Creative Project Manager

Mastercard Inc.; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Mastercard is seeking a Creative Project Manager for the Advisors Creative Desk. You will own day-to-day management of creative projects, ensuring timelines, scope and quality across client engagements.

You will collaborate with creative, strategy and production teams in a fast-paced agency environment, translating client needs into briefs and delivering on-brand content for global campaigns. Excellent stakeholder management, time management and English communication are essential in this role

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years in creative services, account, or project management roles, ideally at Account director level, within advertising or creative agencies.
• Proven ability to manage complex projects end‑to‑end, with strong organizational and multitasking skills.
• Experience working with multidisciplinary teams across creative, strategy, and production.
• Confident in briefing creative teams and maintaining clear project direction from kick-off through delivery.

Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day management of creative projects from brief to delivery, ensuring timelines, scope, and quality standards are met.
• Track and manage project budgets, timelines, and resourcing plans, escalating issues proactively to senior leads.
• Lead client communication on project-level matters, responding to requests and maintaining clarity on deliverables and timelines.
• Develop and manage creative project briefs, translating client needs into clear direction for creative teams.
• Coordinate across creative, strategy, and production teams to drive delivery and maintain momentum.
• Work closely with creative leads and senior project managers to stay aligned on priorities.
• Monitor project progress, manage dependencies, and flag risks early to keep work on track.
• Run multiple projects in parallel, operating confidently in a fast-paced agency environment.
• Prepare and deliver regular project status updates and reporting for internal stakeholders and clients.
• Champion strong organizational practices and effective use of project management tools across the team.

Skills

Creative project management

Stakeholder management

Multidisciplinary teamwork

English communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

Our Purpose Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re helping build a sustainable economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.

Title and Summary Creative Project Manager Creative Project Manager, Advisors Creative Desk Overview The Services team is a key differentiator for Mastercard, providing the cutting‑edge services that help our customers grow. Centered on data‑driven technologies and innovation, this team provides consulting, marketing, loyalty and analytics to financial institutions and merchants globally. Marketing Services is the team within Services that develops and executes the marketing programs that help our clients achieve their marketing goals. The Advisors Creative Desk sits within Services and is responsible for ideating and creating engaging, forward‑thinking, on‑brand content solutions that connect our advertising partners, platforms, and our portfolio of brands. As Creative Project Manager you must have a passion for business growth and ensuring the seamless delivery of projects to clients. You will have a creative flair, relish working in a fast‑paced environment and be able to manage multiple project deliverables. You will have solid stakeholder management and communication skills and a clear understanding of the end‑to‑end process of project delivery. To excel in this role, you need to possess superior communication and interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to tackle several creative projects simultaneously. Working knowledge of project management tools, along with superior organizational skills are a must in this position. You are also expected to possess excellent time‑management skills to thrive in a fast‑paced, dynamic work environment.

Role

• Own the day‑to‑day management of creative projects from brief to delivery, ensuring timelines, scope, and quality standards are met.
• Track and manage project budgets, timelines, and resourcing plans, escalating issues proactively to senior leads.
• Lead client communication on project‑level matters, responding to requests and maintaining clarity on deliverables and timelines.
• Develop and manage creative project briefs, translating client needs into clear direction for creative teams.
• Coordinate across creative, strategy, and production teams to drive delivery and maintain momentum.
• Work closely with creative leads and senior project managers to stay aligned on priorities.
• Monitor project progress, manage dependencies, and flag risks early to keep work on track.
• Run multiple projects in parallel, operating confidently in a fast‑paced agency environment.
• Prepare and deliver regular project status updates and reporting for internal stakeholders and clients.
• Champion strong organizational practices and effective use of project management tools across the team.

All About You

• Minimum 8 years of experience in creative services, account, or project management roles, ideally at Account director level, within advertising or creative agencies.
• Proven ability to manage complex projects end‑to‑end, with strong organizational and multitasking skills.
• Experience working with multidisciplinary teams across creative, strategy, and production.
• Confident in briefing creative teams and maintaining clear project direction from kick‑off through delivery.
• Comfortable managing client relationships at a day‑to‑day level with professionalism and clarity.
• Able to work independently, problem‑solve on the fly, and perform well under pressure.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
• Willingness to travel as required.

Corporate Security Responsibility

All activities involving access to Mastercard assets, information, and networks comes with an inherent risk to the organization and, therefore, it is expected that every person working for, or on behalf of, Mastercard is responsible for information security and must: Abide by Mastercard’s security policies and practices; Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed; Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard’s guidelines.

Everyone wants easier ways to pay; we invent them. Checkout lines are slow; we speed them along. Merchants want more sales; we give them data and insights. People need financial access; we connect them. Corporate purchasing is complicated; we make it simple. Commuters are busy; we speed them on their way. Governments need greater efficiencies; we help create them. Small businesses are virtual; we give them access to a world of buyers. Retailers want to fight fraud; we provide the tools.