Freelance Senior Project Manager

AKQA Media; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 102,375 - 136,500; Full time

Job summary

AKQA Media is seeking a Freelance Senior Project Manager to lead a high-profile digital product engagement impacting millions. Located in San Francisco, you will ensure project clarity, manage timelines, and coordinate with internal teams and clients across a hybrid model.

The ideal candidate has over 5 years in project management, strong communication skills, and proficiency with tools like Jira and Smartsheet. Commitment involves managing project scope while driving successful delivery in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of project management experience in a digital environment.
• Ability to manage multi-workstream projects with overlapping timelines.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, anticipating potential issues.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day project management and coordinate internal teams.
• Manage project schedules and dependencies with detailed attention.
• Ensure delivery processes align with required methodologies.

Skills

Project management experience

Agile methodologies

Risk management

Communication skills

Jira

Confluence

Tools

Smartsheet

Job description

At AKQA, we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to create beautiful ideas, products and services. With an entrepreneurial and collaborative approach, we design adaptive digital services and applications that capture the imagination, delivering impressive returns for our clients.

Project Managers at AKQA are trusted delivery partners, bringing structure, clarity, and accountability to complex digital engagements. They build the conditions for great work to happen, aligning teams, managing competing priorities, and ensuring that every workstream moves forward with purpose and precision.

We are seeking an experienced Freelance Senior Project Manager with a strong emphasis on digital product delivery to join one of our most high-profile, long-standing client partnerships. This is a globally recognized brand with an enormous consumer footprint, one of the most beloved and visited in the world, and we have been entrusted with the full lifecycle delivery of one of their most significant consumer-facing digital products. This is a meaningful, high-visibility engagement where strong project leadership directly impacts millions of people.

Role Requirements

• Lead day-to-day project management across a complex digital product engagement, ensuring clarity of priorities, timelines, deliverables, and accountability across all workstreams
• Serve as the central point of coordination between internal AKQA teams (strategy, UX, design, technology) and client stakeholders
• Manage project schedules, milestones, and dependencies with meticulous detail, proactively identifying risks and driving timely resolution
• Oversee scope management and change control, partnering with discipline leads to assess impact and maintain alignment on approved work
• Support resourcing coordination, ensuring the right people are engaged at the right time across the project lifecycle
• Facilitate regular project ceremonies and working sessions, keeping teams aligned and focused on outcomes
• Maintain clear and consistent project documentation (status reports, RAID logs, decision logs, meeting notes) that keep all stakeholders informed
• Partner with the client to manage expectations, communicate progress, and navigate complexity with composure and clarity
• Ensure delivery processes align with agile, waterfall, or hybrid methodologies as required by the engagement
• Contribute to continuously improving delivery practices and ways of working within the project and broader team

Qualities & Characteristics

• 5+ years of project management experience within a digital agency or product delivery environment, with a strong emphasis on digital products and services
• Proven ability to manage complex, multi-workstream engagements with overlapping timelines, dependencies, and stakeholder groups
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with strong instincts for anticipating issues before they escalated
• Clear, confident communicator with both technical and non-technical audiences
• Comfortable working independently and proactively in a fast-paced, remote environment
• Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence, Smartsheet, or similar)
• Collaborative and solutions-oriented, with a team-first approach and a commitment to quality delivery

Location & Commitment

• West Coast residence required.
• Travel to client site in Seattle monthly is required.
• June 1, 2026 – October 2, 2026
• 40 hours/week
• Expected compensation: $2,250-$3,000

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.

AKQA is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.