Managing Director, Delivery

Socket.dev; Kansas City (MO); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

VML in Kansas City is hiring a Managing Director, Delivery to lead a senior, client-facing program spanning enterprise technology, product, and creative for a military sector client. The role centers on governance, scaled agile practice, and delivering against strict government compliance requirements.

You will coach the program management team, drive cross-track coordination, and ensure the program meets commitments.

Qualifications

• 12+ years in delivery, PMO, or client leadership in agency/consulting.
• Hands-on SAFe evolution experience at Large Solution and/or Full SAFe.
• Enterprise/cross-track program leadership on large multi-disciplinary programs.
• Comfort with technology and compliance-heavy delivery, including regulated environments.
• Financial and pricing rigor with defensible estimation and cost discipline.
• Partnership/vendor management across multiple tech partners.
• Strong PM operations: meeting management, next steps, prioritization.
• Interest in AI as a delivery tool.
• Familiarity with Smartsheet, Excel, Monday.com, Workday, Jira.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coach the Delivery capability; serve as program management leader.
• Own enterprise cross-track view, manage dependencies, inform roadmaps.
• Evolve SAFe practice from Essential to Large Solution or Full.
• Provide governance, timelines, roles, and steps for rollout.
• Drive pricing discipline, budgets, burn rates, and profitability.

Skills

12+ years

Hands-on SAFe evolution

Enterprise / cross-track leadership

Technology and compliance

Financial and pricing rigor

Partnership / vendor management

PMO operations

Interest in AI

Smartsheet

Excel

Monday.com

Workday

Jira

Tools

Smartsheet

Excel

Monday.com

Workday

Jira

Job description

Who We Are

VML 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 award‑winning human‑first work for clients including AstraZeneca, Colgate‑Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca‑Cola Company, and Wendy's. In 2026, VML was named Campaign’s Global Network of the Year and ranked #2 Creative Network of the Year at Cannes Lions. VML’s global network spans 55+ markets with principal offices in Buenos Aires, Kansas City, London, New York, São Paulo, Shanghai and Singapore.

VML is part of WPP, the trusted growth partner for the world's leading brands. Powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform WPP Open, WPP unites cutting‑edge media intelligence and data solutions, creativity, production, enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel.

For more information, please visit www.vml.com and follow along on LinkedIn #WeAreVML.

Who We Are Looking For

VML is hiring a Managing Director, Delivery to lead program delivery for one of our longest-standing clients in the military sector — a complex, technology‑first program spanning enterprise technology, product, and integrated creative, delivered against rigorous government compliance requirements. This is a senior, client‑facing leadership role at the center of a large, multi‑disciplinary program.

We are looking for an invested, curious, and capable Orchestrator: someone who leads and coaches a program management team, drives the whole program forward with urgency, and thinks across tracks rather than managing them in isolation. You bring hands‑on experience evolving a scaled Agile (SAFe) practice, comfort operating in compliance‑heavy environments, and the operational rigor to convert strategy into governed execution, and the ownership mindset to ensure the program delivers against its commitments.

What You’ll Do

People | Lead, coach, and grow the Delivery capability. Serve as the clear point of leadership for the program management team — driving coordination, coaching proactive problem‑solving, and championing the work and the team. Partner with Account, Strategy, Product, and Enterprise Solutions leads to keep the broader program aligned.

Program Orchestration | Own the enterprise, cross‑track view. Identify and manage dependencies across the program, inform roadmaps and milestones with a strategic lens, and drive cross‑track flow‑down so commitments made in planning are executed. When they are not, surface the gap early, drive the decisions and tradeoffs required, and establish a credible path back to delivery. Provide a clear escalation path for critical issues and drive progress with urgency.

Transformation & Process | Lead the evolution of our SAFe practice from Essential to Large Solution or Full, adapted to the nuances of this program and in service of stronger delivery outcomes. Convert strategy into an actionable plan — timeline, defined roles, sequenced steps, and a governance method for rollout and follow‑through. Leverage AI where possible to optimize delivery and efficiency.

Scope, Pricing & Financials | Provide strong, invested leadership through the scope‑planning cycle during a period of significant budget growth, while navigating parallel resource constraints. Own sharp, defensible estimate generation and pricing discipline the team can confidently defend on rates, assumptions, and scope under close cost scrutiny. Model the enterprise impact to connected initiatives as scope expands or contracts. Responsible for program profitability, resource allocation, burn rates, budgets, and reconciliations.

Who You Are

An strategic orchestrator | You lead the whole program, not a stack of tasks. You see across tracks, connect dependencies others miss, and drive momentum. Process serves the outcome; delivery of the outcome is the measure of success.

A builder | Process-oriented and an innovator with a strong point of view. You have stood up and matured delivery operations and scaled‑Agile practices, and you know how to turn strategy into governed, sequenced execution.

Genuinely curious and invested | You move willingly into unfamiliar territory — including complex compliance requirements — and you learn new domains quickly. You take a genuine interest in the client's mission and business realities.

A tenacious problem‑solver | You dig in, work around challenges, and offer solutions grounded in the client's realities.

Open, collaborative, and ego‑less | You thrive alongside a well‑tenured, experienced leadership team, appreciate the nuances of a unique account, and will wear multiple hats for the team's success.

Optimistic and resilient | You provide the balance and stamina to keep the team motivated, supported, and positive.

What You’ll Need

• 12+ years in delivery / program leadership, PMO, and/or client leadership, ideally in an agency or consulting setting, with a proven track record of standing up and leading successful program management teams.
• Hands-on SAFe evolution experience — demonstrated experience and certification at Large Solution and/or Full SAFe, with the ability to adapt the framework to a complex, multi‑track program.
• Enterprise / cross‑track program leadership on large, multi‑disciplinary programs that blend enterprise technology, product, and integrated creative (digital and traditional).
• Comfort with technology and compliance‑heavy delivery — familiarity with cloud migration (e.g. AWS) and regulated / federal compliance environments, and the discipline to lead against externally‑mandated deadlines. Direct government / defense experience is a strong plus.
• Financial and pricing rigor — defensible estimation, rate and scope discipline, profitability and utilization management, and the ability to defend cost under external scrutiny.
• Partnership / vendor management across multiple technology and platform partners.
• Strong PM operations skillset — effective meeting management, actionable next‑step capture, prioritization, and operational rigor.
• Interest in AI and how to leverage it as a delivery tool.
• Familiarity with tools such as Smartsheet, Excel, Monday.com, Workday, and Jira.

The base salary range for this position at the time of this posting is indicated below. Individual compensation varies based on job‑related factors, including location, business needs, level of responsibility, experience, and qualifications.

$100,000 — $230,000 USD

We 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 the same opportunities to progress in their careers.