client-facing partner driving growth and profit goals.
• Responsible for all internal communications and day-to-day deliverable management for account(s).
• Be a partner to the broader agency team, delivering growth and profit goals on a project-by-project basis.
• In partnership with Business Leads and Finance, monitor scope of work and burn rates; review scope tracking and progress.
• Identify incremental scope opportunities, develop proposals with ADPM, track scope progress.
• Lead annual scope development with leadership, finance, and department leaders.
• Define resource needs across accounts with resource management teams.
• Oversee account workflow and establish client-specific processes for efficiency and quality.
• Identify best practices and develop new systems, processes and tools for complex work.
• Ensure consistent use of tools across all clients and teams.

Skills

Project management

Cross-channel coordination

Stakeholder communication

Budget and P&L awareness

Leadership

Client facing

Job description

As a Freelance Senior Project Manager at McCann New York, you will manage key project/programs for significant businesses. A key partner to discipline leads with the ability to manage across multiple channels, ensuring each account and project is scoped, resourced and managed from beginning to end.

This role will require hands on experience across traditional and non-traditional media, as well as a flexible approach with the ability to adapt and change as needed. We looking for a project leader that is passionate about creating world-class campaigns, programs and experiences for large-scale client engagements while also bringing a fresh perspective to the agency to develop revolutionary creative work.

The Project Management Department strives to be a cornerstone of the agency’s operations. Through a crossdiscipline, consistent and rigorous approach from client input brief, to scoping through delivery, to billing, job closure and asset storage, and the resulting project driven P&L goals. As Senior Project Manager, you are responsible for ensuring that projects overcome obstacles by proposing solutions that always strive to improve the work, provide best-in-class client delivery, and maximize efficiency.

What You Do

• Partner closely with Business Leadership and discipline leads to manage the overall program(s) for the year, across multiple channels, managing multiple agency partners
• Act as client facing partner to Business Leadership and discipline leads, driving growth and profit goals and advocating the importance of healthy and measurable ways of working
• Responsible for all internal communications and day to day deliverable management for account(s)
• Be a partner to the broader agency team, delivering growth and profit goals on project by project basis
• In partnership with the Business Leads and Finance, ensure ongoing monitoring of agreed upon client scope of work, projecting burn rates by client, and regular reviews of scope tracking and
• progress
• Identifying incremental scope opportunities, developing proposals in partnership with ADPM and tracking scope progress
• Lead annual scope development process, in partnership with business leadership, finance, resourcing and department leadership
• Work to define resource needs across account with the individual resource management teams in each department
• Oversee account workflow and establish client specific processes to ensure efficiencies and highest quality of deliverables
• Identify best practices and develop new systems, processes and tools for complex integrated client work
• Ensuring consistent use of tools across all clients and functional teams, supporting the deployment and adoption of enabling tools approved by McCann New York and Omnicom
• Leader, mentor to mid and junior level team members

What You Bring

• Project management, production, product management, or operations experience within an applicable environment; demonstrated experience directing a variety of integrated projects
• Possess an expert knowledge of all mediums, including social activations and digital del
• iverables,capabilities and processes
• Advanced experience with scope management and staff plan creation; Ability to spearhead andconfidently lead strategic conversations with senior agency leadership pertaining to staffing and scoping recommendations
• Partner to Account Leadership team members with ability to solve strategic, account level opportunities
• Strong team leader with a motivating work ethic and analytical mindset
• Ability to work directly with clients and inform on business process and health
• Experience in negotiation and conflict management skills
• Ability to adapt in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to communicate effectively in high-pressure situations
• 3-5 years of experience managing large scale, integrated projects
• A strong ability to mobilize teams to meet common goals

At McCann New York, each team member plays a significant role in our success. We recognize that our team members' contributions may extend beyond this job description. The job description is designed to outline primary responsibilities, qualifications, and role scope. It does not restrict team members or the organization to only those specified duties.

Location:

McCann New York team members must reside in or be willing to relocate to the New York Tristate area unless otherwise agreed upon by their manager and McCann New York’s Human Resources team. McCann New York is a hybrid workplace with three days in-office per week

How We Uphold McCann Values

• Bravery: We embrace innovation and take thoughtful risks to drive bold ideas forward.
• We approach challenges with courage, resilience, and an openness to new ideas. We encourage respectfully pushing boundaries, thinking outside the box, and proposing bold, innovative solutions, even if they come with some risk. Being brave also means standing up for what we believe in, respectfully challenging the status quo when necessary, and speaking up for others.
• Integrity: We are honest, transparent, and hold ourselves accountable in all that we do.
• We consistently follow through on commitments, speak up when something feels off, and communicate openly, even when it’s challenging. We take responsibility for our actions and decisions, are willing to admit mistakes, and are always aiming to do the right thing. By exemplifying integrity, we build trust within our teams and with our Clients, laying a foundation ofreliability and respect across all our interactions.
• Generosity: We create a collaborative, inclusive environment by supporting, celebrating, and uplifting each other with kindness, compassion, and empathy.
• We go above and beyond for others, showing kindness and giving time and resources to help our colleagues succeed. This includes sharing knowledge, mentoring, and being a resource for others, as well as celebrating others’ accomplishments and contributions. We believe in creating a collaborative and supportive environment where we lift each other up. Generosity also means being inclusive, welcoming diverse perspectives, and showing empathy for others’ experience and challenges.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:

The strength of our creative capability and innovative thinking has led to some of the world's most celebrated, effective, game-changing work for top brands. Maximizing that strength means bringing together an extensive mix of socially, culturally, and cognitively diverse talent — and creating conditions where they feel empowered to boldly share the fullest expression of their unique worldview. We fiercely believe in the power of creativity andinnovation to positively influence society and inspire greater equity and inclusion within the communities we serve. So, every day we deliberately and intentionally choose to embody our global philosophy of Conscious Inclusion and, in turn, fuel our mission to help brands earn a meaningful role in people's lives.